Official Website, http://www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca/
We finally got all seven of us in two cars and on our way to Montreal. The morning was early but it was well worth it. We arrived to La Belle Provence to find the Montreal beer festival well underway. This year it ran from Wednesday May 29th to Sunday June 3rd. I had been to the beer festival in Toronto a couple of times but this really blew that out of the water. I would guess that there were three or four times the beer represented in Montreal. Of course there were many Quebec microbreweries, some international representation and a very decent amount of American micros available to sample. We quickly found out that the place to position yourself was in front of one tent called "Le Petite Pub". This tent held the not so pedestrian beers. Most samples cost 2~5 coupons. Many of us got the show's glass to get a more generous pour than you would get in a plastic cup. We found out later that some vendors were selling their own glassware at a cheaper price. Well, live and learn...now on with the drinking.
Yes, notes were necessary. I am not one to remember fine details even when I'm sobber. The Titan IPA by Great Divide was hoppy, dry and crisp. (Go to http://www.greatdivide.com/index.php) A good start, but then there was Allagash's Curieux bourbon barrel-aged ale which was sweet, it had a carbonated tongue, a heavy taste of liquor and a long finish. (http://www.allagash.com/curieux.htm) Third was Brasserie Caulier Bon-Secours Brune. With beige rocky head, it appeared dark, opaque brown. It had a light raisin/date smell. It had effervescent bubbles and a long, BIG, raisiny dry after taste.
A view of the crowds in the one building which also housed exhibitors & the washrooms. Yes, very important to find them early.
A night cap at Unibroue's pub, Fourquet Fourchette. I was not going to bed early just because I was drunk and tired - that would not do for our first ever Mondial, so being as it was on the way back to our hotel, I suggested we stop for one more. I ordered a lovely pint of Chamblay Noir. Like Blanche de Chambly but dark. It was similar to Kostrister but more carbonated. Hey, look they have bottles so we can take some to go.
http://www.unibroue.com/index_eng.html
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