The Boss (aka, the Wife) just booked a Viking River Cruise from Paris to Normandy and back. Looking for some recommendations on beer. The boat will have their "free" beer of course, which is typically a pilsner so hoping it's a decent one. Last cruise we took was in Germany and it was Bitburger. Anyway, looking for some advice on the following: Boat ports at Port de Grenelle in Paris. Is there a decent bottle shop near that location (within walking distance?) where I can stock up for the cruise? Also, any recommendations for breweries/bars along the way where I can sample local and also stock up as needed? The cruise starts in Paris, and here are the following stops (not sure how much time I'll have in each location): La Roche-Guyon Vernon Rouen Les Andelys Normandy And, if you have any other ideas/recommendations, let me know. Thanks in advance!!!
So, my wife and I have done this trip with Viking several times. Right near the embarkation port, there's a very good monoprix grocery store on the West side of the river. You can see it from the boat as I recall. Anyway, it's very close to where you'll be docking, and they'll have a decent bottle/can selection there. It will mostly consist of Belgian stuff, but increasingly the French monoprix carry a better selection of local artisan, craft beer as well. There also used to be a small craft beer shop on the West side of the bridge, that I would highly recommend if it's still there (unfortunately, I can't remember the name - this was 5 or 6 years ago). As for the other towns, I would recommend using Untapped or Digitalpour to locate a good store or bar. Otherwise, just do a Google search of "beer store near me" or "beer bar near me." I found several outstanding places in Rouen that way, none of which I was able to visit due to time constraints. That being said, most bistros and bars in France are going to have a half way decent selection of Belgian beer. At the very least you should be able to find Chouffe, Delirium, Grimbergen, leffe and the like on tap. By the way... Viking usually has a couple different Belgian bottles available, which have no added cost if you order them during a meal. Otherwise, expect either Bitburg or Carlsberg on draft as usual. Good luck. The Normandy excursions are amazing.
