After a full day of visiting our beautiful regions, what could be better than relaxing with a glass of locally made craft beer, wine or another alcoholic beverage? The province of Québec has a well-deserved international reputation for producing high-quality beers, wines and spirits. Our producers are constantly redefining this vibrant industry thanks to rediscovered traditional techniques and local enthusiasm. Keep reading to find out about regional alcoholic flavours that are rooted in our maritime regions.

The Beer Route: 4 regions, 1001 flavours

Microbrew enthusiasts are invited to discover the meandering Beer Route from La Pocatière to Tadoussac, with a side trip to the Îles de la Madeleine.

One spot not to miss is Tête d’Allumette in Bas-Saint-Laurent, a microbrewery that offers beers made using a unique wood-fired brewing process. With your glass in hand, sit back and relax in this heritage house in Saint-André-de-Kamouraska or on the patio overlooking the St. Lawrence. In Dégelis, the Microbrasserie de Madawaska microbrewery, housed in Hôtel 1212, offers tasty beers to accompany dishes inspired by the seasons, which you can enjoy on the flower-filled patio in the summer.

In Gaspésie, you’ll want to make a stop at the Pit Caribou microbrewery, a local institution in L’Anse-à-Beaufils that offers a wide range of craft beers as well as an incredible patio next to the beach. You can also find their products at Pub Pit Caribou, in the village of Percé.

Awarded many prizes, the St-Pancrace microbrewery in Baie-Comeau bottles the distinctive flavours of Côte-Nord. For a unique experience, be sure to try Crâââbe, a crab-flavoured bitter! Enjoy a guided tour of the facilities given by experts, followed by a beer-tasting session.

The À l’Abri de la Tempête microbrewery in L’Étang-du-Nord is another popular destination for beer enthusiasts. While savouring a microbrew, you can admire the spectacular coastline of the Îles de la Madeleine. The local flavours of these beers will inspire you to come back year after year, particularly to taste the special beers, which are only available on the Islands!

Distilleries worth a visit

The maritime regions of Québec are home to many distilleries you’ll want to visit. This is an opportunity to taste their spirits, obviously, but also to meet the passionate artisans who make them.

In Rimouski, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, you’ll find Distillerie du St. Laurent, a distillery located by the water. Indoors or on one of the terraces with a view, you can savour original cocktails made with the distillery’s spirits, including a gin infused with seaweed, a whisky made with three different types of grain and a maple spirit called Acerum. Learn all about the company’s history and manufacturing processes during a guided tour. Inquire about opening hours before you visit.

In Gaspésie, you’ll want to visit Distillerie Cap-Chat, in the town of the same name, which makes a range of colourful gins crafted with the boreal plants from the area, as well as a vodka crafted with water drawn from the foothills of the Chic-Chocs. You can also watch the artisans at work in the production room! In Caplan, the Distillerie des Marigots offers both guided tours and tasting sessions. This is your opportunity to try Récif, a “seaside gin.” They also make small batches of ephemeral gins, sold exclusively at the distillery for a limited time only—so be sure to purchase them while you’re there!

There are also distilleries along Route 138 in Côte-Nord, where you can discover various spirits bursting with boreal flavours.

Local wines and liqueurs

Maple syrup is one of Québec most delicious resources. If you’re a fan, you’ll want to try the wines and liqueurs inspired by this iconic flavour made at Domaine Vallier Robert, a maple economuseum in Auclair, at the heart of the Témiscouata area. Stop to visit this magnificent site in Bas-Saint-Laurent, where you can sample Val Ambré, Charles-Aimé Robert, Prémices d’Avril and Mousse des Bois as well as find out how these beverages are made and then cellar-aged.

Still in Bas-Saint-Laurent, you’ll enjoy a unique taste experience at Vignoble Amouraska, a vineyard in Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska. You’ll be charmed by their wines and liqueur creams made with rhubarb, pears, plums, cherries and berries such as blackcurrants, raspberries and aronia berries. Enjoy a glass at the bistro or on the patio and be sure to purchase a few bottles to take home with you!

In Saint-Siméon-de-Bonaventure, in Gaspésie, on land that’s been cultivated by the same family for seven generations, Ferme Bourdages Tradition grows strawberries that are exceptionally flavourful. These delicious berries are then transformed on site into alcoholic beverages: Julia, a semi-dry strawberry rosé; Alexis, a pre-dinner strawberry wine; and François, a port-style strawberry wine fortified with cognac. Why not combine a tasting session with a tour of the winery, cellars and strawberry fields? You’ll also want to purchase some of their products in their gift shop!

Would you like to know more about the alcoholic beverages made in the maritime regions of Québec? Take the time to visit these sites during a trip to Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspésie, Côte-Nord or the Îles de la Madeleine. So many intoxicating flavours await you in our regions, in unique and enchanting settings!