Bordeaux
Bordeaux is most known for its Bordeaux wine but I was pleasantly surprised to find a very active craft beer scene with even a few brewpubs. And in almost all cases, the craft beer bars had very knowledgeable staff regarding craft beer in France and local options. Craft beer won't overtake wine sales anytime soon but at least now you have options.
Frog & Rosbif
Part of the Frog chain of brewpubs throughout France. This one is quite large with plenty of seating throughout along with small area outside. They have a small, old, and rather simplistic brewing system which allows them to keep their 7 taps flowing with mostly flagship beers and an occasional seasonal beer. In the back room, there is a huge projection TV to watch the local football games. There is a full pub-style food menu and the food was rather tasty. Location: 23 Rue Ausone Nearest Metro: Porte de Bourgogne (Lines A and C) or Place du Palais (Line A) Updated: Sep '17
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Entrance
Brewing System
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Jaqen Craft Beer
This was a nice find in the city center of Bordeaux. Jaqen has close to 400 bottles of beer to choose from, with most of them available in their beer coolers so you can drink them there. More than half of the selection is craft beer from France with the rest are international craft beer selections. They supplement this with a selection of 7 taps and an assortment of cheeses and meats (charcuterie). With such a great selection of local craft beer, you have lots of options to bring some bottles home with you. Staff was quite knowledgeable about craft beer. Location: 5 Rue Beaubadat Nearest Metro: Gambetta (Line B) Updated: Sep '17 |
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La Bieristerie
This is a small cozy bottle shop with about 100 - 150 bottles to choose from along with 2 beers on draft. Most of the bottles are available cold to drink on premise or outside on their 2-table patio in the plaza outside. The beer selection is predominantly French craft breweries. Small plates of fusion style Asian food is offered made from local ingredients. Location: 6 Rue Porte de Cailhau Nearest Metro: Place du Palais (Line A) Updated: Sep '17 |
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Le Zytho
Le Zytho is a very nice craft beer bar sporting 18 taps and a selection of about 100 bottles. They have the largest draft beer selection that I was able to find in Bordeaux. Located in the city center just across from the Garonne River, which has a large pedestrian walkway/bike-way along the river and also serves as a port for the numerous cruise ships coming and going. The selection of beer was mostly French craft beer but included a few international selections such as Mikkeller. For food, they have a selection of 12 appetizers to choose from. This place is also open much later in the evening than most of the other local craft beer bars making it a good late-night option to enjoy some good French beer. Location: 28 Rue Latour Nearest Metro: CAPC Musée d'Art Contemporain (Line B) Updated: Sep '17 |
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Mille et une Bières
A thousand and one beers may be an understatement for Mille et une Bières. This is the most comprehensive bottle shop I have come across in my travels. Not only do they have a vast selection but each selection is well stocked. The beer is sorted by styles and there is plenty of space to walk around, so even on busy days you shouldn't have a problem locating your favorite beers. If you want to drink your beer on-site, they will chill it for you in their "quick-chiller" which only took 2 or 3 minutes. They have a patio outside where you can drink your beer or you can drink it in the bar area inside. Open only about a month when I visited and while well-stocked, the bar area was not finished yet. Eventually, they will have some beer on draft and they may already have it finished by the time of this posting. With such a great selection of international beer, I was hoping to find some hard-to-find beers like Cantillon or Westvleteren, but alas, even they can't get them. For food, they offer a selection of freshly-made sausages. It's located on the north side of Bordeaux about a kilometer's walk from the last metro station. Location: 42 Rue Edmond Besse Nearest Metro: Berges de la Garonne (Line B) Updated: Sep '17 |
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Au Nouveau Monde
You won't find but a couple brewpubs in Bordeaux and this is one of them, although they are really more a restaurant that brews a few beers. It was quite busy the night I went and the tables were all full of people eating dinner. I ordered a beer and tried to stand near the bar but seemed I just kept getting in the way of the staff so I stood outside next to the small patio until they told me I couldn't just stand outside either. Food menu is vegetarian and vegan. Location: 2 Rue des Boucheries, Nearest Metro: Porte de Bourgogne (Lines A and C) or Place du Palais (Line A) Updated: Sep '17
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Entrance and Patio
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