This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Contrary to what many people think, a beer brewer does not necessarily cultivate its own cereals and its own hops. The breweries of Quebec and the rest of the planet, large as small, therefore do not work like vineyards or cider growers, who bet everything on the production of their fields. But a few are real brewing farms.
Our microbreweries work, for the vast majority, like bakers or pastry chefs. They therefore receive the desired cereals and herbs partially prepared by specialists. Until very recently, in North America as in almost all of Western Europe, the phenomenon of the brewery farm was part of centuries-old stories.
La Chouape, in Saint-Félicien (Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean)
The Hébert family, settled on the outskirts of the village of Saint-Félicien for six generations, cultivates malting barley, wheat and buckwheat for its microbrewery: La Chouape. A real brewing farm. There are few breweries of this type in America that grow their grain for beer, and even fewer organically like this inspiring team whose beers can be tasted in their tasting room with terrace on the Ashuapmushuan River.
From the spreading of wood ash from the Saint-Félicien cogeneration — a natural amendment helping to balance the pH of the soil — to the planting of malting barley, La Chouape growers must always cross their fingers for enjoy a beautiful summer. Fifty acres of sustainable agricultural land are used here; that is, a plot of field can only produce barley every four years. The family must therefore cultivate four times the surface area of this field annually to obtain a satisfactory barley harvest. Everything is done without chemicals, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. A colossal task that only a handful of craft breweries in the world deign to undertake, and for good reason.
After all, how many local bakeries, pastry shops and bistros would dare to become directly responsible for their main ingredients?
La Ferme – Rural brewery, in Shefford (Estrie)
Sitting well back in the Adirondack chairs facing the cereals of the brewing farm, you feel the pleasure of tasting their Sure Camerise, their Porter Mélilot or their Blonde Miel. Especially since La Ferme also grows rye, has its own beehives, grows several rows of its own hops, all this just a few meters from the picnic tables on the terrace. What can we also say about their Aléa range, among the most refined barreled beers produced in the provinces. A charm all the way, this craft brewery!
Drinking land, in St-Blaise-sur-Richelieu (Montérégie)
Can one brewing farm be considered more ambitious than another? Never mind that Terre à Drink not only grows barley for its own beers and corn for its spirits, but also grows several small fruits such as aronia, raspberry and Saskatoon berry, in addition to a few species of hops and rye. When we taste his Saison of rye with artemisia matured in white wine barrels, or his Kentucky Common sweet with its notes of caramelized homemade corn, we fall in love with everything that surrounds us here.
Jackalhop, in Plessisville (Centre-du-Québec)
Enchanted by the barley and raspberry fields of the land adjoining their terrace, you can discover the many nectars of this young country brewery straddling popular recipes – well-hopped IPAs and sour beers with local fruits – and creations gourmet, like their sour Saisons with garden herbs. A game of volleyball later, we take the few steps towards our table to order another drink and appreciate the bucolic places filled with families and lovers of local flavors. There are definitely some great things happening in brewing Quebec these days!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.