Brew-pub'in' Montréal

Here is the much delayed account of our jaunt up to
gorgeous and lively Montréal. Even the daily downpours
could not possibly tame the Québécois vivaciousness.

Things started off superbly when I spotted Le Cheval Blanc
brewpub as we were pulling into the bus terminal coming
from the airport. Beers were all clean and solid.
The friendly waitress was a doll and even bought us a round.
The hefeweizen with a lime! was admirably thirst quenching.


Over the following days I got to visit with a dear ol'
friend and even randomly bumped into an even older friend
I had last seen 16 years ago on a different continent.
T.A. will forever be that cool cat that lent me a tape
with Led Zeppelin I on one side and Led Zeppelin II on the
other. As a 14-year old living in North Africa, that just
blew my mind. I wore out that tape non-stop for weeks until
he finally made me my own copy from his dad's LPs.

While up there we of course visited a plethora of brewpubs
and beer bars. They ranged from quaint unassuming little jewels
such as Montréal's oldest bar Le Vieux Dublin to sparkly
soul-less mega-chains.

I was delighted to revisit old favorites such
as the impressive patio at St Elisabeth Pub.
And it was exciting to see some newcomers such as
Brasserie Bénélux which had a terrific porter.

A good place to stock up is Super Marché Rahman,
Le Paradis de la Bière, 151 Laurier West,
it's just a couple blocks west of Dieu du Ciel.
We also hit up Brutopia, Le Réservoir, and L'Amère à Boire.



We rented a couple bikes for the pleasant 40 mile
roundtrip ride to picturesque Chamblis for a pilgrimage
to Unibroue's must-visit Fourquet Fourchette restaurant.




We checked out the wonderful Atwater Market to load up on
fresh fruits and a wondrous selection of Québec cheeses.

Scrumptious mussels and gourmet pizzas were on the menu (not pictured...) at Le Sergent Récruteur and Bières et Compagnie.





All in all this was a fantastic trip. We did stay away from
cheese and beers for a little while after getting back...
Montréal is as fun place to visit as ever and the jazz fest
was outstanding as always.