Old Is Better Than New (Old Montreal, Quebec)
OLD MONTREAL
Microbreweries, Architecture, and Memories
Old Montreal; a historical city of delicious microbreweries and remarkable architecture. This blog post will provide a comprehensive guide of Old Montreal's list of best microbreweries and historical architecture by Innergy Traveler.
In May of 2017, we eagerly packed up our bags, hopped on the Blue Line train out of Downtown Chicago to O'Hare International Airport to board our flight to Montreal, Quebec. Being Lauren's first time in Canada, I was ecstatic to have the opportunity to explore the wondrous cobblestoned neighborhoods of my Canadian heritage and ultimately meet my entire father's side of the family that still remain in The North. Even more exciting, it was my Grandma Nama's 85th birthday, along with a Franko Family Reunion planned in Mont-Tremblant two days into our trip!
Crossing the Saint Lawrence River into Montreal.
Since we have already explored multiple historical cities of Europe (Ireland, Scotland, Spain, and Paris), we were mesmerized by the immense similarities! The cobblestoned walkways seemed identical to the extraordinary streets that we fell so in love with during our stay in Ireland's west-coast hub of Galway. Montreal also has a Gothic Revival of Notre-Dame Basilica at its city center that resembles the gorgeous Notre Dame Cathedral that we visited during our stay in Paris back in 2017 as well.
Aside from the European similarities, Old Montreal had a few commonalities of our University of Wisconsin-Madison hometown in terms of their massive microbrewery selection! If you are a beer-lover like me, and looking to experience some of the more unique microbreweries of Montreal during your visit, the assortment of breweries/pubs will absolutely be of assistance!
Recommended Microbreweries & Pubs in Montreal
Vices & Versa - Located at 6631 St. Laurent Boulevard - Pub/Restaurant with approximately 35 Quebec micro-brewed beers on tap.
Dieu du Ciel - Located at 29 Laurier Avenue - Microbrewery and restaurant, listed as one of the best microbreweries in all of Quebec.
Brutopia - Located at 1219 Crescent Street- Microbrewery with a very limited food offering, but has been very popular over the past 20 years or so. The beer resembles more of a home-brew style and is very distinct and tasteful.
Le Cheval Blanc- Located at 809 Ontario Street East - The very first microbrewery in Montreal and holds license number 0001.
Beneflux - Located at 245 Sherbrooke Street West - Very good microbrewery and regularly attended by students from McGill University, just a few blocks away.
Brasserie Harricana - Located at 95 Jean-Talon Street West - Microbrewery ran by two women and very popular in Montreal.
Microbrasserie Pit Caribou - Located at 951 Rachel Street East- Microbrewery from Gaspé, recently relocated from the east coast of Quebec to Montreal. Their bottled beer selection is absolutely massive and strongly recommended.
Although Montreal hasn't quite mastered the true Wisconsin Old Fashioned cocktail, I trust their taste on whiskey and had to try one for good measure. Lauren, on the other hand, stuck with what she knows best; hand-crafted martinis.
DAY 2
On the second morning, my courteous Uncle Michael aided us in another short 20-minute ride into town for our second take on the city of Montreal. Per usual, we found a quaint café close to the city center and ordered ourselves a coffee to share.
After our much needed caffeine fix, we set out to explore Old Montreal for all its worth, aside from just the beer/cocktail endeavors we had the night before. As the day went on, we discovered magnificent museums, historic churches, and shopping galore. We picked a few gifts for our family back home with the inclusion of a few extremely necessary, pristine bottles of authentic Maple Syrup. Unfortunately, we totally forgot about the airport's volume restrictions on liquid carry-ons and the syrup never made it out of the country. Word to the wise; pack your liquid gifts in your checked luggage!
Anyhow, day eventually turned to night and we made our way over to the Montreal Canadien's hockey stadium for a brief look from the outside. Not expecting anything too excited since hockey season had already reached the end of its season, the blocks surrounding the stadium were absolutely amazing! On many of the surrounding blocks, various light fixtures projected highlights, statistics, emblems, and players from the Montreal Canadien's hockey team!
Certainly thrilled with our full-day in Montreal, we headed back home for a full-night sleep prior to our four-hour drive to Mont-Tremblant the following day. On the next morning, we posed for a quick photo from Momma Franko outside my Uncle Michael & Aunt Michelle's home and were off to Mont-Tremblant!
Stay tuned for our next blog post of Mont-Tremblant, filled with copious amounts of Poutine (Quebec masterpiece of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds), waterfalls, ski resorts, and more!
Peace, Love, and Travel On! - Innergy Traveler
