Each beer is connected to a place, characters, an animal. Some even hold a hint of mystery to discover, whether on the terrace, in the tasting room, at the pub, or to take away. Embark on a journey and dream!
You're in the heart of the village of Tadoussac, walk down towards the bay and stroll along the promenade. You'll see the sign of the Microbrewery and its terrace. Push open the door of the tasting room. At the back, behind a fully glassed wall, is the production unit where, depending on the schedule, the brewers are at work. Now, turn towards the counter and choose your beer.
"Each beer's name and flavors pay homage to the places and symbols of Tadoussac and the North Shore," explains Lydia Gagné, sales coordinator. "The Graben, a strong black beer, refers to the Saguenay Fjord." For the Borée, it's the North wind blowing through the boreal forest. Animals are very present: the Saison du Balbuzard evokes this bird of prey that nests in the region; the Triplette, the humpback whales that sometimes evolve in small groups.
The Tadoussac Pale (Wh)Ale is a nod to the English-speaking community of Tadoussac and pays tribute to the beluga, the endangered white whale that frequents the estuary and the fjord in summer. The Microbrewery contributes to its conservation with 10 cents per liter sold of this beer donated to the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM). The Red-tailed Hawk supports the protection of this migratory raptor observed at the dunes in autumn: 10 cents per liter sold are donated to the Tadoussac Bird Observatory (OOT).
Taste, mystery, and the art of creation
With your beer in hand, choose your spot: indoors or outdoors, you have a view of the bay and the marina. Do you have a sailor's soul and chose the blonde Ponton 5 beer? Dream of that mythical dock where old sea dogs gathered to drink... a beer. The name of this beer, "it's a little mystery and we want people to ask us the question to find out what it is," confides Lydia. Unless you prefer a white beer like the Capitaine Olsen, a famous navigator on the North Shore and ancestor of the Olsen family established in Tadoussac. And if you're looking for a 5 to 7 atmosphere with local shows and singers, go to the Microbrewery Pub, a few meters away, where you can also have a meal.
Since their first brew in 2017, the three co-founders, including co-owners Martin Fournier and Shawn Thompson, along with their team of brewers, have been searching for terroir aromas, spruce, Labrador tea, northern berries. They source from local pickers and small producers, including Camerises & Argousiers from Tadoussac. "We encourage local businesses as much as possible. And if we could, we would only use Quebec hops." They wanted to create with art, down to the careful design of the cans: black for the sea, black and white for the land, white for the air.
Written by: Christine Gilliet (Mots et marées)
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