Specialty Beer Shops: La Consigne

I have been meaning to get around to this post for a while, but just have not found the energy to do so. Well, here we are in Ahuntsic, on Fleury near St-Urban, and guess what? Yeah. You guessed it. We are hitting up another specialty beer store.

Specialty Beer Shops: Veux-Tu Une Bière

While it was still cold outside (though, not much has changed...) Adri and I took to the not-so-mean streets of Villeray to visit Veux-Tu Une Bière, neighbourhood beer shop, fish shop, nut shop, coffee shop, you name it they sell it. It had been a couple years since the last time I walked in, but it was just as small as I remembered it. The space is separated by a shelving unit, with refrigerators stocked with beer on either side of the unit. The shelves themselves display a multitude of fun products, though mostly too expensive or too niche, e.g. the pickled goods jars. Pickled goods are not even the half of it, they also sell fresh fish every Friday, interesting cheeses, an assortment of nuts (beer and nuts, nuts and beer), Le Bruloir coffee, and your everyday beer-lovers fare: chips and salsa. Oh, and lest we forget to mention the fresh chocolatines and croissants for sale at the cash register. But all that is less important than the beer - well, if you are me that is.

Specialty Beer Shops: La Glacière de l'est (Boucherie AAA)

When Adri and I heard about a hybrid beer store-butcher shop we thought to treat ourselves to some nice (non-prepackaged) steaks, but when we heard that it was in Tétreaultville - well - we just had to go, so we put on our jackets and hopped in the car. Weekdays can be busy so we do not always have time to eat a nice, thick, juicy steak, come Friday night I could almost hear my stomach calling out to me, "Steak! Beer!!". So off we were to La Glacière de l'est (Boucherie AAA), situated on des Ormeaux Street right below Sherbrooke Street.

Specialty Beer Shops: Les Délires du Terroir

Back to our Beer Shop Series, not far from Marché Station 54, Les Délires du Terroir is situated along Montreal's infamous St-Hubert Plaza between Bellechase and Beaubien. If you're familiar with the plaza, you might associate it with wedding dress boutiques and cheap clothing shops, but it has gone through somewhat of a revival over the past years especially the section in which Les Délires du Terroir is located. 

Specialty Beer Shops: Marché Station 54

Welcome back to our Specialty Beer Shops segment, where we introduce local Montreal microbrew vendors. They are not as pervasive as your typical depanneur, and tend to be located in gentrified/gentrifying neighbourhoods. Today we bring you to Marché Station 54, located in the borough of Rosemont - Petite-Patrie (RPP). More specifically, you can find this artisanal beer store/ grocery store on Rosemont boulevard, between St-Hubert street and St-Denis avenue. Marché Station 54 rents out the main floor of a newly built condo development, Quartier 54, in a quickly changing neighbourhood. The area represents the fluid socio-demographic transition between the hip, trendy and costly Mile-End neighbourhood and the less expensive multi-cultural neighbourhood of Petite-Patrie.

Specialty Beer Shops: Bières Etc. Second Anniversary/ Christmas Special

Looking for a gift for the beer lover in your life, dig your car out from under the snow bank and get to Bières etc. they have a great selection of Quebec Microbrews along with beer glasses and artisanal food products that will make any beer lover happy on Christmas day. 

Specialty Beer Shops: Depanneur Simon Anthony (Le Paradis de la Biere)

On a cold Saturday morning in November, Adri and I woke up with the intention of visiting a specialty beer store. We bring you "Le Paradis de la Biere", Depanneur Simon Anthony. This quaint depanneur is located on Beaubien corner Lanaudiere, across the street from Poutine Ville. This was our first time walking into "Le Paradis de la Biere" and it was quite an intense experience. When I first walked through the doors I said to myself that this was a pretty decent setup, a lot of bottles, nice tall shelving units, narrow, but long rows. But, I did not see any refrigerating units, I thought that was strange. They could not possibly call themselves "Le Paradis de la Biere" without an awesome selection. Then Adri popped out of a hole in the wall and said, "Hey, there is another room back here". So, I walked into the other room, smaller than the other, but loaded with fridges, and a wonderful row built upon overstock cases of Le Castor and Unibrou, amongst others. 

