Académie De La Bière

Billolick

New York

4.18/5  rDev -2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This nice place is just a few blocks (a very short bike ride or about a 15 min walk) from the outstanding Luxembourg Gardens. Doing both on a pleasant Paris afternoon made for great enjoyment. Plenty of outdoor seating in front and to the left as you enter. Major list of Belgians, both on tap (10-12 on tap) and in bottles. Full menu, we enjoyed a salad and a tasty cheese board. Pleasant service and relaxed athmosphere during our afternoon visit, not sure what goes on here at night. Visit Gardens, relax, lunch with beers, return to gardens, read, relax, take it all in, nap, smile, smile, smile... life is good

07-31-2008 09:40:46 | More by Billolick

TurdFurgison

Ohio

3.73/5  rDev -12.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

Convenient location, only steps from the Port-Royal Metro stop. Lots of seating on the sidewalk (under tents), some decent seats indoors as well. Maybe 8 taps that I saw, all Belgian beer. Extensive bottles list but nothing rare.

As this is the highest rated place in Paris on BA, I had to check it out. However I found it to be kind of pricy, especially for the bottles selection. Especially considering that the selection wasn't TOO special, mainly a lot of Belgian beers that you don't see too often in Paris. Falstaff Montparnasse is a little cheaper, with just as good a selection. Maybe a few more taps too. Just keep walking west 10 minutes from this place and you'll find it.

04-14-2010 05:45:26 | More by TurdFurgison

Hautacam

Connecticut

3.88/5  rDev -9.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$$

The other reviews describe the place well. My girlfriend and I, like the previous reviewer, stayed outside...I liked the look of the inside , but every person in the place was smoking...I am not exaggerating...don't know how you can taste good beer when your sense of smell is overpowered , but , whatever , it's France , right. ( I think second hand smoke is the real reason the French can't win Le Grande Boucle )
The tap selection was good , the bottle selection was great and the service was friendly and very patient...neither of our waiters spoke English, but I know how to point at beers on a menu.
I did notice people enjoying mussels , frites and tartare.
haven't been to any other beer bars in Paris , so I can't weigh in on how this compares , but it's worth a visit...close to a RER /metro stop.

07-27-2007 20:28:36 | More by Hautacam

Nickls

District of Columbia

4/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | $$

Again, thanks to other reviews for pointing this out.

Great proximity to interesting sights in the Latin Quarter, and well worth the trip to that neighborhood given that I was staying in the 8th.

The place was not that packed on an early Saturday evening, and the space inside was a bit cozy. There was a lot of outdoor seating, but a bit too cold during my visit.

Like other posts mention, a definite focus on Belgians, which is a tad disappointing given my hunt for French beers. Not complaining though, because I had a great Kasteel Brune on draft, which was not that expensive compared to the bottle selection prices.

I would say that this place was better than Au Trappiste and Hall's, and should take priority if you have to choose.

03-24-2008 21:16:38 | More by Nickls

scoobybrew

Iowa

4.13/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

My wife and I stopped in here while vacationing in Paris recently. I am so glad we did. As it was summer, we ate (and drank) outside which was covered by an awning. While there were clear plastic windows, it wasn't the best outside atmosphere. However, this is the only criticism I have on the place and it's a minor one at that.

While there were plenty of Belgian beers and international beers available, we decided to have Biere de Garde, as this is the only style native to France. Our waiter recommended a couple of good ones that I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise. Our beer was always served in the proper glassware.

In all honesty, I think this is the best cafe in Paris. Well, perhaps I am a bit biased being a beer lover, but the service was friendly and welcoming. If you are a beer lover and visiting Paris, you must stop in here. If possible, get a hotel close by, because I'm sure you will spend time here after the Metro closes.

07-16-2007 01:19:00 | More by scoobybrew

ocmpoma

California

4.83/5  rDev +12.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited on 22 Dec 09.

The Beer Academy is located not too far from the Luxembourg Gardens on Port Royal; it was less than a 15 minute walk from the Les Gobelins metro stop. From the outside, it looked like a fairly typical Parisian cafe / bar.

The interior is quite nice -- some beer paraphernalia and signs; lots of small tables and two outside areas as well as some more seating downstairs. The bar wasn't long, and most of the interior was in a nice muted wood. Bonus points for my fiancée and I: not a TV in the place.

We ordered the Belgian cheese plate, which came with some bread to munch on with the great cheeses. Also we had their selection of German sausages and some fries (best fries we had during our week in Paris). All of the food was great.

