Up in Ahuntsic, this microbrewery is much more verdant and colourful than its name indicates with murals, plants, and funky decor. Silo gets creative with its eleven beers on tap, including a coconut milk porter, an oat-pepper-ginger saison and a guava IPA, but it also does a classic pilsner super well. The food menu is limited to finger food and grilled cheese.

The Villeray locale across the way from Jarry metro station pours Quebec beers at their ideal temperature on draft (including tasting flights and bottles to take home), alongside bar bites in a clean and modern space. For the non-beer-lovers in the group, Etoh also does wines and ciders.

Joining a crowded field of excellent breweries in La Petite Patrie, Mellön is already creating a buzz in the neighbourhood with its rotating list of seven or eight beers. You’ll usually see a couple of pale ales and lagers, a sour, maybe a kölsch, and the 80-seat taproom has a fun vibe that drew inspiration from industrial microbreweries in Toronto and Brooklyn.

This sleek spot with a stylish terrasse on Beaubien made a name for itself with a well-curated and constantly rotating beer list, knowledgable servers and excellent pairing dishes like a 60-day aged burger (only available on Thursdays) and lobster ravioli. They’re also huge proponents of the lagers-over-IPA movement.

The popular Rosemont beer bar serves an extensive selection of beers, often geared to the brown or stout variety, by the bottle, plus house and guest beers on draft, as well as hefty bar fare. There’s a newer second location on Papineau, up in Ahuntsic, too.

Péché Mortel, the creamy imperial stout with coffee, never tastes better than on draft at the original, lively Laurier brewpub with its welcoming street terrasse. Creative takes, like IPAs and pale ales featuring experimental hops and style mash-ups are also frequently found on the expansive menu.

The prime focus at this Plateau spot from Nicolas Paquet, brewer Philippe St-Cyr, and Olivier Rhême, is on Quebec-made beers (all 19 beers on tap are made in-house), but they also do wine and hard liquor drinks. Hungry? Their bites are a step above your typical pub grub with fare like salmon tartare, duck breast, and seared scallops.

Beer brewing is done with Gaspésien flair (their flagship brewery is located not far from the mighty Percé rock) at this bright Plateau pub. Expect lots of robust, hoppy flavours, and try their award-winning American Brown Ale if there’s any on hand.

This small microbrewery with just a few brewing tanks livens up recently renovated Prince Arthur with its growing and ever-changing list of scrumptious beers on tap or by the can. Enjoy a flight or pint on their expansive new terrasse out front, or in their renovated interior either at the bar or at tables in the back.

The most dive-y spot on the list, this comfortable, dark and retro-tinged brewpub serves a solid lineup of house beers from session IPAs to stouts to its namesake Belgian white. It’s also the craft brew venue that started it all in Montreal.

This Hochelaga brewpub is home sweet home for metalheads, with a playlist dedicated to the genre. It also does great German-style ales and lagers as well as a couple IPAs. The bar just serves snacks, though they won’t mind if you order in.

This relatively new arrival in a former bingo hall has a big list of craft beer on tap from its Fashionista New England IPA (the one with the hipster on the can) to its Mr Brown British-style brown ale. Neapolitan-inspired pizza and pasta round out the microbrewery experience.

Pointe-St-Charles’ first microbrewery arrived in 2018 from a group of accomplished home brewers looking for a career change. Expect an eclectic set of beers from an English ale to apricot-tea pale ale or cappuccino stout to the patriotic Montreal State of Mind NEIPA in an industrial setting with a great canal-facing terrasse. There’s no kitchen but you can bring your own food or order in. The bottle shop is also worth a visit as they sometimes have discounted four-packs.