The Mondial de la Bière, scheduled June 1-5, is one of the biggest and most diverse beer-tasting festivals in North America. Now in its 12th year, it is held at Windsor Station, an imposing Romanesque Revival-style structure built by the Canadian Pacific railroad company in 1889. The station is no longer a hub of railroad traffic, but during the Mondial, it is a crossroads for beers from around the globe. This year, says festival president Jeannine Marois, ''We will have 86 breweries and we estimate that about 75,000 people will come over the five days."
In addition to tasting the products of Quebecois breweries such as L'Alchimiste, La Barberie, Unibroue, and McAusland; US breweries such as Wisconsin's New Glarus, which makes what Marois calls a ''really amazing" cherry beer; and breweries from Europe and other parts of the world, visitors can also sample Quebecois cuisine and Belgian chocolate.
Admission is free. Visitors pay per sample, so office workers and tourists alike can pop in for an hour or two.
According to Marois, the Mondial was started by three local beer enthusiasts who wanted to showcase local beers. She says the many talented and adventurous young brewers in Quebec have brought ''an effervescence" to the province's brewing industry. ''I have been going to the festival for 10 years; I only missed the first one," says Daniel Thibault, a writer who calls the brewpub Dieu du Ciel! his office.
Even if you miss the Mondial, a trek to Montreal's brewpubs and beer bars leads to some of the most interesting parts of the city and to some of La Belle Province's best beers. Many of Montreal's breweries make Belgian-style ales, and most have their version of the popular blanche, white (wheat) beer often spiced with coriander and curaçao that is the perfect beverage on a warm day.
