Montréal craft beer: microbreweries and brewpubs worth your time

Québec’s craft beer moment: context first

Québec was late to deregulate small-scale brewing — the provincial alcohol monopoly (SAQ) and strict licensing laws kept the craft beer market suppressed until the 1990s. When the laws relaxed, the scene developed rapidly and in a distinctively Québécois direction: heavily influenced by Belgian traditions, technically ambitious, and with a cultural openness to unusual ingredients and styles that has produced some of the most interesting beers in Canada.

Montréal is the centre of this scene. The city now has over 20 breweries and brewpubs within the urban core, plus a secondary wave in the suburbs and surrounding regions. This guide focuses on the addresses most worth visiting for a traveller with limited time.

The essential addresses

Dieu du Ciel! (29 avenue Laurier Ouest, Mile End)

The single most important address in Montréal craft beer. Dieu du Ciel! opened in 1998 and has operated a rotating tap list of extraordinary range and quality ever since — Belgian-style ales, double IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, fruit saisons, and their two most famous beers: Péché Mortel (Imperial Coffee Stout, 9.5 % ABV) and Rosée d’Hibiscus (witbier with hibiscus, a summer staple). The Mile End location is a neighbourhood pub; the production facility and larger taproom is in Saint-Jérôme (90 km north). The Mile End brewpub is the one to visit: atmospheric, always busy, excellent food alongside the beers. No reservations, arrive early on weekends.

McAuslan Brewing (5080 rue Saint-Ambroise, Saint-Henri)

The anchor of Montréal’s craft beer history. Founded in 1989 — when craft brewing in Québec was still a radical idea — McAuslan’s St-Ambroise Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout established a quality baseline for the industry and remain excellent. The Saint-Henri taproom and brewery offers guided tours and a tasting room in a converted industrial space. The brewery’s Griffon Extra Pale Ale and seasonal offerings (notably the Apricot Wheat Ale in summer) are also worth seeking out. Tours must be booked in advance; the taproom is open most days.

Vices & Versa (6631 boulevard Saint-Laurent, Little Italy)

Not a production brewery — a multi-tap bar that specialises in Québec craft beers. With 35+ taps dedicated almost entirely to Québec producers, this is where you can systematically work through the province’s output in one sitting. The list changes continuously and the staff are knowledgeable. Food is good, the room is comfortable, and it is an essential stop for anyone trying to understand the breadth of Québec craft beer. Located near Marché Jean-Talon.

Brasserie Harricana (95 rue Jean-Talon Ouest, Rosemont)

The most impressive addition to the Montréal scene in recent years. Harricana operates in a large converted warehouse near Jean-Talon market with an extensive taproom, a very good food menu, and a brewing program that emphasises saisons, mixed-fermentation ales, and barrel aging. The space is beautiful — salvaged wood, high ceilings, excellent natural light. Worth a dedicated visit.

L’Amère à boire (2049 rue Saint-Denis, Quartier Latin)

The original Montréal brewpub, open since 1996. A classic European-style brasserie format: long wood bar, brass fittings, beers brewed on the premises visible through glass behind the bar. The in-house beers (a rotating selection of lagers, ales, stouts, and wheat beers) are reliably good if not as ambitious as Dieu du Ciel!‘s. The location near Quartier Latin and the UQAM campus makes it an easy stop.

HopHouse (3000 rue Hochelaga, Rosemont-Est)

A neighbourhood brewpub in the east end that has become a favourite with locals for its accessible but interesting beer program and its very good food. Less tourism-facing than the Mile End establishments; more of an everyday neighbourhood experience.

Beyond Montréal: Québec breweries worth knowing

Hopfenstark (L’Assomption, Lanaudière — 60 km from Montréal)

One of the most acclaimed farmhouse breweries in Canada. Hopfenstark’s saisons and mixed-fermentation beers have won international recognition. The production facility is in L’Assomption; their beers are available at specialty bottle shops and at Vices & Versa in Montréal. Worth a dedicated visit if you are in the Lanaudière area.

Trois Mousquetaires (Brossard, South Shore — 25 km from Montréal)

The producer of some of Québec’s finest barrel-aged and high-gravity ales, including an Imperial Stout that is considered among the best in Canada. The taproom in Brossard is accessible by car from Montréal. Their beers are also distributed through SAQ and specialty stores.

Beer tours from Montréal

Old Port craft brewery and beer tasting tourGYG ↗ covers the Old Port area breweries with tastings — an efficient introduction to the Montréal craft scene in about 3 hours. 85 CAD.

Brewpub experience beer tasting walking tourGYG ↗ visits several brewpubs and bars across neighbourhoods — a good option for understanding the geographic spread of the scene. 75 CAD.

From Québec City, the craft beer scene is also strong:

Craft brewery and beer tasting tour in Québec CityGYG ↗ covers the Saint-Roch brewery cluster and the broader Québec City craft scene. 65 CAD.

Buying Québec craft beer to take home

SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec): the provincial alcohol monopoly has significantly expanded its craft beer selection in recent years. Many SAQ locations now carry 40–80 Québec craft beers. Hours vary but most open until 9 PM.

Specialty bottle shops: Dépanneur Peluso (3956 rue Saint-Denis), BierMarkt, and the bottle shops at McAuslan and Harricana carry a wider selection than most SAQ locations.

At the source: most production breweries sell their beers to take away at the taproom, often at better prices than retail.

The Festival Mondial de la Bière

For visitors with flexibility on dates, the Festival Mondial de la Bière (World Beer Festival) in early June is one of the great reasons to be in Montréal in the early summer. Held in the Vieux-Port over four to five days, it features hundreds of beers from dozens of countries with a strong Québec contingent. Sessions (morning, afternoon, evening) sell out — book tickets online as soon as they go on sale (typically January or February).

Related reading

• Where to eat in Montréal
• Caribou, gin and Québec spirits
• Québec cider route
• Montréal nightlife guide
• Plateau-Mont-Royal guide