Mondial, Better Late Than Never

More real life intrusions yesterday, but back on course today, so here are my observations from the second of my two days at the Mondial de la Bière in Montréal.

I was determined to sample more of what Brazil had to offer on my second day at the fest, and so chased down brands from Cerveja Artesanal Falke, Cervejaria Mistura Classica and Wäls, with mixed results. I quite enjoyed the last brewery’s Trippel, which had green apple notes segueing into more of a sugar cane and lime character, reminding me of a caipirinha-inspired ale, and Falke’s Ouro Preto, with its pumpernickel bread nose and heavily roasty body, but was a little more perplexed by Mistura’s gingerbready Extra and burnt tasting and very dark Amber.
After Brazil, I paid a visit to Italy and discovered ReAle from Birra del Borgo, a yeasty and fruity ale with plenty of apricot and tangerine notes in the front, but a dryish and zesty finish. Plenty quaffable for a beer of 6% alcohol!
One of the odder brews I sampled at the Distribières booth was La Barberie’s Pale Ale Lime et Framboise, a curious mix of fruit and hops that seems to bounce back and forth between lime, raspberry and hoppiness all the way from the nose to the aftertaste.
On a non-beer note, I was pleased to learn even more about Brazil’s blooming craft beer scene from Cássio Piccolo from the FrangÓ Bar, which I understand was one of the first beer bars in the country, if not the first. I’m looking forward to visiting this São Paulo landmark sometime, hopefully, soon.
All in all, the Mondial was again a fest to be celebrated, a little crowded at times and a little expensive, but certainly most enjoyable if you arrive early and remember that there’s no admission charge involved. Next year it promises to be even better, too, with a planned move to Place Bonaventure and the inclusion of some new and some older features.