Montreal suggestions

Sounds like you have a pretty good plan to me as far as bars go.

There should still be fresh bottles of Les Trois Mousquetaires' IPA kicking around which is good and relatively new. Most any of the À la fût sours are a good bet, Dunham also had a bottle release a couple weeks back and there are still some of their sours on shelves. They're usually good (though to be sure I'm not that much of a sour guy).

 

Brasserie Harricana, Pit Caribou were great stops our last visit. I like Brasserie Artisanale L'Amère A Boire to, it is basically a block or so away from Benelux.

 

I really like the food at isle de garde and the taps are different than most other places.

 

Be on the lookout for the new Sutton/Wild Shack Collaboration.

 

I did a road trip last year that included a stop in Montreal. I can say DDC and Benelux did not disappoint at all.

 

I guess I'm a bit late to this party, but in terms of newer pubs I really like Isle de Garde, MaBrasserie and Yisst.

 

Piggybacking off the OP's request, what is the best bottle shop in Montreal?

From reading through some of the store ratings on here, it looks like Épicerie Au Coin Duluth and Dépanneur Peluso are worth checking out. If you had to choose between the two, which is better (or is there somewhere else worth visiting)?

I'm mostly into IPAs, stouts and saisons. Do these stores have a singles selection? Also, any recent releases to keep an eye out for?

 

Peluso has a lot more than Au Coin Duluth. Yes, singles are available for pretty much everything. If you'd like to visit more than one place, consider checking out one of the Veut Tu Une Bière dépanneurs or maybe Le Frigo de Bacchus (which isn't very far from Peluso).

 

Appreciate the advice! Any specific bottles/cans to keep an eye out for right now?

 

Nothing on my end, I'm afraid. Between homebrewing and a big haul I brought back from New England a few weeks back, I haven't spent much time in the bottle shops in the last few months.

 

I don't feel like there is tons of new stuff in the last couple weeks, but you can get a decent group of the top Canadian beers pretty easily with a stop at Peluso. Be wary of IPAs (although Yakima is always a solid bet, just check the date).

 

Some of the latest popular cans/bottles now to pick up if you find are:
Vox Pop IPA (El dorado)
Maltstrom (pretty much everything of theirs)
Mabrasserie Zab Cafe (stout)
Pit Caribou B Rouge
Dunham barrel aged anything
These arent impossible to find, but even though Peluso is the biggest beer store, they also sell out of the best stuff the soonest. Some new releases sell out there in hours, but will sit in a grocery store for days or weeks.
But if not looking to get anything just released, itll have the best selection. As Doctor said, Le castor Yakima is definitely my favorite IPA in Quebec, and is always available, just need to check the date

 

Hey guys,

Great info in this thread. I have one question though. Can I buy bottles at the Dieu Du Ciel brewpub to take home?

Thanks!

 

Ask at the pub, there is a couple really good stores very close the pub. One is about a block away.

 

No. Only at the location in St-Jerome. Hoser's right about the store. Check out "Depanneur AS"

 

Piggy-backing on this thread: I'm going to be part of a bus tour that is staying at the Quality Inn & Suites - Brossard for 5 nights, and will have only the evenings after a group dinner to explore on our own.. It looks like Les Trois Mousquetaires is the closest brewery to the hotel (although it does not look like they have a tap room), and the rest of the better places are on the other side of the river. Is it walkable across the bridge to reach some of the places on the other side of the river, or is a taxi is recommended? Benelux on Rue Wellington, and McAuslan Brewery on Rue Saint-Ambroise are the closest to that end of the bridge for a quick beer in the evening. (We won't be staying out late, so a 'quickie' beer is what we're looking for.) Ratings look good for both of them, so are they worth a visit? DDC is on our must-visit list so we'll plan on a taxi one night for that one. Any comments about this plan are appreciated.

 

You're right about Les Trois Mousquetaires, there's no taproom, but you can buy bottles to go. Unfornately they're open from 8 to 4, so probably won't fit in your schedule. For Benelux and McAuslan, it would be walkable but it's a hefty ride (12 and 15km), so Taxi would be a better choice.

Beer Wise, Benelux is way better in my opinion. Nice choice of styles and well crafted beers.

 

Google Maps says it's a 3 hour walk to Benelux from where you'll be staying, so I'd go for the taxi. If cost is a factor, you could taxi to the Longueil metro station and then go to the downtown Benelux, near metro Place des Arts. I really like the place, but whether it's worth driving a half-hour each way to get there is up to you.