The fabrication of beer in France has, proportional to population, a much lesser importance than in England, principally because the first country produces wine in such abundance that, in many locations, wine is ordinarily cheaper than beer; however, this refreshing drink is much sought-after there, especially in summer.
For some years, this industry expanded greatly in France, and in the principal cities of the east and north of the country, it constitutes a very important manufacturing sector. This industry has also penetrated the center and the middle of France, to Lyon, Clermont, Limoges, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Marseille, such that most populous cities in France now have breweries, whose number and importance increase every year, especially since the vines have been sick.
In France, as in England, beers are generally brewed solely with barley malt. For some years, however, in Paris especially, a lot of adjunct sugars have been used, particularly glucoses or starch syrups prepared with sulfuric acid. These potato-starch syrups, when of good quality, are quite proper for the production of white beers because they have little color and a lot of dextrin which gives beers containing them a good head. The head on these beers holds well: they are thick, compact, and do not dissipate like those of champagne or sparkling water, which consumers look for in this beverage.
Also, in many cases, for the production of white beers particularly, I advise the employment of these ingredients, moreover, because their price offers pecuniary advantage to brewers. However, I must observe that one cannot use large proportions of these without impacting the flavor of the beer which must always bear the characteristic flavor of these syrups. This flavor, when it is not too strong, is not at all inherently disagreeable. Nevertheless, it is often an insurmountable obstacle to employ these syrups in certain locations because the consumers demand a beer with consistent flavor and aroma, but this is not generally an issue in the south and west of France where beer is in some ways a luxury drink.
The best known and most highly regarded beers of those made in France are those of Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, and the white beers of Paris. I will therefore make known the principal types of beers brewed in each of these four cities and describe the procedures by which they are obtained. We classify each type of beer under the name of the city where it is made, but we can divide all these beers into three principal classes: the first being called double beer or strong beer; the second small beer or table beer, these two types constituting brown and amber beers; and finally, the third comprising white beer which are not widely made outside of Paris where all three classes of beer are made. And for this reason, I will commence by describing the beers and procedures used in Paris, even though the beers of Lille and Strasbourg are more important and more renowned than those of the capital.
In Paris, which the small wines are ordinarily very common and beers have comparatively high prices, beer constitutes a luxury drink generally consumed in the summer; and as the beers brewed there are not generally much aged, they are prepared in this season as needed.
Although in the capital, beer can be considered as a luxury beverage, its production has nonetheless acquired significant importance since, despite the importation of foreign beers, 130 to 140 thousand hectoliters of beer are brewed there annually, consisting primarily of brown beer and strong white beer. The proportions of table beer or small beer are not very considerable and are of an entirely inferior quality.
In Paris, for several years, no fewer than eight to ten varieties of brown beer are brewed, among which are the ones called Lyon, Strasbourg, and Lille beer as well as ale, porter, and Bavarian beer. The latter of which have not yet been imitated or have been imitated in such an imperfect manner that I do not believe it necessary to speak of the processes used to prepare them. I will limit myself here to describing the production of the brown beers of Paris, properly speaking: March Beer, Ordinary Double Brown Beer, and Table Beer which are brewed in the capital. Since all these varieties of beers are prepared in roughly the same manner, I will describe their production together under the general denomination of Brown Beers of Paris, taking care to indicate the differences which exist both in their nature and composition and in their preparation.
The March Beer that is brewed in Paris does not differ generally from the Ordinary Double Brown Beer that is prepared in the same city, in that it is generally a little stronger and more heavily hopped and is brewed in winter or early spring rather than in all seasons like most ordinary brown that ferments for two or three weeks before being delivered to retailers whereas proper Paris March Beer is not consumed for at least four to six months. This last is then a type of Stock Beer that most Parisian brewers mature in large vats or casks until it is delivered for consumption.