A real trend is taking hold in Québec microbreweries: more and more beers are being brewed exclusively with Québec ingredients.
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Reflecting our terroir, stimulating pride and the local economy, and showcasing the work of the country’s artisans are all motivations that push brewers to prioritize grain, hops and other herbs, and even yeast produced in the province .
The grain, mainly barley, grown by around fifty producers such as Ferme Lamy, Ferme Pharand or Ferme Logi-Grain is then malted in one of the six micro-malting plants. It has been 15 years since a hops industry was established in Quebec, and about forty hop growers now offer their products to flavor beer.
To best reflect the local terroir and give their beers a unique flavor and texture, some brewers harvest wild yeasts from the forest or from fruits such as apples, while the majority do business with Le Labo Solutions Brassicoles, whose yeasts are local or brought here are multiplied elsewhere, are multiplied in his laboratory at La Pocatière.
The only downside, according to the Association des Microbrasseries du Québec (AMBQ) and the Filière Microbrassicole, is that the barley grown in Quebec is insufficient to meet the ever-increasing demand from breweries. Brewers, like consumers, have high hopes for next season and hope that more grain producers in Quebec will dare to grow malting barley so that more and more 100% beers can be produced.