Specialty Beer Shops: Tabagie Ranger

Tabagie Ranger is one of those unexpected gems. The exterior facade screams Molson, but when you step foot inside you are treated to a sizable assortment of Quebec microbrews. It was here that I bought my first microbrew six pack, "L'Accomodante" by Dunham, and my first big beer -- Big Ten not included --, "Porter Baltique" by Les Trois Mousquetaires. I cannot quiet remember when I started to frequent Tabagie Ranger, but I first noticed it when we started to hang out on Beaubien St. near Molson Park and the sign in the window, "Spécialité, Microbrasserie, Bieres du Quebec" sparked my curiosity. 

Specialty Beer Shops: Depanneur Lalime

Following our visit to Depanneur A.S. we walked along St-Laurent boulevard, under the overpass separating the Plateau from Rosemont - Petit-Patrie, and towards the shiny, metallic sign indicating Depanneur Lalime. They have been around for a while, though very recently they updated the facade of the building (yelp has an old photo with which you can contrast the new and old facade) and added signs announcing that they now carry microbrews - our reason for the visit. As we entered we were surprised that they not only carried beer and other related products, they also carry canned goods, and have a kitchen where they make pies (meat mostly).

Specialty Beer Shops: Depanneur A.S.

On a beautiful Saturday morning we took a nice walk on St-Laurent street around the Mile-End neighbourhood of Montreal. Our first destination was Dépanneur A.S. a corner store which we would often pass by after some late night bagels at Fairmount, but never really found ourselves around the area during the daytime. We were always intrigued by the very nice and well displayed artisanal beer signage. That Saturday we finally had a chance to stop in and get a good look at what Depanneur A.S. is all about.  

Specialty Beer Shops: Le Bièrologue

The next stop on our beer journey is Le Bièrologue, located a couple blocks north-east of Bières Etc. on the corner of Ontario street and avenue Letourneux. And, a short walk from Marché Maisonneuve - an historical public space and symbol of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. Le Bièrologue opened their doors in 2012; further evidence of the growing popularity of Quebecois artisanal beer. Though, we do not think any more evidence is required...Both of these beer shops are located in the eastern section of Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. That is enough for the geography lesson, onward to the shop itself.

Specialty Beer Shops: Bières etc.

On a Saturday morning we decided to explore the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve area, in the eastern part of Montreal where we found a great neighbourhood beer store, situated near the corner of Saint Catherine street and Avenue Desjardins. The shop is called Bières etc. the name says it all. This specialty beer store is owned and operated by Mme. Brigitte Couture, who opened up shop "en 2011 pour faire la promotion de bières québécoises auprès des résidents d’Hochelaga-Maisonneuve"....That would be us! That morning we got to meet her and talk beer!

Specialty Beer Shops: Le Marché des Saveurs du Québec

Our next destination in the Specialty Beer Shops tour is Le Marché des Saveurs du Québec, situated within the Jean-Talon market only a few steps away from La Grange du Marché. As the name suggests, their focus is on all things Quebec and artisanal. They offer various products from oils, ice creams, cheeses, jams, honeys, to cream liquors, wines, and beers. There craft beer selection is in no way vast, but it is carefully selected, and they have the added benefit of having opened their doors in 2000. Thirteen years of customer loyalty and distributor loyalty, as Microbrasserie de l'Île d’Orléans' products are only available at this location within the Jean-Talon market, gives them an edge.

Specialty Beer Shops: La Grange du Marché

Over the past three to four years there has been significant growth in the MicroBrew scene. Both, in terms of small breweries and brewpubs, but more specifically in regard to the amount of specialty shops dealing exclusively in the sale of microbrews. In this article we will discuss one in particular: La Grange du Marché, situated within the Jean-Talon market. La Grange du Marché is going on there one year anniversary as of this September.