Bottles upon Bottles of Beer
If you're as big a beer lover as Barney Gumble from The Simpsons, then you're in luck. The Mondial de la Bière, or The Beer Fest, will be back at the end of May to celebrate its 15th edition. The yearly event, which is North America's largest beer festival, brings brewers and beer enthusiasts together for five days of tasting. This is your chance to pick from over 300 types of local and international beers, including ones brewed specifically for the festival. The idea is to sample, not get sloshed, though the latter tends to prevail.
If you're the type to get agitated when waiting to be served at a busy bar, you'll need to be patient. This is a packed event, with about 85,000 people having attended last year. The ticket line-ups tend to be long and it can get overly crowded, but where beer is concerned, the more, the merrier.
There is no entrance fee so if you're not that into beer but want to stop by, feel free. To sample beers you must first purchase tickets from one of the designated counters. Tickets cost $1 each and one sample is exchangeable for one to five tickets. One serving of beer is equivalent to 3-4 oz. Last year's top winner of the consumer contest was Desperados, a tequila flavored beer by Fischer. Yum! Discover what's brewing at this year's festival and don't forget to cast your vote for your favorite beer. For more information, visit www.festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca.