If you like tap beer but want to drink it in the privacy of your home, you’ll be happy to learn that La Fine Mousse has started a growler program. They’re selling the refillable 2-liter jugs for 20€ and a fill from any of their 20 taps costs the same as five demis (usually in the 20-25€ range) – that’s eight beers for the price of five!
Now in its more or less permanent form (see From Demory Paris and Les Dessous de Paris), Demory’s flagship bar remains a convivial spot to enjoy Demory’s brews or one of the six guest beers from international craft breweries. Handmade chicken, pork or veal sausages from their own kitchen provide sustenance for a night of dancing to top DJs or simply a pre-movie or post-museum snack (the nearby MK2 shows arthouse films and the Centre Pompidou is just a block away).
“Boissons vivantes & épicerie funk” announces the tagline on this small, brightly decorated storefront. Inside, you’ll find nearly 200 different bottled craft beers from Europe and North America, many kept chilled for immediate consumption. The colorful interior is cheerful and inviting, and the enthusiasm of owners Jean-Baptiste and Dédé is infectious.
Hidden on the tourist-free side of the Butte Montmartre, this small bar pours well-priced beers from Italy, Scandinavia, and France in a laid-back atmosphere. The back room is set up with a projector for movie screenings and the occasional sporting event.
Paris beer enthusiasts will soon have a space look forward to a space where they’ll be able to create and brew their own beer with the help of experts.
Boasting the very best selection of craft beers on tap in Paris, as well as a bottle collection that brings the total offer up to 150 different beers, La Fine Mousse is certainly one of the city’s most well-stocked beer bars. It’s also one of the most expensive. French craft beers share real estate with lesser-known Belgians and German brews, with room left over for the USA, the Netherlands, and less-represented places like Norway and Italy to show off their brewing prowess. The meticulously curated beer list includes deep tracks from Brasserie St. Germain and Brewdog, and the descriptions (in French or English) will help you find just the beer you’re looking for. Serious beer geeks abound, the quiet atmosphere of the early evening eventually giving way to a lively party vibe as the social lubricant kicks in.
A true beer geek's paradise, Cécile Delorme's shop near the tourist- and student-friendly rue Mouffetard stocks hundreds of different beers from traditional Belgian and German to cult favorite Danish and Norwegian.
Since its recent renovation, this Belgian-focused beer “kingdom” has replaced the old-world charm with modern polish, but the large selection of lambics, gueuzes, trappists, and strong ales keeps beer enthusiasts coming back, despite the relatively high prices.
Don't be discouraged by the bog-standard beers on tap at this dark, European-style sports bar. The bottled beer selection is extensive, with brews from France and Belgium dominating the options, and a small collection of vintage beers is a unique addition to the menu.
Far off the beaten path, this place is one of Paris' very best beer bars. The three rotating taps include two French craft beers and one bière ordinaire, and the bottle menu presents five pages of small-production craft beers brewed in France.
Hipster beer geekiness pervades this shop just off the Place de la Bastille, with a record player spinning the blues, a faux phone box housing the English beers, and a periodic table of beer styles on the wall. Prices are very fair, and Guillaume, the friendly young owner is rightly proud of his ever-growing collection which boasts 500 beers from all over the world.
With a host of international beers, a speedy bottle-chilling machine, and a row of chess tables at patrons' disposal, Guillaume Lucas' shop is a welcome addition to the rue des Martyrs. A good place to pick up something on the way to a party or picnic, but you can also pass a few hours here, playing chess and sipping quality beer.
Located just inside the covered market at Place d'Aligre, this little shop is easy to miss, nearly hidden behind its own refrigerated snack case. But it's a gem, with a solid assortment of Belgian, German, and French beers at very low prices.
This unassuming bar, tucked on a side street near the Marché d'Aligre, boasts an impressive collection of over 100 beers. The selection is largely Belgian and mostly in bottles, though the tap choices are above average.
Simon Thillou's shop is the place to go for craft beer made in France. He works with brewers all over the country to source his remarkable and impeccably curated collection of small-batch French beers.
Amid the multitude of crêperies on this little street sits this good old-fashioned beer bar. It's cozy and bustling, with classic rock on the stereo, beer-friendly eats, and maybe, just maybe, NFL football on TV. Service is speedy and well-informed, and the hooks along the walls and bar are appreciated by purse-carriers and coat-wearers everywhere. In addition to the 13 beers on tap, you'll find 120 different bottled beers. Prices are a little steep, but the convivial ambiance and tasty Belgian beers are certainly worth a splurge now and then.
Although it appears on first glance like any other train station-adjacent café-bar, this place is a must for serious beer geeks in Paris. Their rotating selection of taps includes kooky craft beers from all around Europe, as well as more well-known Belgians like Chouffe, Chimay and Leffe.
Imports rule at this Temple of Beer, where you'll find a wide range of beers from Belgium as well as lesser-represented countries like Germany, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Just north of the bustling rue Montorgeuil, this tiny beer cave is a haven for beer lovers with dozens of international bottles available either to go or to drink on site at one of the four tables
At long last, it’s an exciting time to be a beer lover in Paris.
Until recently, beer drinkers in France who wanted to quaff anything with character had to be content with a limited number of foreign-made beers, mostly from Belgium. The Belgian brewing tradition is long and revered, featuring a wealth of brews in traditional styles. But as devotees of craft beer know, there is more to beer than simple tradition. Microbrewers in the US and UK have been bucking tradition for decades now, and in doing so have revitalized an industry and gained legions of passionate customers. In more recent years, while craft beers have taken off in neighboring countries like Denmark and Italy, France has lagged behind, content with its industrially-made Kronenbourg. That’s all changing. It seems that in Paris, craft beer has finally arrived.
Our selection of the best places to buy craft beer in Paris.
Our selection of the best places to drink craft beer in Paris.