The Montreal Beer Scene, part four: four Montreal brasseurs, by Steve LaRue.
"Beers of the world, unite!"
The Montreal Beer Scene,
part four: four Montreal brasseurs
Submitted by Steve
LaRue
Montreal
is a great beer city
with almost as many breweries and brewpubs as Seattle, WA. Click here to read part one of my
overview
of the Montreal beer scene, including a review of Forquet Fourchette.
Click here to read part two, an in-depth review of Dieu du Ciel.
Click here to read part three, reviews of three Montreal Brewpubs.
For this final installment, I visit four Montreal brasseurs (brewers).
Le Cheval Blanc
I wouldn't really have looked for a brewpub here, but Montreal is full of surprises.
Le Cheval Blanc appears to be a 50s diner both outside and inside and just happens to have been fitted with a brewhouse, parts of which poke through the floor.
It is located just a couple of blocks east of either Metro Orange Sherbrooke or Berri/UQAM stations.
Blonde
(5% ABV) is a pale yellow filtered ale with a lemony citrus aroma. The
flavor is
softly malty, but with a disconcerting bitterness akin to biting a hop
pellet.
Ambree (5% ABV) is light brown and filtered with a indiscernible aroma. At this point I am distracted by a song called "Can You See My Tits" playing on the radio. There is a nice crystal malt flavor.
Noire (4.5% ABV) is a very black and filtered ale served on nitro. The aroma is of chocolate and coffee and the flavor is a sweet, rich and creamy coffee. One of the better beers of the trip so far.
IPA (6% ABV) is an unfiltered IPA(?) The aroma is of fresh hop and very nice. Unfortunately the flavor is of hand soap which completely overpowers every other flavor that might be present.
Blanche (5% ABV, served with lime wedge). Filtered Wit(?!)
Ambree Petit Cru (6% ABV) is light brown and unfiltered. The aroma is nicely fruity and yeasty, but the flavor is masked by something... Hops?
Oktoberfest (4.5% ABV) is an unfiltered brown ale. The aroma is very hoppy with a hint of orange. Unfortunately the flavor is definitely not malty and is again like biting a hop pellet.
Saison
is one of the only beers here that is true to style. Both the aroma and
flavor
are full of fruit and yeast.
Benelux
Benelux is in a better neighborhood and appears to be a trendy place. Lots of business people mixed with a few blue-collars just getting off work in this, the "coolest" of Montreal brasseurs.
They offer a very limited tapas menu. This was also my fourth stop of the day, so my notes are starting to get a little shorter.
Located just a couple of blocks north of the Metro Green Place-Des-Arts station.
Oktoberfest 2007 (5.8% ABV) is a filtered lager. The aroma is lightly malty and the flavor is very malty with some fruity esters.
Lux Blonde (5% ABV) is pale gold and filtered. Malty aroma with not much to the flavor.
La Marge Stout (5% ABV) is very black and filtered with hints of chocolate, tobacco and blackberries.
La Seconde Belge Epicee (6.2% ABV) is an unfiltered Belgian double. Lots of banana and clove.
IPA
Americaine (6.7% ABV) was pretty good, though not really
hoppy or malty enough for a
true American IPA. Mildly hoppy aroma and a hint of bubblegum.
Witbier (4.3% ABV) is an unfiltered wheat with hints of coriander and orange and lots of malty sweetness. There was also a hint of vegetables.
Saison (5.8% ABV) didn't have much of an aroma but did have a nice creamy, strawberry, clovey malty flavor.
L'Ergot Triple Saison Au Seigle (8.8% ABV) was probably the best beer I found in Montreal. Lots of malt and alcohol, lightly fruity. Full, rich, thick and creamy!
Sergeant Recruiteur
Sergent Recruiteur was definitely the most comfortable of the Montreal brasseurs for me. My server was also the most helpful in describing the beers and how they were used in the pizza dough, marinades, desserts and chocolate truffles.
I ordered the
Pizza Prunelle
for dinner and the chocolate cake with a stout reduction for
dessert. Both were excellent.
This is also the pub that Ash selected to start our pub crawl/summit. They are located several blocks west of the Metro Orange L'Aurier Station.
Sournoise (Framboise) is a pretty well done lambic. There are hints of raspberries in the aroma but not much sourness. The first taste is of malty sweetness and raspberries, with the sourness coming on at the very end.
Hip Hop IPA starts with a very strong floral citrus aroma and unfortunately the amazing aroma does not carry into the flavor.
Tenebreuse Stout de Auvoire is served on nitro. This beer starts with a very strong chocolate and hop aroma. It continues into a nicely rich chocolately, hoppy stout.
Frousse (Rousse) starts with a malty sweet aroma with a hint of strawberries and hop. The flavor is very fruity and malty with a touch of sourness.
Brutopia
A
few blocks north of the Bell Centre and the Metro Orange
Lucien-L'Allier
station you will find Brutopia.
(Click here for the full review by
UNOB Delegate Shannon
Wand.)
They are upstairs, with patios both in front and in the rear. The beers are the least expensive that I encountered in the Montreal brasseurs and the menu is very diverse, with multiple ethnic offerings.
XB (Extra Blonde) didn't offer much either way.
Cream could have passed for a wit. Cloudy with a clove and banana aroma. Nicely malty with a full mouthfeel.
Honey Brown offers a very slightly toasted aroma and the honey flavors are very prominent.
Frost Morning Red was very mild and didn't offer much aroma or flavor.
Nut Brown is a slightly cloudy ale with some toasted aromas and flavors.
Honey didn't offer much of an aroma, but the flavor was nicely balanced between the honey and malt.
Chocolate Stout is full of chocolate, coffee and licorice in both aroma and flavor. Really nice stout.
IPA
seems to be an attempt at a British-style IPA. There were neither hop
or malt
aromas and the flavors were also very mild.
Raspberry is all raspberry to the point of being perfumey in the aroma but disappears almost entirely it the flavor?
I enjoyed my visit to Montreal immensely. The city is easy to get around and offers a diverse selection of sights and sounds, as well as numerous neighborhoods to visit.
The beer scene is vibrant, with something for everyone in the many and varied Montreal brasseurs. Most everyone spoke English and were eager to help me.
It
was also very nice that I was able to make some new friends, thanks to
Ash.
Submit your own reviews of your favourite Montreal brasseurs or any other bar or pub!
GET INVOLVED!
usa
canada
world
LATEST UPDATES
LINKS
"Where does he get all those wonderful toys?"
ThinkGeek: launch rockets from your PC, send digital insults to drivers and own a REAL light sabre!
Guinness Product HQ
We've rounded up the greatest collection of Guinness gear on the planet! Shirts, hats, glasses, home bar products, giftware, tin signs... all official! Guinness Product HQ
