Draft:Underground breweries of Paris

The underground breweries of Paris comprise a number of historical breweries that operated from the 19th century, mostly within the pre-existing mines of Paris which traverse southern Paris.

History

18th century

Following the reinforcement work begun in 1777 by the newly formed Inspection générale des carrières (IGC), the nearly 300 km (190 mi) network of abandoned limestone quarries under Paris was stabilized and the threat of collapse greatly reduced. This construction opened the door for exploitation of the quarries by private enterprises.

19th century

Among the dozens of underground breweries beneath Paris and its environs, the most notable included the Dumesnil, Grand Gallia, and Esperance which took full advantage of the quarry spaces.

Both Esperance and Grand Gallia were situated along the rue de la Voie Verte and rue Sarette in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, with Gallia owning the most cellar space after its owner J.J. Wolhüter expanded the small brewery into an extensive operation who's properties covered both sides of the rue de la Voie Verte.

George Dumesnil's braserie Dumesnil, famous for his expert beer fermentation, opened its cellar space in 1880. This site was further from the Grand Gallia and Esperance, instead located northeast on the rue Dareau.

Benefits of underground use

Financial

Due to the existing tax on windows in France, acquiring nearby buildings would impose a long term financial burden on the brasseries who instead chose to take advantage of space underneath their properties.

Brewing conditions

The mines of Paris have a consistent year-round temperature of 14 degrees celsius providing an ideal cooler temperature for brewing. This natural cool temperature would have saved on costs when compared to alternative cooling methods at the time.

Construction methods

From their first use as limestone quarries, the spaces that would become the breweries were constructed using the piliers tournés method, a typical style found in the exploitation of underground spaces in Paris. This method left sporadic limestone pillars in place to support the weight of the earth above creating large open rooms which were well suited for brewing.

The rooms of all the breweries were supported by pillars and rounded arches. In addition, essential infrastructure such as staircases, winches, electric wiring, and air circulation ducts were installed, much of which remains visible today. Some of these structural reinforcements were carried out earlier by the IGC and others by the breweries when they came to own the spaces.

The breweries today

The breweries underground sections were slowly abandoned with the last survivor being the Grand Gallia which closed in 1968. The underground spaces fell into disrepair and are today are only accessible by cataphiles, urban explorers who illegally visit the mines of Paris, erroneously referred to as the catacombs. The abandoned breweries today serve as large rooms suitable for gathering, making art, and as a place to discover a curious piece of Parisian history.