Years Back–Southern France

My wife Terry and I took a year off in 2005 to tour Europe. Here’s a look at the beers of Southern France.

Mare Nostrum – Castillon

The southernmost brewery in France is in a small hilltop artist colony town of Castillon, just north of Monaco. Mare Nostrum Brasserie Artisanale Du Sud has been in operation for 4 years under the ownership of Georges Bensoussan. The only hint from the road is a sign reading “Fabrique de Bieres”. While they think of themselves as a microbrewery, with 200 accounts from Marseille to Menton along the Cote d’Azur coast, They also have a restaurant and a Visite et Degustation (tasting room) on premises.

All production right now goes into bottles (from 33cl to Magnums) although they have some European version of coke kegs to try out in bars.

• Blanche De Castillon – “Prestige” Very effervescent. 5% ABV. Golden. East European lager aroma in a bottle conditioned beer (the sell by date on my sample was Sept 2006). Very neutral and balanced. There’s a touch o

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