Beer in France

[1] As rural population declined, these breweries almost disappeared and along with them the tradition and diversity of the regional beers, which started to be replaced by larger urban ones.

Among the things that caused most impact are: In the last decades the interest in beer was renewed[3] and many new breweries, particularly microbreweries, have appeared.

[citation needed] The Alsace-Lorraine region has had a turbulent history, changing hands several times between Germany and France.

These include those of Licorne (Karlsbräu), Kronenbourg, l'Espérance (Heineken International), Meteor, Schutzenberger and Champigneulles (near Nancy).

[4] The Nord-Pas-de-Calais area, also known as French Flanders, has longstanding cultural ties to Belgium, and a common brewing heritage.

The name came from "Pel" for pelican, "forte" for strong, because it contains a lot of malt (43 kg/hL), and the h added to give it an English feel.

[8] These beers were originally brewed in farmhouses during the winter and spring, to avoid unpredictable problems with the yeast during the summertime.

Particularly authentic products, using only regional ingredients, are entitled to use the Appellation d'origine contrôlée, Pas de Calais/Region du Nord.

In contrast to German Märzen beers, it is less hopped (less bitter) and weaker, although it can be darker (often by addition of caramel or other colourants), and slightly spiced.

French Bières de Noël are rich and strong winter warmers as in other European countries.

The original was Adelscott Bière au Malt á Whisky, a 6.5% ABV lager from the Adelschoffen brewery in Alsace, which was launched in the 1980s.

[14] The pubs are decorated in a broadly British style, and serve a selection of ales, stouts and wheat beer.

There is also a chain of about 20 American style brewpub-restaurants operating under the name Les 3 Brasseurs (The Three Brewers), which extends outside the country.

[16] According to the French Brewers Association ([17]) beer market in France represents EUR 12.8 billion and employs 71,500 people.