Paris's First Ever Craft Beer Week!

La Paris Beer Week #1

May 24th through June 1st
Craft beer events held at beer locations around the French capitol in support of #MakeItCraft

Twist & Stout @ Supercoin

Is it just me or is being a beer geek sometimes feel like being an extreme sports junkie?

Not only do I have friends gearing up for the first annual Paris Beer Week by taking days or weeks off work, but some have been preparing their livers by going sober for the month prior. Likewise I also have friends who've been drinking more heavily to prepare themselves for the elevation change.

Menilmontant, Paris, France is 354 ft above sea level while Telluride, Colorado is 9,500 ft. Altitude effects how drunk you get- watch out!

I get a total rush when I get to a bottle shop and see beery people milling around outside. It's so packed in there that people are outside!

Mad props to Gregoire for his tart and Eva for her beeramisu (real recipe supplied by Jax not this site, but you get the idea of what you missed out on)

Brewdog Abstrakt tasting and homemade dessert contest @ La cave à bulles

A lot of the same people start showing themselves. Elite beer geeks. We acknowledge our friendship through simple eye contacts and nods. No names are needed as we are here to talk about beer and there isn't likely much room on our minds for more than brewery, brewer and beer names.

I can't tell you have many times I've said, "what are you drinking?" in the past few days.

Beers are ordered and then swapped around like ice cream cones. There are even times when beers switch owners after the sample swap. But more often, when one brew is found to be superior, we all down our current glass and rush over for the newest shiny toy.

Beer-o-matic : brew with your laundry machine! (with Bière à la main) @ L'express de Lyon

My week started with a couch nap at my friend's apartment and waking up to a packed (and I mean full house!) beer bottle shop with beer geeks on day one of La Paris Beer Week. 

Paris Beer Week photo highlights

Tasting The Kernel @ Biérocratie 

Day #1 of the amateur brewer contest judging

[caption id="attachment_2745" align="aligncenter" width="1020"] Photo by Jean-Marie[/caption]

Appearance is important! 

Amateur brewer contest judging day #2

Amateur brewer contest judging day #3

Birthday beer and music @ A la bière comme à la bière

 Apéro @ La Fine Mousse restaurant

Nøgne Ø Tasting @ Bierissime

What is a beer week without a final day celebration? Nothing without a conga line! All I have to say is that we were shmammered, the owner of Cantillon was drunk - we all were drunk - there were people on tables, new couples were formed and head banging happened along side tango skills. Mickey from Chop'in, Cicile from Brewberry, Julien from Trois 8, Yann from Outland, Jacklyn from Bierocracie and all the elite beer geeks who signed my shirt that night: Cheers to a great year and cheers again to the next!

Thank you comrades - we will only grow stronger (and more drunk) as time goes on

Paris International Beer Celebration @ Café A 

Final day celebrations are like Vegas- some people find romance, some people salsa and others need to watch this video:

http://youtu.be/14JsWeVomGw

• All photo credits (except for one) to La Paris Beer Week semi official photographer Clément Leriche. Find more pictures on his Facebook or check out his photography page for more outstanding shots of the world around the man.