Are you in the great city of Montreal and you are craving an original, artisanal and tasty IPA beer? Have you wondered how many places you could visit in Montreal to enjoy a freshly, well crafted beer? Well, City Brew Tours built this complete guide of the best ways to enjoy IPA beers in Montreal. Contact us today and let us schedule your tour!
What is an IPA beer?
IPA stands for India Pale Ale. It is a colour beer style based on the hop plant, and a pale ale has a colour of amber, which is brewed with pale malt. First brewed in England in the early 19th century, this British beer became a great export product through the whole British Empire and its colonies. Evidently, it has grown in popularity since then, and today, IPA beers are known and hugely appreciated the world over.
IPA beers usually have a higher ABV (Alcohol by volume) than most beers. Generally, the ABV for this style of beer is at 6%.
The fans of IPA beers say they are best consumed and enjoyed while cold and fresh. The consensus is when an IPA beer comes out of a barrel, it is not as fresh nor as enjoyable. Therefore, microbreweries prefer to put them in bottles or cans.
Pale ales, the basis for IPA beer, are made with an emphasis on the hop flavour and various aromas through a specific craftsmanship tailored to the craft beer movement. If you are looking to discover the best craft beer IPAs in Montreal, schedule a Montreal brewery tour now with City Brew Tours!
Terminology for IPA beer beginners
- Session: Less alcohol, meaning an ABV lower than 6%
- Double/Imperial: a higher hop concentration, usually over 7%.
- Dry-Hopped: soaking the hops in the fermenting beer, which creates a strong aroma. Usually, hop is added when the liquid is in its boiling stage.
- Double Dry-Hopped: just adding double the amount of hops in the fermenting beer!
- Single-Hopped: adding many different hop varieties to bring different flavours and aromas.
- Fresh-Hopped: reserved for IPAs made and consumed within 24 hours.
The different styles of IPA beers
With the India Pale Ale classification, a style is attributed based on the ingredient used in the brewing process. The style comes from the flavour, appearance or aftertaste one gets while enjoying a cold and freshly brewed IPA. Here is an overview of the most known and available IPAs on the market, so you could assess which one matches your taste.
British IPA
It was created in England in the 19th century, by sailors who went to India and used hops as a preservative for the beer they were carrying. As the hops were soaked in the beer for long periods of time, the fruity flavour was lost and the beer acquired a bitter taste. Therefore, since that day until today, the British IPA is malty and has a bitter taste.
While it isn’t the most popular style of India Pale Ales, it is highly sought out and appreciated by beer drinkers all over the world.
West Coast IPA
The West Coast IPA is known for its bitter hoppy taste. This particular style was made by brewers exploring various styles, and they ended up creating a bitter flavour and by getting rid of the fruit taste. You can find a huge West Coast IPA beer variety, and it is widely appreciated among the craft beer community.
New England Style IPA
It is an unfiltered IPA, which has the most drinkability among IPA beers. With small doses of bitterness, NEIPA is also the most tropical IPA beer. They are usually fermented in a specific way to have lower carbonation and have a tropical taste. New England IPAs resemble orange juice in appearance, and they usually have a fruit cobbler taste.
East Coast IPA
The East Coast IPA is a special hop between the British and the West Coast IPAs. It has a piney hop flavour with a strong malt base. It is a less bitter beer than the West Coast style IPA and extremely smooth with a strong, tasty tropical note. In the end, the East Coast IPA has an established sweet maltiness blended with tropical fruit flavours and a hoppy flavour punch.
Oat IPA
This particular IPA beer is a typical American IPA, containing strong fruit flavours and aromas. By using lactose and oats, the texture becomes smooth and creamy. Oat IPA has a lower bitterness taste and an important hop taste, along with the hop aroma. The texture is soft, and the taste is always on point.
Lactose IPA aka “Milkshake” IPA
Rest easy! This particular IPA beer does not contain any milk so, please do not shake them. Lactose IPAs get their name from the milk sugar that is added to the beer. Usually, vanilla is added, that is why it has a vanilla aroma.
One can taste the fruits at first, yet the taste fades fast and provides a strong hop taste, giving it a bitter aftertaste after a low carbonation through the brewing process.
Belgian IPA
The particularity with Belgian IPA comes from a special yeast they use in the brewing process, which offers a final taste that is sweet, slightly bready with warm notes. Belgian IPAs have a definite fruitiness and spiciness taste, which makes them a favourite in many parts of the world. The Belgian IPA beer has a particular flavour profile and has a higher ABV than a regular IPA.
Fruited IPA
Not every brewer is comfortable adding fruits to their brewing process, yet India Pale Ales are the type of beer where adding fruits blends well with the natural bitterness of beer. Fruited IPA has a sweet, blended with ripe citrus and notes of pine. To that mix, you could add slowly warmed caramel malts. In the end, the beer is fruity and is highly recommended to people who prefer the fruity taste.
Sour IPA
Sour IPAs deliver a fruity citrus and some tropical notes while offering a tad of refreshing pine and dank, and finally a resinous taste. Most brewers use a dry-hopped for the brewing process, and various bold flavours can be added at will. The specialty of a sour IPA is the insertion of acid, through a special process called kettle souring.
