A Beer For Strange Climates

Category: France

  • Byrrh in Catalonia

    Byrrh in Catalonia

    The colors of Collioure in France have drawn artists and those with any heart for a century or longer. They drew us in on the apex of a drive through Catalonia during August, and completely melted my heart. But the town is more complex than a few restaurants along the front, the street market on…

  • A Toast To Normandy

    A Toast To Normandy

    We spent a week in Normandy commemorating the 75th anniversary of Operation Overlord, or, as we know it in the United States, D-Day. Everywhere we went, from our outpost in Dives-sur-Mer to the reaches of Point du Hoc, we witnessed an outpouring of emotion from the veterans making one last visit to the beaches they…

  • Méribel, Après-Ski

    Méribel, Après-Ski

    From the top I could ski into three different valleys, an immense swath of France’s Alpine glory at my feet. If there was enough snow at Méribel to make a piste to the bottom, it would be one magical journey lasting a good 30 minutes. Eh, ce ne fait rien. That season, 2016-2017, was absolute…

  • Rosé In Montmartre

    Rosé In Montmartre

    I’ve felt vaguely bad in the past for floating an ice cube in my glass of white to chill it, to make it more refreshing. I thought this was An American Thing, one more demonstration of our strange love affair with ice in our drinks. Though I’d never put a cube in any nuanced white–or,…

  • A Leffe In The City Of Love

    A Leffe In The City Of Love

    While Paris lies under a flooded Seine, I remember the time spent there over so many years. My favorite city, a city for love, but one in which I’ve often been happiest alone. Why is that, in the midst of the City of Light, would I feel most part of her love when sitting solo…