In Montreal, you might hear the natives say: “Let’s grab some beers at the dep.” It’s weird and makes no sense to visitors from the U.S.. It’s out there like “eh,” only it’s actually relevant because beers are involved. It turns out “dep” is slang for “convenience store.” We can think of five better places to grab some brewskis.
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Brutopia
Brutopia, Crescent Street, Montreal, QC, Canada
Brutopia might as well be called “bro”-topia. It’s a massive, three-level microbrewery where both fratboys and tourists like to congregate. It errs on the douchey side considering its location on Crescent Street, but who doesn’t love to get crunked up and crazy for a bachelor party weekend? If you can brave the rowdy, late-night crowd, have a thing for homegrown seasonal brews, love live music, outdoor patio seating and waitresses squeezing into their uniforms, this may be the dream beer bar for you.
"bro"-topia | rowdy, late-night | outdoor patio
Kampai Garden
Kampai Garden, Saint-Catherine Street West, Montreal, QC, Canada
While Kampai Garden (opened in 2016) has become known for its delicious little Asian-inspired bar bites, it’s a true beer garden. It’s also completely Zen-ed out, with greenery from ferns and ivy to potted flowers completely covering the 10,000-square-foot warehouse space. As a matter of fact, Kampai is probably the most beautiful beer garden you’ll ever visit. Flooded with natural light from floor to ceiling windows, this little oasis is the ultimate spot to chill out in benched seating or sofas, play a game of pool and knock back 60-oz draft beers.
Asian bar bites | zen-ed out | 60-oz draft beers
Dieux du Ciel!
Dieu du Ciel!, Montreal, QC, Canada
When a bar puts an exclamation mark at the end of their name, you know shit is about to get real. Dieu du Ciel!, a neighborhood pub, is a kick-ass 20-year-old brasserie that serves up heaping portions of homegrown house brews and imports, both indoors and on a patio. They take their brews seriously here, the way a wine grower takes cultivating grapes seriously. Brewing has been a priority ever since the owner, who studied microbiology, started experimenting in his home in 1991. You can now buy their bottled beer almost anywhere in Canada. Beer geeks unite and rejoice, and bros camp out here for hours with more than 165 brews to choose from.
homegrown house brews | 165 choices | kick-ass pub
Hurley's Irish Pub
Hurley's Irish Pub, Crescent Street, Montreal, QC, Canada
An Irish pub is an Irish pub, no matter where you go, but an Irish pub in a French-Canadian city is all about getting joyfully hammered until you start seeing leprechauns. There’s nothing crazy unique about Hurley’s Irish Pub except the fact that people who drink here like to DRINK, all-caps style. It’s a no-frills affair (brick walls, wooden tables), with two separate floors, a large outdoor patio and live music certain nights of the week. You’ll want to get a pint of Guinness or choose from the dozen brews on tap (many Canadian beers). Kick back and soak in the good times, because that’s the only way to experience this tavern.
Irish pub | no-frills | live music
Le Saint Bock
Le Saint Bock, Saint Denis Street, Montreal, QC, Canada
Le Saint Bock is one of those beer bars that proves Montreal takes beer culture seriously. While it’s the perfect place to watch sports on TV, the main attraction is actually the brews here. There’s almost 40 beers on tap, about half of them brewed on premises, tons of craft brews by bottle and a total of 800 selections to choose from their Beer Bible (including beer shots). The food is a highlight here, a cut above your standard bar food fare, many made with beer as an ingredient, like a beer-based French Onion soups and beer-basted fries. Head to the outdoor patio, which is busy day to night.
Beer Bible | 40 beers on tap | beer-based food