Brett IPA
Brett IPA is named after the Brettanomyces yeast strain, which is used for winemaking. The yeast is heavily used, primarily in the fermentation of beer. That process gives this India Pale Ale beer a funky and melon-taste to the beer, while adding an aroma of fruit salad. Lastly, you will also get ripe fruit flavours from this craft IPA beer.
Top 10 IPA beers in Montreal you are going to like!
1) Glutenberg IPA
Glutenberg IPA is the perfect choice for IPA beer aficionados. Its flavour contains many aromas such as citrus fruits, hops and a few fragments of bitterness.
This wonderful beer freely releases various notes of apricot and soft caramel. It possesses a slightly magnified dryness which makes its scent radiate. Furthermore, it ensures a well-rounded aromatic experience.
The Glutenberg IPA is made of water, millet, buckwheat, corn, black rice, corn maltodextrin, hops, and yeast. Moreover, the taste is composed of apricot, tangerine, fresh hops and sweet caramel.
2) EtOH IPA
This blond IPA beer is brewed locally, at the unique Etoh Brasserie. It is a crystal clear blond beer with a rich and soft foam, which gives the beer a great and refreshing appeal. When it comes to the aromatic balance, it leans slightly on the hop side. However, the underlying malty aromas prove the obvious richness flavours of this blond IPA.
Mostly, this blond IPA beer is rich in malty flavours, accompanied by a dry beer finish and a refreshing bitterness. It is the quintessential blond IPA, and it is a bestseller at the Etoh Brasserie in Montreal. Furthermore, EtOH Brasserie is the perfect place if you’re looking for team building activities in Montreal thanks to its wide choice of delicious beers in a trendy and cosy place.
3) Ok L’Enfer
This IPA beer, with an ABV of 6%, has been double cold hopped (DDH) with Simcoe Cryo (therefore more concentrated in aroma than in bitterness) and Ekuanot. It comes straight from a barrel, and served in a can to preserve the various flavours. This blonde IPA beer is brewed in the industrial microbrewery of Messorem Bracitorium, located in the south-west of Montreal and they are ready to receive you so you can enjoy this wonderful IPA.
4) Avena Citra & Peacharine
The definition of smooth from BreWsKey! It brings you genuine flavors: a sour fruity taste thanks to citra, and the softness from the peacharine, a blend of peach and nectarine. This IPA beer has a wonderful texture, and the result is so refreshing.
The end product is a truly thirsty craft IPA beer with powerful aromas. This IPA beer is brewed in one goal: to have it overflowing with hops. Contact us, and you will get to taste this amazing IPA beer.
5) Cheval Blanc Double Blanche
From one of the oldest breweries in Montreal, you are getting the exquisite Double Blanche. It is a belgian IPA beer, cold hopped, combining the sweetness of wheat and the bitterness of hops. With an ABV of 6.2% and an IBU of 55, this IPA is definitely a go-to. Once you have enjoyed this traditionally craft beer IPA, you won’t look for another. It will most certainly put a smile on your face!
6) Côté Canal
With an ABV of 4.2%, which is a bit lower than the usual 6% for most IPA beers, Côté Canal is a blonde IPA made by Microbrasserie 4 Origines. This micro brewing company is located in the Pointe-St-Charles neighbourhood in Montreal. It is traditionally brewed on site by seasoned experts who care deeply about offering you a great product you can enjoy with your family and friends.
Côté Canal is brewed for the true amateurs of hops and beer, and its light content of alcohol is perfect for people who like lighter beers. Moreover, the malt character of this IPA beer shines exquisitely. If you want to learn more about this delicious IPA beer, you can schedule a Montreal craft beer tour with City Brew Tours to enjoy a beer at Microbrasserie 4 Origines.
7) La Ruelle Verte
Brewed in the vibrant Hochelaga neighbourhood, L’Espace Public offers this IPA beer made with a double pollen sour IPA. The whole brewing process is a collaboration between various craft brewers from Quebec, namely Houblons Bastien, Les Moissons Dorées, Le Labo, Intermiel and Hartprint. The final product is a sweet, juicy and tangy taste, delighting those who love beer.
8) West by Sud-Ouest
Another jewel from the Microbrasserie 4 Origines microbrewery. This IPA, with an ABV of 6%, is famous with the clientele. Brewed using classic American hops such as centennial, cascade, and citra, West by Sud-Ouest is an IPA, whose taste has a flashy bitterness and a citrus aroma such as tangerine. You will get a dry sensation on your palate and a hoppy final aftertaste with every sip.
This beautiful IPA runs out of stock sometimes, proving it is extremely popular with IPA beer amateurs. The brewers do a fantastic job in creating a wonderful IPA that’s been on many top 10 lists!
9) La Fashionista
Dankful, a well-fruited and not too bitter IPA, which is quite close to NEIPAs. Brewed traditionally with the greatest care. In mouth, the hops bring notes of mango, peach or tangerine. With a little “resinous/onion” side, this IPA beer is special, and its taste is one of a kind.
10) IPA du Nord-Est
IPA du Nord-Est invites you to travel. It starts with exotic aromas that awaken the palate, followed by a sweet bitterness, characteristic of New England IPAs (NEIPAs). A perfect balance to get everyone on the same page.
Peaches, pineapple, mango… everything is there! In the mouth, it reveals a silky and soft texture. A juicy and excessively fruity whole will conquer your taste buds. The balanced and slightly bitter finish invites you to prolong the trip!