New brewpub opens in Montebello

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Post originally written in 2014.

If you’re feeling a bit parched the next time you’re in Montebello, here’s good news: a new brewpub called Les Brasseurs de Montebello opened its doors on June 5. Run by two couples—Luc and Linda Proulx, and Alain Larivière and Patricia Pesant—it has 19 Quebec craft beers on tap, including two of its own: a lovely honey blonde called La Reine du Mont Vinoy and a hoppier blonde ale called Le Fantôme d’Ézilda.

The names of both beers have roots in the region, explains Sylvain “Sass” Periard, a long-time friend of Larivière’s who also helps out with the new venture. “Every beer that we brew will have a link to something that happened [here],” he says. Le Fantôme d’Ézilda, for instance, is named for a daughter of rebel Louis-Joseph Papineau who is said to still haunt the neighbhourhood, 120 years after her demise.

The pub’s interior is relaxing, with pendant lamps made to resemble the tops of milk cans and chalkboards listing the brews on tap. Outside, there’s a spacious terrace overlooking the village’s main drag.

The food selection is limited to paninis, cheese from the nearby Fromagerie Montebello (more on that in a future post), and snacks like peanuts, olives and chips. But the owners are laid back on the food front; if you want to get a pie delivered from a nearby pizza shop, they’re fine with that.

There’s not much brewpub competition in the area. Periard points out that the nearest craft breweries are in Gatineau, Montreal, St. Jovite and Rigaud, with the closest of those at least 80 kilometres away.

The venture is an offshoot of a beer-tasting club that the owners and some of their patrons have been involved in for 20 years (this year, they’re heading to Munich for Oktoberfest to celebrate the anniversary). It also has a musical connection, as Larivière (a drummer) and Periard (a bassist) are both in a local band called Show Son Blues.

I visited the pub as a guest of Les Brasseurs de Montebello and Tourisme Outaouais, which neither reviewed nor approved this post.

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If you go

Distance from Ottawa: 83km

Address: 485 rue Notre-Dame, Montebello, Quebec

Telephone: 1-844-JAI-SOIF

More information (in French): Les Brasseurs de Montebello