What a surprise at this World beer festival! We recollect it beeing not so positive this year.

In this section of our website, we attempt to share things we like, but also we try to stay critic. In this present case, a few elements surprised us at this World beer Festival held in Montreal. We will focus on 3 critics to shorten this post.

In «Mondial de la Bière» there is «Mondial», but it appears to us it would have been less misleading to call this event «Québec de la bière». In fact, by «mondial» we mean the way of brewing (although we found a few foreign brewery, we had to be determined to find them). So, at the moment when a brewery proposes a beer with foreign inspiration, it is considered «foreign». Thus, in the  mexican beers, you would find microbreweries like Les Boissons du Roy, Trou du Diable, Brasseur de Montréal… We can understand the frustration of some visitors on this aspect.

Moreoever, the quantities of beer being served were smaller this year compared to previous years. A visit to the event’s Facebook page will confirm the disappointment of loyal festival-goers. We understand the reasons provided by the organisator, nevertheless it has fell to meet visitors expectations on this.

To conclude, if you enjoy speaking with brewers and that they take the time to present you their beers, you can enjoy these type of events because it is focussed on «tastings». This year’s event had more of a bar feeling. Little information provided: no pamphlet or tasting cards to take home to remember which beer we liked the most and would buy, no indication where we might purchase these beers especially for the … You have to ask all this information when you are being served with a huge line of people also waiting to get served.

And you, how was your experience at the Mondial de la Bière in Montréal?

What have you appréciated the most, the least?