This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Whether they are called taverns, bars or brasseries, establishments that present sports to their customers have been an integral part of the Quebec landscape for ages. In every community, small or large, these unifying and festive places have accompanied our history, as well as the evolution of our morals. And even if they have changed a lot, they still embody an important part of our culture today. So, let’s focus our attention on three of these temples of sporting libations.
It’s no secret: at one time, taverns, sports or not, were above all about guys. Of the boys’ clubs who brought together colleagues, a garage league and neighbors over a beer. It is this very gendered principle that an Alsatian (you can’t make this up!) came to change in 1984 by opening the very first Cage aux sports, today La Cage — Brasserie sportive, in Old Montreal.
“Georges Durst noticed the extent to which the Canadian-Nordic rivalry fueled the lives of Quebecers. He was therefore the first to broadcast hockey matches on big screens. He also revolutionized the tavern world by proposing a catering concept that would allow women and families to join the party. It was very visionary,” says Jean Bédard, who embarked in his twenties with friends on the adventure of a first La Cage aux sports franchise in Saint-Hyacinthe in 1989. And this, before opening one two others and to be entrusted, in 1995, with the reins of this brand of which he is still president, with 39 establishments (including one in Bordeaux, France) to his credit.
Mr. Bédard is obviously a key player in the evolution of La Cage aux sports over the past 40 years. Listening to it, we are transported to the 1980s and 1990s, inside these sports brasseries with decor, let’s say, loaded with the era. We see woodwork on the walls, bright red upholstery, signs and pennants in abundance, frames and artifacts, surprising elements like carousel horses or an English telephone booth. And this, without forgetting the large yellow plane typical of La Cage aux sports suspended from the ceiling. The contrast is striking with current establishments, often bright and with more contemporary and stripped-down decor.
But it must be remembered that La Cage aux sports was already designed for the party. “It was a unifying place, with all kinds of people who lived through and for Quebec hockey. So much so that, when Sainte-Flanelle lost before or during the playoffs, we said to ourselves that the summer was going to be very long for us! » admits Jean Bédard with a laugh.
For more predictability, especially after a few years of Quebec sports shortage, the president has increasingly worked on the liquid and solid menu offered in his establishments. Under his leadership, the number of 3 beers — Molson, Labatt, O’Keefe — from the beginning increased to 24, just on tap. “People were afraid they would get sick if they took more!” » says Mr. Bédard. They now sit alongside wine and cocktails.
A similar progression has affected food, which has always taken precedence over alcohol consumption in these establishments. “The menu remained quite short for a long time. We went to La Cage to order chicken wings, poutines, a few salads and especially the famous spit-roasted chicken-ribs-cabbage salad combo, says the president. Whereas now, you can enjoy tartares, fried squid, poké, and also good homemade pizza. All our sauces are made with meat stocks, we use local camelina oil, etc. In short, even if we are still faithful to the food-beer-sport equation, La Cage has also become a restaurant where you can go just to eat and have a drink. » So, while retaining its identity, La Cage fully embraces its present and its future.
Neighborhood sports breweries
Even if we often think of La Cage when it comes to sports brasseries, this brand is far from being the only one to have had an impact on Quebecers. In Montreal, for example, the Bruno Sports Bar, the Burgundy Lion and the Midway Tavern are all popular addresses for sports fans. Charles Landry, who took over the Midway with his partners in 2014, restored the nobility of this institution. Generations of customers have gone there since its opening in 1927 in the heart of the emblematic Red Light.
“As we are sports fans, it made sense for us to incorporate it into our concept,” he says. But we wanted a tavern in our image, a place where it would be possible to watch a game while drinking and eating quality stuff. »
With around twenty beers on tap, a choice of more than 400 spirits and simple but well-made dishes to share, Mr. Landry’s challenge has been met. In the space of 10 years, the Midway has become a destination for an eclectic clientele, who may or may not come for the hockey series, the Super Bowl or the major baseball tournaments broadcast there. Proof, moreover, that the genre still appeals, Charles Landry and his associates are preparing to open, not far from there, a second small bar in a few weeks, Chez Miller.
Impossible, however, to end this article without going a little to the regions, where sports breweries have occupied an equally, if not more important place than those located in the metropolises. To do this, let’s go to Terrebonne, a medium-sized town whose festive heart has been in the McTavish Brewery for 25 years. Sunday is even dedicated to American football, with NFL matches faithfully followed by fans, both men and women, dressed in the jerseys of their favorite league teams.
“It’s become a tradition here,” confirms Maxime Laforest, co-owner of this small neighborhood brasserie. But that doesn’t stop us from broadcasting all kinds of sports on our screens, especially when Quebecers and Canadians reach the final of certain tournaments. It is rather the national fiber that attracts our customers. »
Whether it’s a Canadiens series game, the participation of our athletes in the Olympic Games, or simply a championship contested by a local junior team, any opportunity is good to meet at McTavish . Before, it was basically a glass of beer in your hand. Now, it’s with an added comforting menu, signed Le Gras dur. But the electrifying atmosphere typical of sports breweries remains the same, whatever the era. After all, there’s nothing more unifying than sport, right?
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.