The beer list was phenomenal -- the first page of the three-page list (in about 10pt font) is all Belgians, tons of them. They had 12 taps: one Guinness, one rotating, and the rest Belgian: Maredsous, Chimay, Duvel, etc. They had plenty of beer from the UK and Germany as well as some other places, but I must admit I had trouble peeling my eyes off of page one and didn't give the rest of the list much of a look.

We had a great time there and I would highly recommend this place to anyone in Paris looking for a good beer.

12-28-2009 00:32:04 | More by ocmpoma

FirstMan

Massachusetts

4.38/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

I was working in Paris for a few weeks last spring. One of my co-workers there learned that I was into beer and suggested we try a place that she used to frequent when she was in school. As she's a local and has lived in Paris for years, I was all about giving the Academie a shot.

I am SO glad I did, because it was one of the best evenings I had in Paris (and I had a LOT of good evenings).

A second to everything in bearadvocate's review - great selection of belgians on tap and a bottle selection that made me regret that I only had one night.

Not near any of the normal tourist locations, Academie really made me feel like a local. Like a lot of Paris restaurants, this is a small place. Expect to feel "intimate" with the rest of the patrons. But, you know, when you're drinking beer this good, who cares?

Now, the beer is good. That should be a given. But one of the things that really sets this place apart is the fact that you can get some really great curried mussels and pommes frites. Pretend you are in Belgium. Or hell, pretend you are in Paris. Oh - wait a minute.

Price is a little spendy, but that should just be expected in Paris. Things outrageous there and you just have to live with it.

Overall, if you are looking for a local, non-touristy place where you can get one of the best beer selections in Paris, this is it.

10-29-2005 01:30:00 | More by FirstMan

thierrynantes

France

4/5  rDev -6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Place visited in 2003.
You can taste mussels with a Belgian beer or other (>10 on-tap and about 150 beer bottles. ex. Blanches des Neiges on tap, Quintine ...), and appreciate all this in a friendly atmosphere.
Created in 1960, the Academy of Beer has always been to link tradition and modernity in the variety of its wares.
This mythical place located near the Observatory, has succeeded over the years to retain a diverse customer : students, residents .
The Academy of Beer works with artisans in respect of cheese, meats and beer and owners of areas with regard to wine.

09-29-2008 19:32:39 | More by thierrynantes

bdardeen

Rhode Island

4.15/5  rDev -3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3 | $$

As the other reviews state, this is the best beer bar in Paris for Belgian beer. A few French beers are well represented, but the emphasis here is on Belgians. If you stick with the tap selection you won't go broke, but the bottles will kill your wallet. The price for most every bottle (33 cl) was 6.60 euro- that's $10 to you and me. The happy hour (everyday from 3:30-7:30) is a great deal for for draft. They charge 5.50 euro for a big fat 50 cl pour. On my visit over Thankgsgiving, I had a N'Ice Chouffe (ultra fresh) and a Westmalle Dubbel. Other taps included St.Louis Gueze, St. Feuillen Christmas, Faro and Maredsous blonde and ambree. Lots of Belgian beer paraphanalia decorating the place. Has an atmosphere conducive to putting back a few and having a good time- something that is unusual for Paris.

The servers were very pleasant and spoke enough English to make this an easy stop. We had the carbonnade and frites, and the carbonnade was only so-so. The food menu is well priced here however.

Only a minutes walk from the Port Royal metro stop, so it's easy to get to from touristy areas like St.Michel and St.Germain. A must stop for the beer lover in Paris.

11-27-2007 16:34:17 | More by bdardeen

jerryjeff

Tennessee

4.5/5  rDev +5.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited twice when in Paris for about a week long visit. Both times visited were on Friday nights and I ate Mussels (gouze) and frittes on both occasions. My friend I was with had Mussels (Bleu Cheese). Food was excellent, one of the favorite things I had during my European visit. Prices are a bit high but that's Paris. You'll be paying the same price at other brasseries or restaurants, but here you'll have a very nice selection of beers to choose from.

First visit we had issues finding seating as it appeared to get busy on Friday nights, second time we sat outside and there were a number of seats available. Happy hour runs from 4 to 7 (I think, you can check the website), it's worth trying to get there for that as the beers from the taps were less expensive. Also a plus, it's easy to find if you get off on the correct metro stop.

06-09-2011 22:18:34 | More by jerryjeff