Don't miss this year's Montreal beer festival, the Mondial de la bière, running Wednesday, June 6 through Sunday, June 10, 2012. The 19th edition, like the previous edition, is held at Place Bonaventure instead of the Windsor Station and is expected to feature a compoarable nmber to the last edition, which carried 600 different beers originating from 136 breweries, with 26 of the latter from Quebec. No less than 253 of those brews were new to the Beer Fest before.
New Activities As of the 2011 Edition
As a result of changing venues, organizers have extra room to fit in new activities, notably limbo competitions, mini diskgolf tournaments, massage, beach volleyball, and silent dancing. Yes. Silent dancing. You'll see what that's about when you get there.
Know Your Beer
Become a beerologist: learn how to smell, taste and know your beer. Teachers from Montreal beer school the École de Biérologie MBière will be at the festival offering workshops and to answer any questions on professional beer certification. Call (514) 722-9640 for more information.
Happy Hour by the Pool
On Thursday, June 9, 2011, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., enjoy a few brewskies by the Hilton Bonaventure pool, adjacent Place Bonaventure. Tickets are $25 and include 20 tasting coupons (more on tasting coupons just below). Swimming in the pool is $10 extra. Buy Happy Hour tickets online.
Eat!
Barbecued beef and chicken, turtle and alligator soup, kangaroo and boar burgers, a variety of breads, cheese appetizers, deer appetizers, fries, buffalo on a stick, fudge, nougat, giant grilled shrimps, lobster sandwiches, a variety of sausages and other treats are sold on location.
Purchase Tasting Coupons
While admission to the Montreal Beer Fest is free, tasting a brew -- offered in three to four ounce servings -- requires coupons sold near the front entrance or in advance, online. Each serving usually costs anywhere from one to five coupons. Expect twenty to thirty coupons to last about two hours at $1 a coupon in 2011.
Beat the Beer Fest Lineups
Your best bet for avoiding lineups is to pre-purchase beer tasting coupons. Factor in 30 to 60 tickets to cover an evening at the beer fest. Details on pre-purchasing beer coupons here.
Time
11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Wednesday, June 6 to Saturday, June 9
11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 10
Where
Place Bonaventure (map)
Getting There
Bonaventure Metro
Getting Home
Consider opting for a cab or Montreal's public transit system instead of driving to the Montreal beer fest. But if for whatever reason, you intend to have your car with you (calculate how much you can drink and still drive with this tool), sign up for Point Zero 8, a fabulous designated driver service available year-round. Once you sign up, the service is cheaper than a Montreal cab and they'll drive your car home for you, hassle-free!
Admission
Free entrance. The Beer Fest tasting glass costs $9 but is optional, though some festival goers (your humble guide included) swear by it over disposable plastic cups littering festival grounds. And beer just tastes better in a glass. Remember to purchase tasting coupons for $1 a piece.
Learn more about the Mondial de La Bière, Montreal's primo beer fest.
Visit the Montreal Beer Festival Mondial de la bière website for a complete listing of workshops and activities.
