sheffield hatter
13-02-2013, 20:47
On a recent long weekend in France I had a bit of time to kill between trains so had a wander around Lille town centre. There are some interesting buildings and a street where almost everything is a bar/cafe. However, these all seemed very expensive and I didn't spot any interesting beers, so retreated towards Liile Flandres station, where I had noticed a bar called Les Trois Brasseurs (The Three Brewers). From the outside it looks just like many other French bars, with a covered terrace hiding the front of the bar from the street. However, I did spot a notice which suggested that they brew their own beer here, so I went inside. Just inside the door is a disused copper tun, which with typical French lack of style has been cut in half, propped up on bricks and turned into a seating area.
The bar itself is old-fashioned, with some hand pumps dotted about and a separate area for diners. There are display cases showing the range of bottled beers available to take out (e.g. three 75cl bottles of standard beers €10.60, three special - i.e. stronger - beers €15.90, or two bottles and a glass at €8.70 and €14.30 respectively), and a price list and menu in the corner, about two metres tall.
My half of Brune was €3.10 (about £2.75), which is expensive if you're thinking English prices, but is fairly typical for France and a lot cheaper than the other bars I checked out in Lille. Les Trois Brasseurs is directly opposite Lille Flandres, and not much more than five minutes' walk from Lille Europe.
The bar itself is old-fashioned, with some hand pumps dotted about and a separate area for diners. There are display cases showing the range of bottled beers available to take out (e.g. three 75cl bottles of standard beers €10.60, three special - i.e. stronger - beers €15.90, or two bottles and a glass at €8.70 and €14.30 respectively), and a price list and menu in the corner, about two metres tall.
My half of Brune was €3.10 (about £2.75), which is expensive if you're thinking English prices, but is fairly typical for France and a lot cheaper than the other bars I checked out in Lille. Les Trois Brasseurs is directly opposite Lille Flandres, and not much more than five minutes' walk from Lille Europe.