French beers and lager in Calais : a local's guide to the region's brews

Nord-Pas-de-Calais brews a third of France's beer, from centuries-old bières de garde to a world-champion IPA and a beer named after Calais' own mechanical dragon. For British visitors used to lager on tap, that's a lot of ground to cover in one trip. Here's what's worth knowing before you order your first pint, walk the dragon route, or fill the boot on the way home.

Why Nord-Pas-de-Calais is one of France's great beer regions

A third of French beer starts here

Nord-Pas-de-Calais and its neighbouring department produce 6 million hectolitres of beer a year , roughly a third of national production , according to La Voix du Nord (David Derieux , 17 January 2024) . That volume runs through hundreds of breweries , from century-old family operations to industrial giants , and it explains why every bar from Lille to Calais treats beer the way Burgundy treats wine .

The region's signature style is the bière de garde : top-fermented , then matured for a minimum of 21 days in low-temperature tanks , producing a malt-forward beer built to keep . It's the northern answer to a warm climate's table wine — something brewed to be laid down , not rushed .

The names locals actually order

Ch'ti , brewed by Castelain in Bénifontaine near Lens , anchors most bar menus in the region . Jenlain comes from the Duyck brewery in the village of the same name near Valenciennes . 3 Monts , brewed by Brasserie Saint Germain , carries the name of Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel in Flanders , while the same brewery in Aix-Noulette also produces Page 24 . Choulette , born in Hordain , rounds out the classic five .

• Ch'ti – Brasserie Castelain , Bénifontaine
• Jenlain – Brasserie Duyck , Jenlain
• 3 Monts – Brasserie Saint Germain , Saint-Sylvestre-Cappel
• Page 24 – Brasserie Saint Germain , Aix-Noulette
• Choulette – Hordain

Two industrial giants behind the shelf

Pelforth is brewed at the Heineken plant in Mons-en-Barœul , which produces no fewer than 130 references on site . Goudale , Grain d'Orge and Saint-Landelin come from the merger of the Saint-Omer and Gayant (Douai) breweries in 2016 , now producing 170 references between them .

La Choulette itself has quieter roots : Alain Dhaussy and his father took over the Hordain brewery , south of Valenciennes , in 1977 , and the now-iconic Choulette Amber was first brewed in 1981 . Today the brewery produces 8,000 hl a year , exported to Great Britain , Italy and the United States .

« When a 'chtimi' goes out (...) , he grabs a half-pint ! » — from the dialect song by Simon Colliez , still hummed in bars across the region .

That line captures something the production figures can't : here , ordering a beer isn't a transaction , it's a small ritual passed between friends , généralement over a half-pint rather than a pint — a habit worth knowing before your first estaminet order.

The tale of Calais' very own beer, born from a dragon

From a couscous maker to a nano-brewery

Every region has its flagship beer ; Calais has one with an origin story stranger than most . Brewer Vincent Nagot brewed his first beer in a couscous maker in 2003 , then launched his nano-brewery Craft Brew Experience in 2018 , designing recipes in small 150- to 300-litre batches before brewing them at partner breweries — the Grizzly Beard , for instance , was born at Brasserie Saint-Germain (France Today , 18 June 2023 , drawing on Damien Courroux's walking guide) .

A beer built around a mechanical dragon

In 2019 , Nagot released the Dragon de Calais , brewed at Brasserie du Pays Flamand using a blend of 80 % Flanders hops and 20 % American hops , designed to echo the exotic character of the mechanical dragon created by artist François Delarozière for the Compagnie du Dragon . He also collaborated with the Compagnie du Dragon on a second creation , La Larme du Dragon , a blue beer , and worked with local clothing brand Calaisfornia on other projects .

Tasting notes , for anyone ordering it cold :

• Style : American pale ale , golden colour
• Nose : flowers and grapefruit
• Palate : herbal notes , light and pleasant bitterness
• Body : well structured , subtle tropical aromas

Earning the pint : a walk through the old city

The beer is served on site at L'Antre du Dragon , the restaurant at the Cité du Dragon in Calais — also the start and finish point of a 10km loop walk , easy difficulty , taking around 2h15 . The route runs along Calais beach , past Fort Risban (built in 1346 by Edward III of England) , up the 271 steps of the Calais Lighthouse (in service since 1848) , and past Rodin's Burghers of Calais , before looping back to the Cité du Dragon for that first cold pint .

An atypical approach , collaborating with a mechanical dragon company and a local streetwear brand alike , that led Vincent Nagot to a beer named after the creature itself .

