When Les Brasseurs du Nord decided to open a tasting room at their Blainville plant in 2017, the microbrewery knew that the approach had its limits, in particular due to zoning constraints – you cannot open a bar in a industrial park. The idea of settling in Montreal therefore slowly made its way until the very recent opening of the gleaming Relais Boréale, a few steps from the Jean-Talon market.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Opening a branch in Montreal was self-evident, “the first keg of Boréale beer was sold on Saint-Laurent Boulevard, at the La Cabane resto-bar, on June 21, 1988,” recalls Sébastien Paradis, president and general manager of Brasseurs du North. A fairly large space was also necessary: “We are a brasserie, continues Sébastien Paradis. By removing that aspect, we become a bar or a restaurant, then it’s not our business. We had to brew. For us, it’s a question of values and authenticity. We therefore find in full view, behind huge bay windows, six beautiful stainless steel vats and as many fermenters. Most of the Relais Boréale’s 16 cask lines will thus be devoted to beers brewed on site – we will of course keep a place for the essentials of Boréale such as the unbeatable IPA du Nord-Est.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
The vast majority of beers offered at Relais Boréale are brewed on site.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
The Relais Boréale offers 65 places inside and 25 more on the terrace, rue Waverly.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
The brewing equipment was bought from the Mille-Îles brewery in Terrebonne.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRASSEURS DU NORD
The Relais Boréale food menu was concocted in collaboration with Michele Forgione.
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“It’s a great platform for trying new things,” says master brewer Gabriel Dulong. In Blainville, we are more restricted when it comes to experimenting, especially when it comes to making sour beers or fruit beers. We also plan to bring some barrels here. We want to keep a very lively menu, we would like to offer new beers every two weeks! The Brown Ale and the West Coast IPA are already successes, we confirm it. The kind of beer that could end up on retail shelves? “It’s becoming a research and development center here,” says Sébastien Paradis. Me, Brown Ale, I really like it, so we could well say to ourselves: “Hey, we brew it in Blainville so that it ends up in 3000 points of sale.” That’s what we want. »
Initially, the Relais Boréale had been imagined as a brasserie with a simple counter to sell cans. “With real estate costs in town, we thought we’d be crazy not to allow people to sit down and have a beer there. And that’s when we got out of our comfort zone realizing that people, once seated, were going to want to eat. But we didn’t just want to offer nachos. In short, our biggest challenge at the moment is to arrive with the right food offer. For now, the menu is simple: pizzas, a mortadella hot dog and appetizers concocted in collaboration with Michele Forgione, partner of Stefano Faita. The proximity of the Jean-Talon market could also result in an improved offer in the near future; there are also plans to open the kitchen at noon to meet growing demand.
Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to midnight (kitchen open from 4 p.m.).
159 Jean-Talon Street, Montreal