Hole-in-the-Wall Pubs in France?

The generic French beers are 1664 and Kronenbourg.

I adore both France and quality beer. Unfortunately, in my mind the two don't go hand in hand. Give me a good IPA or lager and I'll be happy—but they seem hard to find in France.

PharmerPhil,
Sounds like my bad-beer-slurping companion is in luck then!

Are 1664 and Kronenbourg not the same beer? Here, anyway, we have a beer called Kronenbourg 1664 which is quite common.

I don't agree that France doesn't have good quality beer. Every time I go I find excellent beer. My understanding is beer was originally brought to Paris by the Alsatians (also a very good area for beer).

I am not a beer drinker, but in all our travels, sometimes with some in-laws, we always try to find an Irish pub. We have been successful in Porto and Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona and Sevilla, Cairo, Colmar, Rouen, Quimper (Irish/Breton cousins of the tap), Paris, Santiago, Punta Arenas (Chile), Gibraltar. Those bars usually have a decent Irish berew, but some have the not-so-great local beer too. When hubby was in Viet Nam, he said the local beer there was awful, and blamed it on the French who taught the Vietnamese to brew beer and make bread. They were very successful with the bread, not so much the beer. And he has family in France and has spent lots of time there! Alsace is the exception.

Speaking of hole-in-the-wall bars, we went to Villedieu-la-Poelle en route from Bayeux to Mont St Michel and had arranged 2 chambres d'hote for our party of 5 for the night. Our GPS was not getting us to the address (in a residential neighborhood), so we parked in town and went into a small bar for directions. There were about 6-7 "anciens"
there and when we asked for directions everyone had a different opinion. It was such a French moment, with each person (all males) putting in their own two cents and shushing their companions. It was a fun-filled half hour experience of a small town French ambience with lots of "mais nons!" and "au contraires!" The discussion was lively and joke-filled with light-hearted insults. We finally phoned the owner of the chambres d'hote who came and had us follow him to his place. And not one of the anciens had the directions right! But what fun to share a beer and bit of the afternoon with them! (Come to think of it, I met my husband of 55 years in a bar like that in here Long Beach, Ca. Good things happen in hole-in-the-wall bars!)

Good luck in your search!

In France, I guess it's like in the US, a "pub" is a place where you drink English, Irish, or Scottish beers. They aren't necessarily common, in fact they're pretty rare in rural areas, and it's not where you'll find the cheapest beers.

The cheap beers on tap are what you'll find in cafés and bistros, like 1664 or Kronenbourg (yes, the same company). As for Kronenbourg, in France people call it "Kro" ("Gimme a Kro, please"). You'll also frequently find cheap beers on tap like Stella Artois or Heineken.

The absolute cheapest beers are found in supermarkets in 1-liter bottles. Back in the day, there was a beer called "Valstar" that people nicknamed "the beer of the stars." It was very popular with the homeless population.

There are no pubs in the Dordogne because drinking beer from Perfidious Albion alongside foie gras is strictly forbidden, on pain of being banished from the region for 7 years. It's a custom that dates back to the Hundred Years' War. :-)

JoLui,
I love your story! Made me and my hubby chuckle!

Give me a good IPA or lager and I'll be happy—but they seem hard to find in France.

You've obviously not visited Bordeaux. We have a terrific beer scene here, and IPAs are thick on the ground, as are good lagers. Even American IPAs (Goose Island, Lagunitas and Brooklyn) are common here, as they are brewed in Europe, but the French make some good IPAs, too. And English beers are rampant in Bordeaux. If you see a pub sign for Fischer, check it out. Mostly available in Alsace, though.

Cheapish beers that can be found in France include Pelforth, Stella Artois and Heineken in addition to 1664 and Kronenbourg. And to find the French version of Hamm's, look for Milsbrau, Tiger or Tuborg -- or so AI tells me; I don't drink cheap beer.

Bottom line: those who deride French beer aren't looking beyond the basic brands. It's like judging the US based on Natty Light. And BTW, Brits make some pretty dire brews themselves.

Budweiser is for sale in the Supermarkets, at least Monoprix and Marché U.

And BTW, Brits make some pretty dire brews themselves.

Unfortunately we do. It usually happens when a good independent brewer sells out to one of the large mega corporations such as Molson Coors, AB InBev, Heineken NV etc who inexplicably go on to ruin the beers they bought.

I've had plenty of French blonde beers that were decent and taste more like their Belgian counterparts however the piss-beer that the OP is looking for can be found absolutely everywhere.

Thanks everyone for the responses. I found the friendly arguments interesting and my companion now has some brands to lookout for.

Elizabeth, I actually felt a little nauseated when you mentioned Budweiser. I know a lot of people who drink bad beer, and are proud of it, but nobody touches Bud! Lol Same with Foster's.
Thanks again everyone.

Budweiser in Europe, however, is brewed by the Czech company that originated it - in the town of Česky Budejovice .... notice anything familiar in the first syllable of the second word ?

those who deride French beer aren't looking beyond the basic brands

The problem is, in most restaurants and cafés (at least in Paris and Normandy), the "basic brands" is all they serve. And I find that stuff to be swill. The same thing used to be the case in The U.S. (said with a hick accent): "we got all kinds of beer here. Bud, Bud Light, Miller, Miller Lite, Coors, Coors Light..." All the same piss. But I'll admit, I have not gone to Bordeaux yet. I hope to be pleasantly surprised.

Just to clarify, Budweiser Budvar, the (very good) beer produced in the Czech Republic, is in no way affiliated with the brand Budweiser from the US. In fact they have a long running dispute about the name: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budweiser_Budvar_Brewery