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Sunday, October 31, 2010

Alsace: France's Beer Region and Home of Kronenbourg

When one thinks of popular French beverages, the first thing that comes to mind are a host of wines, spirits, and champagnes.  Beer does not come to mind.  The country does not have a strong reputation for producing beer, partly because they do such an incredible job with the other categories of beverages.  Beer in France is like soccer in the U.S.  There are just too many other competitors that overshadow their long beer heritage.


Despite the competition, France has a long history of producing beer especially in the Alsace region.  I set out today to visit Kronenbourg brewery, France's largest brewery, which is 45 minutes away from Ottrott in the suburbs of Strasbourg.  The old brewery buildings have mostly been demolished and brewing activities moved to the modern manufacturing site near Ottrott.  But, they did preserve the former brewing room with its massive copper kettles and the catacombs where beer was aged in 1,000 gallon oak barrels.


The tour started with a brief description of the four primary ingredients in beer:  hops, barley, yeast, and good quality water.  We were able to taste some of the barley used in their brewing process, ranging in color from golden to dark brown.  The higher the temperature that they roast the barley, the darker the beer and the more the caramel, chocolate, and other rich flavors are imparted in the beer.  The hops that are used in Kronenbourg's beers are locally grown Alsacian hops called Strisselspalt.  Stisselspalt hops provide some of the aroma and bitter flavor in the beer to balance out the sweetness from the barley malt.  A jar full of dried Strisselspalt hops was passed around the room so that we could touch and smell them.  It had a strong, herbal aroma.  More than 70 percent of the Strisselspalt hops grown in Alsace is exported to the U.S.  The yeasts used in Kronenbourg's beers are of course top secret and also give each of their beers their unique flavor. 

After the introduction, we watched a short video describing the evolution of beer from it's first conception in Egypt to modern mass production.  The video also highlighted a legend from medieval times about how brewmasters tested the quality of their beer.  Instead of tasting or other scientific analysis, the story told that brewmasters poured some of their beer on a wooden bench and sat in.  If the brewmater's pants stuck to the bench after the beer had dried, then it was considered to be no good and having too much sugar content.  If the pants did not stick then the beer was good to drink.  Fortunately I did not have to sit in any beer to determine its quality.  However, I was able to sample two of their beers at the end of the tour, the 1664 and the Kronenbourg. 

Kronenbourg was founded in 1664 which happens to be the name of the flagship beer brewed by Kronenbourg.  Kronenbourg is currently owned by the Carlsberg group and brews more than 20 beers including four versions of the 1664 and four versions of Kronenbourg.  The French call the 1664 blond a seize which is French for the number 16.  So if you want to show that you know a little something about French beers, tell your waiter that you want a seize (pronounced sayz).  At home, the French sometimes mix-in sweet syrups such as Picon with their light beers. Picon has a sweet orange and caramel flavor.

Additional Information
Websites:  Kronenbourg and Beer Selection
Tours: 6 euros for adults, Mon.-Sat.
           Tel:  +33 (0)3 88 27 44 88
           Brasserie Kronenbourg, 68 route d'Oberhausbergen, 67200 Strasbourg

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The French Immigration Process: A Lesson in Bureaucracy

Yes, the French immigration process is quite a bureaucratic process that required me to jump through a number of hurdles.  I started the process in mid-July and just finished today.  I am now able to legally live and work in France for a period of one year...nice!! 

The process started in Washington DC with a visit to the French Embassy where I applied for a visa de long sejour that would give me the ability to enter France under the presumption that I plan to stay longer than the 90 day limit of a tourist visa.  The first step was relatively easy...filled out a form, handed over my passport, and two weeks later I had the visa glued in my passport.

Next, I moved to France where I went to the French immigration office (OFII) filled out some more forms, dished out a few hundred euros, had my lungs x-rayed (checking for tuberculosis), and was then required to sit through four all-day training sessions.  The training sessions were interesting as they were designed to orient immigrates to the French way of life, government, employment, and language.  For example, we learned that France consists of 27 regions (equivalent to US states) , has a population of 65 million people, over 900 members of Parliament, and state sponsored health care that pays from between 70-90 % of doctor bills.

I have my long term residence permit, but there are still a few more boxes that I need to check.  I need to get a French diver's license and sign up for the state sponsored health care plan.  More on those topics in my ensuing posts.  

Monday, October 25, 2010

Let the Frenchformation begin...

After finishing a year-long motorcycle adventure that took me through 15 Latin American countries and covered some 40,000 miles (http://blazingsaddlebags.blogspot.com), I have embarked on another adventure...moving to France.  It is time to put aside my Spanish language skills, thoughts of spicy tacos, and tango dance moves.  Now is the time to jump headfirst into the sultry French language, taste as many of the 400 different French cheeses as possible, and learn what it really means to have liberté, égalité, and fraternité.

Integrating into a new culture brings along with it pleasant surprises as well as unexpected challenges.  I hope to approach this process with an open mind and will share some of my experiences with you.  Here are a few of the topics that come to mind at the moment that I will be covering in the coming weeks: 
  • Immigration process - are they really going to let me live and work here?
  • Food - if only I could 'beam' some of it through your computer.
  • French way of life - the little stuff that makes our cultures different.
  • Language - Français and its 16 different verb tenses and the local Alsacian dialect.
  • Tourism - by bike, motorcycle, train, and small cars.
 I hope you find my Frenchformation to be both entertaining and educational.  A plus tard.