Who knew that Montreal had such great breweries. And here I thought the French only cared about wine! Not so for the French Canadians! It must be the Irish influence (did you know that the Irish are the second largest heritage in Quebec?).
Here are our reviews, in order of preference:
Brasserie Benelux:
It's downtown, but barely. We passed it on our LONG walk on Monday, and then walked BACK on Monday after a lot more walking. It's at the base of a highrise apartment complex, and walking inside, it feels very urban/industrial, with grey walls, exposed ducts and metal. They had about 12 beers on their list of all different types. Jeff tried the IPA, which was lightly fruity, and hoppy at the back of the tongue. I had the Weizen, which was light, crisp, slightly banana-y. We were VERY pleasantly surprised. Then Jeff tried the Brown - nice and nutty, not TOO malty. I had their saison blond which was delicious: like a cross between a Weizen and an IPA.
Located on a neighborhood corner in Plateau Mont Royal, it's very unassuming from the outside. Inside, it was warm and inviting, like a coffee shop. They had an extensive list (16 house brews, plus a few others on tap), with several standards and a few that were a little unique. Jeff tried the American IPA - it was amber in color, with a strong, bitter hop flavor. I tried their Coffee Stout - it was dark and creamy, with a very strong, but not overly bitter, coffee flavor. We would have tried more, but both of us were in desperate need of a nap - see how tired I look?
Just a short jaunt from Schwartz's, a delicious Hebrew deli featuring traditional Quebecois smoked meat sandwiches, was Reservoir. It had a small, funky interior, like a coffee shop. We sat at the bar and got a view of the kitchen, which was cooking up some yummy looking food. Too bad we were so full of smoked meat! They had 6 beers available - Jeff had the IPA and I had the Weizen (shocking, I know, but it's our opinion that you have to try the same kind of beer each place for an even comparison. Once you've compared, then you can sample others!). The IPA was both bitter and sweet. The Weizen was very crisp and clean - looked filtered. Nice mellow flavor.
Brutopia:
This was the first place we visited in Montreal. It's on the east side of Crescent Street, which has TONS of bars and restaurants and is a bit of a scene. Well, Brutopia was the opposite of a scene, which is why it was so appealing. VERY laid back - small, dark interior, several decks. We drank and ate on a small deck out back. Their menu features slightly gourmet bar food - Jeff had quesadillas, I had a chevre and pesto sandwich. Jeff tried a Brown and and IPA, while I had their Honey Brown - a cross between the Brown and the Honey - followed by the Stout. The Brown, IPA and Honey were kind of sweet - which you would expect from the Honey, but not the plain Brown, or really even the IPA. The stout was tasty - dark, malty, slightly bitter. By far the best that we tried at Brutopia, but not the best we've ever tried.
Les 3 Brasseurs:
A chain brewery, with several locations around Montreal. It was ok. Only a few beer options - the one Jeff wanted was out. We had an Amber and a Blonde. The Blonde was better than expected. The Amber was about as expected - mild, light. The menu looked like something you'd see at any chain restaurant in America.
Yes - we did other things besides drink beer on our trip. Went to the Musee du Beaux-Arts and the Biodome. Saw Old Montreal and a LOT of downtown. Ate at some good restaurants. Did a LITTLE shopping (though not much, since much of our money went towards BEER). Generally had a great time celebrating 5 years of a very happy marriage!
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