Le Trou Du Diable

Brewery, Bar, Eatery

412 Rue Willow
Shawinigan, Quebec, G9N 4P9
Canada

(819) 537-9151 | map
troududiable.com
BEER STATS
Average:
3.71
Beers:
121
Ratings:
2,570
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.35
Reviews:
2
Ratings:
9
pDev:
6.44%
View: Beers | Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews.
 
Rated: 3.89 by groleau from Canada (QC)

May 04, 2019
 
Rated: 4.35 by Canada_Dan from Colorado

Oct 03, 2016
Photo of Max8787
Reviewed by Max8787 from Canada (QC)

4.8/5  rDev +10.3%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 5
Best place to have a beer in the province... I had a bison tartar last time I've been there which was also great. Staff is nice and knows their products. Would highly recommend.
Feb 17, 2016
 
Rated: 4.44 by MatChar from Canada (QC)

Nov 28, 2015
 
Rated: 4.4 by e_beaulieu from Canada (QC)

Sep 08, 2015
 
Rated: 4.38 by talbotjf99 from Canada (QC)

Mar 20, 2015
 
Rated: 4.03 by McBraniel from Virginia

Dec 31, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Socialiste from Canada (QC)

May 13, 2014
Photo of Goldorak
Reviewed by Goldorak from Canada (QC)

4.15/5  rDev -4.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
Shawinigan is an industrial town somewhere between Montreal and Québec city. Log drivers have used the St-Maurice river passing through the city core to haul timber for hundreds of years now. A "trou du diable" or "Devils' hole" is used to describe some of the whirlpools the strong currents can whip up near the hydroelectric dam. If you fall into the Devil's hole, you ain't coming out. So Mel and I bravely took on the Friday evening commute out of the French Canadian metropolis to get here, swallowed hard and walked through the door.

Dim lighting, warm colors and a relaxed bistro atmosphere was what we first encountered. A main section with the Bar, with a huge window giving a great view of the spanking new, ultra clean brewing equipment, with two seprate alcoves, one with another view of the gear, another near the restrooms with a single large candle-lit table and cumfy couch. The ceiling looked like a series of long copper half-pipes, some art here and there, we sat by a window overlooking the river near the door. This pub is modern but warm. Probably because of the small-town factor everyone in the same age bracket seemed to know each other, although no one gave us any cold stares as we entered.

The waitress promptly gave us the Beer and food menu. We were waiting for a friend (a local who wanted to show us around), so we only ordered a snack of pâté, which was excellent and well presented. My first Beer came, their session Bitter that was a bit watery but had an intersting coffee aroma I wasn't expecting for this style. The next two Beers also had coffee notes, and the other three had a smoked, cured meat character. I liked the Marzen very much, the Scotch ale was nice but more alcoholic than malty. The other Beers weren't horrible, I didn't spot any technical defaults, they just seemed to use similar grain bills for everything, either that of he keeps rotating his Beer lines without cleaning them, so everything ends up smelling like the stout.

The brewer came by to chat after spotting me with the notebook, but he was heading out so unfortunately I couldn't get a tour. He did seem really nice, and didn't hesitate to answer my questions. From what I gathered I don't think it was a question of dirty lines, I think he brews with whatever he's got, style be damned. I'll have to come back in a few months to confirm. But for a guy just starting out, it was pretty good.

Our friend arrived and we ordered main courses, I went for the ribs boiled in Beer, Mel went for the chicken with rizotto (she always takes the rizotto!), both were superb.

Other notes of interest include Beer tastings every second Tuesday, wine tastings every second Sunday, Wednesdays is gamers night (I saw plenty of nice ones near the bar including Axis and allies and Settlers of Katan) and they also host shows.

My overall experience was quite positive, the Beers while not groundbreaking showed good promise for a pub only in business a few months, no major negatives to report, even parking wasn't a problem. So I guess we made it out of the Devils' hole, although I promised the guy with the hoofs and trident that I'll be back...

***Update Feb2007***
Went back a few times, seems that quality really improved, everything I've had here was great, this place is shaping up to be one of my favorite out of town brewpubs. Highly recommended.
Apr 11, 2006
Le Trou Du Diable in Shawinigan, QC, Canada
Brewery rating: 3.71 out of 5 with 2570 ratings