The bar at Isle de Garde

As I have mentioned in previous posts, my summer travels included stops in Ottawa and Montreal. My Ottawa beer adventures were chronicled here. Meanwhile, while I had highlighted one Montreal place in this post, I hadn’t yet written up my experiences on this trip.

Partly that is because I have been to Montreal a few times in the past few years, and so have written a lot about that city’s remarkable beer scene. However, I decided it was still worth the energy, and so my Vue Weekly column this past week runs a piece on the city (which you can read here).

On this trip, I made a point of hitting a few new places that have opened up since my last visit. I also popped by a couple of Montreal mainstays, like Dieu du Ciel and Benelux. So, it made it a nice theme to discuss something old, something new in Montreal in the piece.

Here, instead, I am going to just highlight the new places I write about.  Isle de Garde was a part of the summer post on quality beer bars (here), so I will just repeat here how thoroughly impressed I am at their multi-temperature tap system. That feels like the next stage in craft beer evolution.

Another new place is La Succursale, a busy brewpub in an upscale neighbourhood. While its atmosphere didn’t do too much for me – I found it a bit loud and sterile – the beer was certainly worth the trek off the beaten path to find it.

The non-descript frontage of L’espace Publique

As I mention in the article, I am something of a sucker for small, independent places with a neighbourhood vibe. Places where it feels the locals know all about it, but it is a secret to the rest of us. L’Espace Publique is not much more than a hole in the wall. A long bar on one wall and a row of small tables along the opposite wall. That is it.  The signage is so low key you basically need to know it is there to find it. Yet, the beer were very enjoyable. They offer a broad range of styles all brewed on site. I appreciated how they jumped around brewing traditions, much like any homebrewer. The stout on at the time was particularly formidable.

But what I liked best about the place was its cozy, relaxed ambience. It is truly a neighbourhood pub. While I was there a young couple with a stroller wandered in, had a short visit over a beer and wandered out again, their baby gently cooing the whole time. The server seemed to know everyone and even with strangers, like myself, was friendly, warm and engaged. If only I had that walking distance from my house!

We all know the strength of Montreal’s beer scene. Yet, it is easy to forget as we sip on a St. Ambroise or a Dieu du Ciel that the scene keeps growing. For every well established venue, there are two or three new place opening up. Montreal is a diverse, vibrant city and its beer scene seems to reflect that. I was glad to check out a handful of the newcomers and pleased to report the quality continues to shine through.