Microbrewery Bike Tour in Montreal

If you go to Montreal the best thing you can do is to rent a Bixi bike and hit the streets in search of craft beers.

Montreal Skyline from Mount Royal

Conveniently, my better half has created a map of our microbrew pub crawl so you can experience epic Quebecois craft beers for yourself. I may have slipped a book store in the mix because what’s more fun than shopping for books with a buzz on?

We did most of these bars in a couple of days. But if you want to try to fit in all in one day, be my guest. Just know when to park your bike and call a cab. On with the tour!

1st Stop: Vices & Versa – This brasserie has 3 amazing qualities: a great patio, the best Quebecois microbrews, and a downright delicious charcuterie plate. This is our start off point because you can enjoy the sunshine, have a nice lunch, and experience Quebecois culture right of the get go. When we were there, Vices & Versa had a great artist on display. They must display different local artists in their bar on a regular basis, which I think is fabulous.

Beautiful Quebec cheeses served with tartine, bread, nuts, and carrot slaw.

Drinking beer on the patio of Vices & Versa

My prized surprise: D&Q Tote Bag

2nd Stop: Drawn & Quarterly Book Store – I spent over $100 and I got this sweet bag to hold my books in while I pub crawled. This beer girl has a book problem. Drawn & Quarterly is also a publisher of graphic novels, magazines, and other books. From what I’ve seen, they have an excellent eye for the intelligent and trendy. I also had the chance to pick up a signed copies of author Heather O’Neill’s two novels. She’s from Montreal and lives in the area. How cool is that?! On top of all that, they also hold author talks and readings. From now on, whenever I go to Montreal I’m going to make a point to stop at D & Q.

3rd Stop: Helm Microbrasserie – Celebrate your literary discoveries by having a cold one at Helm. There is a great vibe in this brasserie. I especially enjoyed sitting at the bar by the open windows so I could people watch those who live and hang out in the Mile End neighbourhood. Mile End is a well known cultural neighbourhood with many artists, musicians, writers, and filmmakers living in the area. I was hoping to spot Heather O’Neill but I didn’t see her. Arcade Fire also hails from this borough. If you are hungry, be sure to stop at one of the two famous bagel shops in the area, Fairmount Bagel or St. Viateur Bagel.

2 AM Bagel Run

St. Viateur Bagel

4th Stop: Dieu du Ciel – This was the first bar that we visited on our arrival to Montreal. It’s warm, inviting, and has excellent staff. I would suggest sitting at the bar so you can learn about their brews. Their menu of beers is extensive and it may be the most diverse of Quebecois microbreweries. I recently found out that Albertans may be able to find these beers in some of our speciality liquor stores.

Didn’t get a bagel in Mile End? You have a chance to eat again because the flat bread pizzas here are yummy.If you are thinking “Why would I ruin a good buzz with food” then you better eat something. This is advice from someone who has uttered that statement more times than I care to admit.

Having our first beer in Montreal at Dieu du Ciel.

5th Stop: Benelux Brasserie Artisinal – Ok, so we didn’t make it to this brasserie but we wish we could have. It has excellent reviews. Please pop by and then let me know how it is.

6th Stop: Brutopia – When we went to Brutopia there was a live band playing and busy, fun atmosphere of guests. In all honestly, we sat here quite a long time and I can’t remember how the beer tastes so it was probably really good.

7th Stop: Le Saint Bock – This place has a very trendy atmosphere. I had a good time people watching due to the men peacocking around and trying to pick up women. The patio looked great but I have a feeling that it’s often busy. We didn’t have a chance of getting a table out there as it was completely packed.

8th Stop: Brasserie Artisanale L’Amère A Boire – This is a really cute brasserie for a quiet beer with someone special.

9th Stop: Le Cheval Blanc – Honestly, we had a bit of rough service here. It seemed like it was a popular local watering hole and had a fun patio that made it easy to meet and talk to some new people. If your French is good, I would suggest stopping by. This is the bar where we learned that Montreal folk are more up front about giving tips than in Alberta. If they think you aren’t going to tip, they WILL tell you that you need to tip. We always tip but found this approach to be rather abrasive and assuming. Good service gets a good tip and that’s all I have to say about that.

10th Stop: La Banquise – By now, you may be quite drunk. Time to work off that booze, hop on your bike, and follow the bike trail to La Banquise to fill your belly with copious amounts of poutine. This place is a local hotspot for poutine. There must be close to 30 different poutines to choose from. I had the reggae poutine with advocado, fresh tomatoes, and beef… and it was heavy. It’s a fun place to see while you’re in Montreal. After this meal, bike back to your hotel, lay in bed, and rub your food baby belly.

This is not my poutine but my dinnermate’s.

So now, you’re good and buzzed. If you do this tour, please let me know your favourites. Mine are Vices & Versa and Helm.