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Every year Montreal’s Mondial de la biere festival gets a little more interesting. From a somewhat one-dimensional beginning (according to some reports), it became a three-ring circus. Now it has added more rings.
New this year for the festival’s 13th year were an expanded Mbiere conference schedule (which debuted last year) for those whose interest extends beyond merely tasting the beers; a professionally judged blind tasting competition; and a very classy beer banquet.
Hosted at the old Windsor Train Station, Mondial holds a special kind of ambiance among North America’s beer festivals. For one thing, it’s open a full five days (May 31-June 4), 11 hours a day. There is no entry fee; tasting is by coupon.
The smell of roasting boar and venison permeates the light and airy Salle de Pas Perdus (Room of Lost Footsteps), the old station concourse where people once scurried for their trains. Now they are scurrying for beer among the many kiosks that fill the spacious interior part of the show. There are nearly 100 vendors offering more than 375 beers, ciders and wines — almost one third of them first-timers — as well as a selection of artisanal foods.
Outside in the courtyard where more beer and food kiosks line the perimeter, people lounge on the grass. The ladies of the Boris booth (a French beer), lend a circus atmosphere, clad in colorful costumes, and walking on stilts among the crowd. At the far end, the group Samajam leads bongo processions through the crowd; tucked in alongside their tent is ASN’s own Tune columnist DJ Stockbizzy, spinning discs, along with partner Ray, during the festival’s twilight hours.
The Petit Pub is situated nearby. Here you’ll find the most interesting imports, many of them hand selected by Mondial president Jeannine Marois and general manager Mary Josee Lefebvre. At the festival’s opening ceremony Toronto-based beer writer Stephen Beaumont, who described himself as a Mondial critic-turned-believer, said the fact that the two women travel to the U.S. and to Europe to personally select beers for their festival makes it truly Mondial (or global).
Among this year’s highlights were some oak-aged selections from the U.S.: Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide; Damnation from Russian River; and several beers from Michigan’s Jolly Pumpkin brewery. One oak-aged beer traveled all the way from Switzerland — Abbaye du Saint Bon Chien, brewed by Jerome Rebetez of the Brasserie des Franches Montagnes, who was one of the festival’s featured speakers.
There were beers from Alsace, France — L’Etincelle, from the Holl brewery is a beer made with Wormwood, or Absinthe; and from the Biere de Garde region (La Choulette). From Belgium — Blaugies saison from along the French border; Malheur, the champagne beer; and Rulles from the Ardennes. The featured German beer was Schneider which highlighted an organic wheat beer and an eisbock.
Local favorites included the Montreal brewpubs, Brutopia, which won the people’s choice award with its Chocolate Stout, and Dieu du Ciel, runner-up with its Aphrodisiac Ale. DDC also made a special festival beer called Konigsberg, a kellerbier, or unfiltered lager, while Le Grimoire brewpub, located one hour west of the city, made a special batch of 8% blackberry beer, l’Armure.
Just as the organizers pluck some of the best beers available in the world, they also attract some of beer’s leading luminaries to share their wisdom — either at seminars during the morning Mbiere sessions, or at presentations and panels during the festival hours. Many also judged at the blind tasting competition.
One of the hottest speakers on the U.S. beer circuit, Dogfish Head Brewery owner Sam Calagione, not only spoke on Extreme Beers at the festival, but also gave a midnight rap performance at Dieu du Ciel brewpub. Interestingly the brewpub had procured some Rogue, Dogfish Head and Great Divide kegs to pour at their establishment post-fest. Phil "Maestro" Markowski from Southampton Publick House examined the future of traditional styles such as lambic; Jean Claude Colin, the guru of French beer, gave a learned speech (in French) on the history of beer and civilization; and Swiss brewer Jerome Rebetez expounded on his dual love of wine and beer. "I didn’t realize I was an extreme brewer until I heard Sam Calagione speak," he said.
A couple of Bostonians, Horst Dornbusch and ASN’s own Ms. Mug, Lauren Clark, spoke on beer history and women’s role in beer respectively; Alan Moen from the Pacific Northwest spoke on the interplay between wine and beer; and "Wicked" Pete Slosberg from California spoke about, what else, chocolate! The speaking program also featured a couple of lively debates focusing on the nature of ingredients and styles.
The seminars were held at the Cheese Terrace, where fromageur par excellence Andre Piche gave countless standing room-only discourses on cheese, beer and cider. Three beers, three cheeses, three coupons. What a deal!
The protocol for the Mbiere Contest, organized by Ottowa beer maven Mario D’Eer and presided over by the tireless Guy Levesque, was a little out of the norm. Judges were asked to rate a beer on its own merits, rather than according to any particular style. Highest points, the platinum award, went to Boreale Noire, a stout from local brewery, Les Brasseurs du Nord. Other locals also did well, understandably perhaps, since most of the entries were from Quebec. Unibroue won four gold awards for Ephemere, Trois Pistoles, Fin du Monde and Blanche de Chambly; Dieu du Ciel won two for Rigor Mortis and Route des Epice; La Barberie for Weizen, Les 3 Brasseurs for Blanche and Dogfish Head, the sole U.S. winner, for ImmortAle rounded out the awards.
Saturday evening saw a procession of dressed up guests and media heading across the courtyard for the gala dinner. A stupendous menu had been prepared by Toronto-based chef Stephen Morin with beer pairings picked by his partner at beerbistro restaurant Stephen Beaumont. The ale braised veal cheeks paired with McAuslan Scotch Ale were to die for; the dessert, a raspberry tower with chocolate framboise mousse, paired with 3 Monts was no slouch either.
An estimated 80,000 people visited Mondial this year. Be one of them next year!
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