Fauve Craft Bière, Douce France Lager

Fauve Craft Bière crashes into the French beer scene with bright branding, modern brewing and absolutely no interest in playing things safe. Based in Paris, the brewery focuses heavily on hazy IPAs, pastry stouts and fruited sours that land somewhere between cutting-edge craft beer and complete flavour overload in the best possible way.

The hop-forward beers are probably what grab most people first. Massive tropical fruit, soft texture and enough juicy character to make your fridge smell like a fruit market the second you crack a can open. Fauve clearly understands modern IPA drinkers very well, but thankfully keeps enough bitterness and structure around so the beers still feel like beer rather than mango custard.

The darker stuff gets equally ridiculous. Thick imperial stouts full of chocolate, coffee and dessert-level richness turn up regularly, often alongside heavily fruited sour beers that look vaguely radioactive and taste far better than logic suggests they should.

Despite all the modern hype styles, there’s proper brewing quality underneath everything. The beers stay clean, focused and surprisingly polished considering how chaotic some of the flavour combinations sound written down.

French craft beer has exploded over the last few years and Fauve sits right near the front of that movement. Loud cans, huge flavour and absolutely no fear of turning things up to maximum.