Ale Street News Online

Like many events, Montreal’s 15-year-old Mondial de la biere festival has had its ups and downs, but over the past few years, it has taken on more and more the personality of one person — Jeannine Marois.

What has become North America’s largest beer festival (in terms of attendance and international beers) was launched 15 years ago by a trio of entrepreneurs who recruited Marois for her marketing savvy and graphics ability.

As the festival rode the many challenges of the early days, the various partners fell by the wayside. When Marois took the reins solo in 2001, the festival was in the red, suffered from a bit of a big beer bash image, and more damaging, faced a mutiny from microbrewers, mostly because of the demanding 10-day schedule.

Marois took the bull by the horns. She met with the microbrewers and was able to convince them that if they participated she would address their concerns the following year. She did. She found a new site downtown — Windsor Station (Montreal’s old train station) — she chopped the fest back to five days and abolished the entry fee so as to attract lunch and happy hour crowds..

For Marois, the festival is definitely a labor of love. The festival has enjoyed financial success the past few years, but it’s always a fine line to cover the costs of such a large event (80,000 visitors last year).

"My motivation is not to get rich. It’s to enjoy what I’m doing," she said. "I have a great time with the people I work with. And I love the product I’m handling." (What’s her favorite beer? Let’s just say, make sure it has a lot of hops!)

Marois was an artist before she changed direction and earned a master’s degree in business administration. "The artists I worked with had passion for their product. It’s the same thing with brewers and beer." Like many in the craft beer business, Marois sees herself as "an ambassador."

She also sees herself as an innovator. "I like to make new things, I like changes. I’m like a kid in a huge playground…every day I’m building new castles."

Indeed, every year there’s something new at Mondial. Marois gradually upgraded the festival’s image with an emphasis on tasting — cheese, chocolate and sausage pairing workshops. She grew the educational component by adding the Mbiere business conference to dovetail with the festival along with the Mbiere Contest, inviting speakers and judges from the US and Europe.

This year a beer cartoon contest has drawn entries from 30 countries and for the 15th anniversary Marois has commissioned special fest beers from 15 microbreweries.

In 2006, she added a night of fine dining as a related event — a stepping stone to her ambitious "Flaveurs" event which debuted last November.

Perhaps the most unique aspect of Mondial is its truly international scope. Marois is determined to stay at the cutting edge of beer with her emphasis on new and innovative products. "I want to keep things interesting, and I want to bring the better beers to Montreal." It is partly by desire — "I love to discover new places and people," she said — and partly out of necessity that she travels the world with her righthand woman, Marie Jose Lefebvre, her general manager of six years, in search of the world’s liquid gems.

The necessity part comes from the SAQ’s (Societe des Alcool de Quebec) rigorous red tape.

"We can’t just call the brewer and purchase the beer. We have to pay the SAQ. They pay the brewer six months later!" Marois has found the best way to assure participation is by explaining and persuading brewers in person. Their track record shows that the two ladies from Montreal can be quite persuasive!

Last year, Italy’s innovative new brewers were featured at Flaveurs; this year it will be Sweden and Denmark. For next year Marois has her sights set on an expedition to Japan.

These international brews as well as those handpicked from the US are showcased in Mondial’s Petit Pub. This year there is also a French Pavilion featuring beers from 15 different breweries.

What else — oh yes, she published a series of beer maps (Beer Trek) covering Canada and US and she started a beer and brewing school with beer author Mario d’Eer.

And for the future? Oh, she’s working on a European version of Mondial in Strasbourg, France and she has one eye open for a larger venue for Mondial.

Many in the industry understand just how hard it is to assemble a beer list like Mondial’s — this year there are 400 beers from 100 breweries, half of them new — in Quebec Province.

"Jeannine’s worked really hard, " said Laura Urtnowski, president of the Quebec Microbrewers Association. "I admire her stamina and devotion to beer. She’s brought beer making upscale; it’s been great for our industry."

Relaxing for a rare moment in her garden in Montreal’s Rosemont district, Marois reflects on what she likes most about her role as Mondial president: "I love the contact with brewers and people. And I love seeing people enjoy it so much.

"Life is made to enjoy. If you have the chance to put energy into something you like — do it."

Note: Jeannine numbers ASN among her graphic arts clients; and is responsible for graphics and page setup for the publication.