Two hours train ride east from Paris by Thalys lies the sleepy burg of
Strasbourg, home of the European Parliament and staging area for Mondial de la
Biere Strasbourg-Europe. This was the first year of the festival in France and
I was present and accounted for.
As things geared up on the blustery October morrow, a visit
to historic down town was a must, punctuated by very orderly trams. The region
has changed hands with Germany many times in history, reflected in the
architecture, food and lager beer styles. The central cathedral yielded a small
square and a large clutch of restaurants all serving the local specialty,
choucroute. That’s smoked meat, carroway and cabbage for the wary diner.
Delicious but so filling it demands a long walk afterwards. And there just
happened to be a bistro with a Belgian beer menu not too far away.
Friday morning found me judging under the tutelage of Guy
Levesque in the same null category manner as in Montreal. Try rating a dozen
beers sometime, with style, character and caliber totally up to your taste
buds! Platinum winner was Italy’s Croce di Malto Triple XXX, a sweet malty
voyage rolling into a dry finish. My favorite medalist was Canadian: peppery,
hoppy Microbrasserie La Chouape ambréee amère.
The Mondial started shortly thereafter slowly but certainly,
which made it easy to scout out. Produced by Jeannine Marois with Marie-Josée
Lefevre , Katia, Marilou and the Montreal team with an able assist from
Strasbourg Events, it opened fearlessly with much pomp. Congratulations to all
are definitely in order.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 150 breweries were
represented with well over 400 beers. Alsatian breweries were featured as was
the rest of host nation France, especially Brittany and Vosges. Extensive
foreign pavilions highlighted the U.S., Canada, Belgium (Luxembourg Province
was always jumping) and Japan, with Germany, the U.K. and Sweden at smaller
booths. Italy also had a large presence. Two Petits Pubs (Europe and Outside
Europe) offered wide diversity. With four ounce pours going for one ticket at
€0,70 ($1.05) for local beers and two tickets for all but the rare beers,
prices were incredibly reasonable. A full program of guest speakers (among them
Teo Musso, Italy; Roger Protz, UK; Michel Haag, Alsace; and Peter McAuslan,
always spreading good cheer, of Quebec) gave pace to the proceedings.
Special mention needs to be given to the emphasis on beer
with food. Local gourmet restaurant fare was widely available on a sit down
basis, shockingly innovative for a major festival. Also, Canadian beer expert
Mario D’Eer conducted two beer and cheese workshops each day.
I spent a lot of time at the Alsatian booths, poured
somewhat hazardously at the American booth and watched the locals go wild for
Harpoon IPA and UFO Raspberry. I then tried to steer them to Old Rasputin for
contrast. Californian pal Bruce Gordon, who was pouring all three days, affably
won a gang of fans for U.S. beers.
Alsatian beer turned out to be pretty conservative though
tasty. Among the many blondes, brunes, blanches and ambrèes the adventurous
drinker can find experimentation going on with fruit, honey, and spices. Meteor
and Brasserie Licorne were local standouts.
My most unusual discovery was a new Belgian product headed
for the U.S., Caulier (6.8%), which claims to have no sugar. Seems they ferment
it all out. The Blonde tastes a lot like Duvel. Though I was pretty much
bewitched by the piercing blue eyes of rep Bérengère (“I’m a dolphin among
sharks”) Coton, I tried it again later to the same effect. I saved the Italian
booths for the last day, probably a miscalculation. These were big three ticket
beers and Baladin waxed exotic with Nora (6.8%), Islay whisky assisted Elixir
(10%) and Xyauyu (13%). I got the last blast of spicy Noel.
It was a great launch right up to a Mumm Champagne finish at
the Hilton, courtesy of Marie-Josèe. Whatever Providence watches over beer
drinkers must have winked and smiled.