From world-beating craft brews to the region's rising microbreweries

A world title and a pioneer of French IPA

Brasserie du Pays Flamand , based in Blaringhem and Merville , produces the Anosteké , named the world's best beer in 2022 , according to La Voix du Nord (David Derieux , 17 January 2024) . The same brewery also produces the award-winning Anosteké IPA and a Saison , both cited in Calais Vins' own press materials .

Brasserie Thiriez , founded in Esquelbecq in 1996 by Daniel Thiriez , pioneered the revival of French craft brewing and was the first to bring the hoppy IPA style to France with Etoile du Nord (Northern Star) , a collaboration with English brewer John Davidson of the Swale Brewery using aromatic Kent hops . The brewery runs its own house yeast strain and now produces 2,000 hl a year , exported as far as the United States .

Collaborations that reach far beyond the Nord

Brasserie Au Baron , in Gussignies , has brewed the Cuvée des Jonquilles since 1990 ; it won gold in the "bière de garde" category at the Brussels Beer Challenge in 2012 , and the brewery has since collaborated with internationally known names including 10 Barrel Brewery , Hill Farmstead and Jester King in the United States , and Mikkeler in Denmark .

• Anosteké – Brasserie du Pays Flamand , world's best beer 2022
• Etoile du Nord – Brasserie Thiriez , first French IPA
• Cuvée des Jonquilles – Brasserie Au Baron , Brussels Beer Challenge gold 2012

Smaller names worth tracking down

La Voix du Nord also flags a handful of craft beers that have earned a following well beyond their home villages : the beer from Brasserie des Deux Caps in Tardinghen , the Bellerose from Saint-Amand-les-Eaux , and the Moulin d'Ascq from Villeneuve-d'Ascq .

A brewery producing 2,000 hl a year still exports across the Atlantic — proof that scale and reputation don't always move together .

None of this happens in isolation from the plate . These beers are built for the region's estaminets and beer-focused bistrots , where a pint of something local sits naturally next to a Welsh with stringy cheddar or a carbonnade flamande . For a full walk-through of the region's shopping side , our selection of French beers and dedicated northern French beers range covers most of the names above under one roof .

Tasting and taking these northern beers home from Calais

More than 200 craft beers under one roof

We now stock over 200 craft beers at Calais Vins , mostly from local and regional microbreweries across the North of France . Jérôme Pont puts it simply :

"Our clientele are made up of real connoisseurs — they know their wine, sometimes better than the French!" says Jérôme Pont, co-founder of Calais Vins. "They're looking for hidden gems like Fleurie, Meursault, Pomerol or a well-aged Sancerre. And lately, many are also discovering our expanded craft beer section, it's not just about wine.

The full range , spanning the names covered earlier in this guide , sits in our French beers selection , with the region-specific picks gathered in our northern French beers range .

PerfectDraft kegs and the maths that makes sense

Alongside bottles , we carry a wide range of PerfectDraft kegs , a favourite with British customers looking to bring the pub home . Here's what tax-free pricing looks like after VAT refund , compared with the average UK pub pint at £5.01 according to the British Beer and Pub Association :

A keg pours best from its own glass, and our guide to where to buy beer glasses in Calais rounds up the branded glassware that matches each of these brands, from Kwak's wooden-stand glass to a proper Leffe chalice.

Olivier Vermisse , from Olivier Vins et Compagnie , sums up why the kegs matter to regulars :

"With PerfectDraft, many of our British customers say it's like bringing the pub home — but for half the price," says Olivier Vermisse. "And unlike at home, you can stock up on Leffe Prestige or Tripel Karmeliet with real savings."

For a closer look at how the keg system and pricing work in practice , our guide to cheap perfect draft kegs breaks it down brand by brand .

What you can actually bring home

1. UK duty-free allowance : 42 litres of beer per adult
2. Combine freely with 18 litres of still wine per adult
3. Both allowances apply per person , not per vehicle

Whether the day starts with the Bière du Dragon walk or a detour through the region's craft breweries , it makes sense to end it here : one stop , the full spread from Ch'ti to Anosteké to Leffe , VAT reclaimed , and a boot loaded before the ferry back.

Building your own tour of french beers and lager in Calais

From a third of France's beer production to a world title, a dragon-themed pale ale, and a shelf of PerfectDraft kegs waiting at the till, this corner of the North gives lager drinkers and bière de garde purists equally good reasons to slow down. The names change from village to village, but the habit stays the same: try it locally, then carry a case of it home. Next time you're planning a crossing, the only real question left is which brewery gets the first stop.