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