US/UK pale ales in France?

[JCA]

I am one of several American beer fans who recently moved from Austin to Grenoble for a job assignment, and we have been looking for beers from the small craft breweries in the UK and the US. We can buy Sam Adams and Whitbread here, but we are looking for something with more hop flavor. Something in an IPA (like Stone, Bridgeport, Sam Smith's, Avery, Lagunitas, etc.) would be perfect. Does anyone know of anyone in France (or who will ship to France at reasonable cost) carrying such beers? Two of us have started making our own, but the demands of work and family are such that we'll never be able to keep up with consumption on that alone.

Any help anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated!

[lonedrinker]

FRANCE HAS GOT SOME GREAT BEERS HAVE YOU TRIED
-AMBER FISHER
-BITTER FISHER
THEY COME IN GIANT BOTTLES AND ARE VERY TASTY

[JCA]

Lonedrinker,

Thanks, but I have tried many French and Belgian beers here without finding the flavor I'm looking for. This is a great place if you like beer flavored like malt, or honey, or herbs, or spices, or flowers - unless the flower you prefer is the hop. I like the spring seasonal beer ("Biere de Mars," I think they call it) style OK, but it still just doesn't do it.

Thanks!

JCA

[Theakston]

While a lot of Belgian beers are flavored with a lot of different ingredients and are often aged for sourness rather than hopped, there are some that are ruthlessly dry hopped if you can get them.
Worth checking out:
Orval: all English real ale enthusiasts I know love this trappist ale at first taste, most US drinkers need a few more attempts. Really hoppy.
XX Bitter de Ranke: As you would expect by the name this is an English Bitter in a belgian style.
Poperings Hommelbier: an absolute Hop bomb.

Of course these are all a bit higher in Alcohol than the US / UK beers so take it easy! should satisfy the Hop cravings though.

Another source, depending on where in France you are is the Frog and Rostbif - an English Brewpub in Paris. They make their own English bitter which is OK and they probably have a few bottles from England as well. If my memory serves me well they are on Rue St. Denis.

OK here is their web-site:

http://www.frogpubs.com/Html/cadrage_frog-stdenis.htm

they apparently also have pubs in Tolouse and Bordeaux.

[JCA]

Theakston,

Thanks much for your suggestions. There is a beer and wine store near here that has two aisles with nothing but Belgians - I'll look for the ones you mentioned. I had heard of the Frog and Rostbif, but all of their locations are too far away. There's another brewpub chain in France, Les 3 Brasseurs, whose Lyon location I have visited. The beer was decent (although mild), and it was a real treat to be able to get some grub along with it (most bars around here are strictly potato chips), but at more than an hour and almost $10 in tolls each way, I can't exactly make them my local. Thanks again for the help!