Well...where to start...

First up, asking Frank what he meant by a "beer" could be difficult seeing he died a while back.

Second, the French make terrible beer.

Third, the French do however make great wine, which as you note, is more than an adequate substitute. But, and seeing this thread involves cross-chaining the forum (see #21 in the single chain ring thread), the French are a bit uptight about their wine. Imagine a fine Bordeaux/Hermitage blend (Cabernet/Shriaz) or Sparkling Hermitage (Sparkling Shiraz)? In France such a concept would be treated with obvious de haut en bas, or potentially, to use the language of this thread, j44ke's black hole would open up under the Champs Elysees. However, in places like Australia we do cross-chain our wine and with great results. Penfolds Bin 389 for example, which is not only multi-varietal (Cabernet/Shiraz) it is also multi-regional. That'd really do the French's heads in! Rockford Black Shiraz is another great one, being a Sparkling Shiraz. So yeah, the French do a great wine, but their lack of imagination (or too many rules) causes them to lose points.

Fourth, and this is only my two cents, a "beer" probably means a recognisable brand that goes hand in hand with the country in question. In Australia, that'd be Fosters. Which is swill. We do have an airline, but post-Covid Qantas is on the nose. So, the land down under is in a bit of trouble. According to Frank. With the exception being our wine.