Top 10 Breweries in Québec for 2023
For the past four years, BAOS has teamed up with Vox & Hops Metal Podcast and Beerism to round up the Top 10 Breweries in Québec. Previously, Cee was repping BAOS solo, but this year for the first time, I joined the show to make it an even foursome! Over the last five years, it really has felt like Québec craft beer just keeps getting better and better, and 2023 was no exception. There are, of course, some familiar names on the list, and a couple are even making their debut appearances! While the list is not ranked in any particular order, we again named a Brewery of the Year, and it’s someone new this time!
Listen to the episode audio via Vox & Hops, watch the full video below, or read on!
As always, these are the top 10 Québec breweries as chosen by Matt, Cee, Noah, and me, based on our experiences from breweries we visited and/or tasted from in 2023. We visit and drink from a lot of breweries, but we can never get to them all. We fully recognize that there may be other breweries we didn’t get to that are worthy of a mention. Let us know if there’s a brewery you think we missed, and we’ll try to make sure we get to them this year!
5e Baron Microbrasserie
Aylmer
Cinquieme Baron is the TWO TIME recipient of the Québec Brewery of the Year crown, for 2021 and 2022, and it was honestly a tough conversation for us to not pick them for the third year in a row. There’s no one in the province who brews the same breadth of styles throughout the year with the same care, refinement, and attention to detail applied to all of them. From their flagship Czech-style pilsner, Citadin, to their Mixtape series of New England IPAs, their near unrivalled stouts, and our favourite at BAOS, the coniferous series of West Coast IPAs, there’s no question as to how 5e Baron cemented their position on this list year over year.
BG Brasserie Urbaine
Québec City
The capital is home to two breweries in this year’s top ten, and Brasserie Générale is another that has graced the top ten several times before. They certainly qualify as an underrated brewery in the province. They brew lagers, IPAs of all kinds, and stouts to compete with some of the best, but where they truly stand on their own is with their barrel program and mixed fermentation beers. If you’re in Québec City, you’d be making a mistake to skip them.
Pub BreWskey
Montréal
BreWskey was among the few Québec breweries at the forefront of brewing contemporary and creative styles, going all the way back to their first canned beer, a peanut butter Milk Stout called P-Nut Buster. They brew some of the best IPAs in the province, and to this day still brew and package an insane variety of their fruit-infused Smoothie Sour series, Brew Juice, and their Pastry Sour series, Brew Cake. They also make some exceptionally decadent pastry stouts. The experience at the brewpub in the Old Port is not to be missed, with a gorgeous patio, delicious food and beers of all styles.
Kahnawake Brewing Company
Kahnawake
Just outside the island of Montréal, on the Kahnawake Mohawk Territory, Kahnawake Brewing Company made history as the first Indiginous-owned brewery on a First Nation’s territory in Canada. They pulled their first pint in 2018, and today they make genuinely fantastic beer. They also have a mouth-watering food menu, including Sunday brunch! Their lineup includes classics like their Bridge Blonde Ale, their OG Hazy, Beast NEIPA, Hard Day’s Work ESB, and they’ve almost always got some kind of wild and crazy collab in the works. It’s easy to get to if you’re travelling between Montréal and Ontario, and it’s a very worthwhile detour!
Dieu du Ciel!
Montréal/Saint-Jérôme
It would be very remiss of us not to show appreciation to the brewery that put Québec craft beer on the map, literally. Their Imperial Coffee Stout, Péché Mortel is celebrated internationally every year on Journée Péché, where the original is featured alongside several special variants, including barrel-aged versions, select coffee varietals, fruit additions, lactose-infused latte editions, and many more. They deserve the spot for that beer alone, nevermind the other outstanding classics in their roster, such as Équinoxe du Printemps Maple Scotch Ale, Solstice d’Hiver Barleywine, Rigor Mortis Abt Quad, and so many more.
Le Ketch - Microbrasserie du Littoral
Sainte-Flavie
Le Ketch made their debut appearance on the Top 10 this year, and for very good reason! On the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, between Rimouski and Gaspesie, Le Ketch is (in our opinion) brewing THE best haze in the province right now! With the high-quality New England IPAs being brewed in Québec, we do not make that claim lightly. You can’t go wrong with any of their Dock series of IPAs, with a constantly changing selection of hops, and always brewed with an addition of local honey. Their restaurant in Sainte-Flavie is located right on the water with a gorgeous view, especially in the summer when you can enjoy their patio right on the beach. Le Ketch was far and away our top discovery of 2023.
Mellön Brasserie
Montréal
I don’t think it's going too far out on a limb to claim that Mellön makes some of the most refined beers in the province. With a lineup focused around “Saisons, Hops & Lagers”, you can expect to find gems such as Výměny Pivo 9° Nefiltrované, Prague-inspired Czech-style Unfiltered Pale Lager, Immer Naturtrüb, Franconian-inspired Kellerbier, Wake Me Hop Before You Go-Go, Cryo IPA, or wild blends like Les Temps Fous, Bière de Garde + Foeder Beer + Sour Hoppy Beer.
Brasserie Sir John
Lachute
Sir John has come a long way in four years. They are another of the few breweries among the first in the province to really embrace and lean into brewing more contemporary styles, focused primarily around hazy IPAs. As time has gone on, their consistency has greatly improved. While their lineup mainly consists of IPAs, you will see the occasional lager, Berliner Weisse, and a collection of creative stouts. They also have fantastic branding with some very distinctive label artwork.
Nano Cinco Brasserie Artisanal
Québec City
The second debut appearance on the Top 10 this year is Nano Cinco out of Québec City. They are one of the younger breweries on the scene but have already been making a splash across the province with their thick hazies, though that certainly isn’t all they brew. Watch out for lagers, stouts, and special mixed fermentation releases in their big clear glass bottles. As one that’s already knocking it out of the park, Nano Cinco is certainly one to watch as they continue to grow.
Messorem Bracitorium, 2023 Québec Brewery of the Year
Montréal
While a repeat resident of the Top 10, 2023 is the first year that Montreal’s Messorem takes the Brewery of the Year crown. They are another brewery on the shortlist that really committed to making contemporary styles their thing from the get-go, and I think that in the past year, they’ve truly been putting out their best product since they opened. Not only are the beers exceptional, but their taproom experience is by far my favourite in the province, especially in the summer on their massive patio. Whether you’re there for some exceptional hop-forward offerings, delightfully crispy lagers, decadent pastry stouts, or heavily fruit-forward smoothie sours served from a slushy machine, they’ve got something delicious for you. Twenty-twenty-three was Messorem’s best year yet, no question, and we’re keen to see what they do in 2024!
Nathan
Nathan is a craft beer enthusiast from Ottawa, ON. He is the Co-Founder of @TeamLactose, he’s passionate about travelling for beer and he loves talking about beer from Ontario, Quebec and beyond.