French Leave (pt. 3)

I have to be honest, I thought that a holiday in this part of France was going to be a beer desert. Not that I came on a family holiday with friends (and their child) with any intention of it being a beer holiday - that seems a bit like always being at work, and not giving time to friends and family.

But fortunately, I have a beer-curious guy with me (and that's not a euphemism), so today in Bergerac, as we spied a likely looking bar as we headed for a boat trip. After a picnic lunch on the river Dordogne, we headed back for a quick beer at Au Plus-Que-Parfait, and were delighted to see that they had La Chouffe (8%abv) on draught. I've only ever had it in the bottle, but on draught, it's a revelation - a strong blonde beer with a wonderfully spicy yeast bite to it. There are another half-dozen taps, and a beer list of maybe 50 bottles - nothing terribly unusual, but enough Belgian staples to show a serious intent.

So, Bergerac; although there isn't an indigenous beer culture (in the sense of an active brewing scene), there are enough beers this one cafe to keep the beer curious interested and satisfied for a few days.