The country has a long history of beer production and consumption, primarily situated by the borders of Belgium and Germany, neighbors who influenced their style.
In the 4th century B.C., “cervoise” (derivative of Ceres, harvest goddess; ancestor of “cerveza”) was the national drink of the Gauls. The word “bière” has been on record since a 1489 law stating only master brewers and “sworn guards” can use the term was published. There’s been a national brewers association, Brasseurs de France, since 1878. Today it represents 98 percent of French beer producers.
