WHAT I GOT

Ambree de Sarrasin
Belle Geulle Red
Barbarie IPA
Boreale Doree
Boreale Noire
Boreale Rousse
Cheval Blanc Ambree
Cheval Blanc Blanche
Cheval Blanc St. Paix Apple
D'Achouffe Blonde
Eau Benite
Irresistible Blonde
Irresistible Noire
Liefmans Frambozenbier
Lucifer
Riva Blanche
Schoune La Belge
St. Arnoldus Triple
St. Arnould Riviere Rouge
U
U2

Hauled my sorry butt out of bed a little after seven, and arrived at KT's a bit before eight. Was a bit surprised to have Cheryl open the door since she does not live there. I perused the Globe and Mail while Cheryl masterfully prepared sandwiches (one of which was destined for my stomach as it turned out). We got underway and picked up Cheryl #2, and my sister Sarabeth (aka. Sarah) without too much trouble, finally arriving at my girlfriend Sarah's in Toronto around 900. Hopped on the Don Valley Parkway and got underway without too much traffic.

L'Amere A Boire
L'Amere A Boire almost felt more like a coffee shop or a restaurant. Granted it was pretty empty when we were there at like 400 in the afternoon so we probably didn't get the true feel for it. Apparently it is a popular night spot (we walked past it later and it looked fairly busy from what I could see). It has a gorgeous location on St. Denis street and is surrounded by interesting shops. From the window in the washroom you can see a whole bunch of skateboard decks mounted to the brick wall of their neighbour! The beers are all above average but only a few captured my attention. The imperial stout was quite nice, as was the Boucanier - a cask porter that KT also liked. Sarah and I both liked the Fin De Siecle as well.

Dieu Du Ciel!
The name roughly translates to "Oh my God!" which is what most beer lovers say after having been there as the beers are all of excellent quality. The interesting names continue with the beers, and I liked them a lot so I will list what was on tap. Beers on tap while I was there were: Paienne Blond Ale ("The Pagan), Fumisterie Hemp Beer ("Poppycock"), Déesse Nocturne Stout ("Goddess of the Night"), Vaisseau des Songes I.P.A. ("Dream Ship"), Gaélique Irish Cream Ale, Rigor Mortis Belgian Quadruple, Grand'Messe Alt ("Sunday Morning Mass"), Equinoxe d'automne smoked bock ("Autumn Solstice"), Nativité Blonde Weizen ("Blond Nativity").

Overall I thought the beer at Dieu Du Ciel was better than LAB. I thought the atmosphere at Dieu Du Ciel was a bit more pub like than LAB, and a little more relaxed. The brewing tanks at DDC can be seen through the glass from your table which adds to the charm of the place.

Payment
We had sort of a weird chain of events, that I later decided was a classic case of culture shock. At LAB, the waiter said that they usually collect payment after serving drinks (we had ordered a whack of samplers and a pint or two) but that we could run a tab if we wanted. We asked for a tab and didn't really think anything of it at the time. At DDC we ordered a bunch of samplers to start. They were $1 each, so we were basically giving the waiter exact change, paying as they came, but when we got our food he didn't ask for payment which struck me as odd. I had more samplers, while others had pints and non-alcoholic drinks. I thought the $1 thing was great since I could get rid of all my loonies and twoonies ($1 and $2 coins for you non-Canadians) The waiter seemed a little put off by this though... others in our group also got sort of a weird vibe. He was very nice and handled all our questions about the beers and what not well and I had a great time there. When it came time to leave he brought the food bill and asked us to please remember that it didn't include tip. I am not sure if that is standard practice or reflective of the fact that we had not really been tipping for the drinks. We left a pretty good tip in the end. We were a little bit thrown by this but I guess it is standard practice in Montreal. I think I prefer getting the bill all at once at the end, though getting it like that does help you keep track of how much you have spent. Oh well, we had a great time - I just hope the waiter didn't think we were a bunch of Anglo jerks!

Dessert
Sweet tooths calling, we ended up at Brulerie St. Denis a neat little coffee shop which also offered a sundry assortment of desserts. The mud pie which was (the special) and assorted cheesecakes were the popular choices among our group. Sarah remarked at the incredible fairness and equality of the distribution of our slice of mud pie. It was downright amazing how each of us got an exactly equal amount if pie. Incredible really! :)

Stopped in at Le Cheval Blanc but it was too packed so we headed out in search of somewhere else. The decor was interesting - sort of a diner like atmosphere, but the lighting made it feel almost like a night club. Odd... Not really what I was in the mood for at that point anyways. After wandering aimlessly down streets, and stopping a couple of guys for suggestions, we eventually wound up at Bieres & Compagnie. This place was very similar to the BierMarkt in Toronto, but smaller. Fairly upscale, with a sizeable beer menu, but people seemed to be a bit more casually dressed than BierMarkt.

It was a great trip. I recommend both brewpubs if you are in the area, but Dieu Du Ciel has the better beer over all in my opinion. We actually walked past Sergeant Recruiteur and Resevoir on the way to Dieu Du Ciel but didn't stop in to either. I liked the discounted pricing on beer before 7PM at night at both places. That's kind of cool. Metro Joanette was cool. Lots of different beers, available as singles. Brought back more than I can afford Some I didn't get but wish I had seen were McAuslan Scotch, and Seigneurale Reserve. Forgot that Terrible and Fringante were SAQ exclusives so didn't end up with any of those. Got a bottle of Eau Benite, and one each of U, U2, and Irresistible to round out the Unibroue experience though.