Le Saint-Bock Brasserie Artisanale Inc.

Birradonna

Quebec (Canada)

5/5  rDev +26.3%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 5 | $$

This is the best place in Montreal to enjoy the hugest variety of beers in bottles. They hold a beer bible in which there is a selection of more than over 650 beers in bottle (from all around the world). They also have 20 taps which rotates among 150 different sorts of beers. They have their own brewery equipment on premises and have 70 house beers in rotation on tap.
They also have a food menu from pizza, hamburger, nachos, sandwiches, and more. You get a big portion for the price you pay. It is a very great place to meets with friends, cozy atmosphere, amicable staff which also know their stuff. A MUST WHEN YOU'RE IN MONTREAL.

02-12-2013 01:48:46 | More by Birradonna

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.93/5  rDev -0.8%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | $$

Been meaning to come here for a while and finally had the chance to stop in for a quick pint. Lots of lounge chairs, small bar, table scattered. Decor is a mix of stylish and pub-feel. Vibe seemed nice though it was early in the afternoon. Heavy on the house beers with some guests including TDD. Lots of breweriana spread all over including their massive selection of bottles. Overall, good but real test would be to come on a Friday or Saturday night.

05-12-2013 19:39:11 | More by papat444

jbsteiny

Hawaii

3.09/5  rDev -22%
vibe: 1.5 | quality: 3 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | $$$

To mirror what Tut said below, the reviews from Birradonna and Grand Connaisseur below must be by managers/owners trying to bump up their ratings...

I've been here three times on two separate trips to Montreal - the first two were in February 2011 and I was very impressed - 20 taps, including maybe 16 of their own beers - I remember having a good smoked brown, and I believe a Weizenbock. A bit touristy and dark, and I never tried the food.

I went again last night, and was disappointed. First of all, the place was packed and very noisy - most people didn't seem like they were there to enjoy craft beer - they were there to party. I tried four of their beers - a brown ale brewed with chipotles, an IPA with tea, a Belgian IPA, and their cask ale brewed with Soriachi Ace. They were all decent, but none stood out. Server was nice enough, and fairly attentive despite the crowd, and their bottle list is good, but I agree with Tut that the nearby L'amere a boire is superior.

03-02-2013 17:21:59 | More by jbsteiny

Tut

New York

2.18/5  rDev -44.9%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 1.5 | service: 1 | selection: 4 | $$$

Update 3/1/13: I've upated my review because of the two highly suspect reviews below. Both claim to be from Montreal but have no other activity here. Birradonna joined on 9/11/11 and has only done this review and one other. No other content. Grandconnaisseur joined 10/21/12 and only did this review. Neither has been on this site since. It's an obvious attempt to stack the deck. My guess is that they are the owner and/or staff of the pub. Hell, the reviews even sound the same. Both give it a perfect 5?? That's higher than even Dieu du Ciel rates. Give me a break. :(
I stand by my experience at Le Saint-Bock.

August, 2010:
I've spent a lot of time in Montreal and know it's brewpubs well. I'm now in the middle of a two week stay. I will never go to Le Saint-Bock again after the experience I had a few days ago.

Like the mediocre 3 Brasseurs, Saint-Bock gets most of its customers as tourist walk-bys from the street as opposed to those who seek it as a destination. It's location on heavily trafficed Rue Saint Denis in the Latin Quarter is the cause. For many patrons, it's just one of numerous options to have a convenient drink and many people there don't even order beer. Interestingly, L'amere a boire, an excellent brewpub a short distance up the hill above Rue Ontario, is completely opposite - almost all their customers are people who purposely go there for the beer and relaxed ambiance. This may explain part of my experience at Saint-Bock.

I had been to Le Saint-Bock during a month long stay in Montreal in July, '09 and didn't particularly like the place due to it's touristy crowd and the big screen TV's, which detract from the atmosphere. Still, beer is my focus, so I decided to give it another go this trip. I arrived around 3 pm and went to the bar. I was the only person inside, the others were on the front patio. Their draught beer menu has about 20 beers and is well posted on a sign above the bar. I barely had begun to explore the beer list when a young woman bartender came up and asked "What kind of beer are you looking for?" I politely said I just needed a few minutes to look over the list and I'd let her know. She immediately asked me what type of beer I didn't like. When I repeated my desire to read the beer list, she left with an obvious air of exasperation. It bothered her that I didn't want her assistance in choosing my beer. This was the lessor of my problems however.

I decided to try a pint of their cask ESB, even though it cost $6.75, and ordered from the male bartender. When I picked up the glass it was completely warm, i.e room temperature, not a low 50's F cool the way cask ale should be served. I asked the bartender if he'd served any yet and he admitted mine was the first. It was obvious they hadn't pulled the line, but when I complained about the warm temp., he claimed "That's the way it's served here" and walked away. I left the beer on the bar.

Others from Montreal I've since talked with, who know beer and the brewpubs, told me they don't like the place much because of the tourists and attitude of many of the staff. With excellent beer and friendly, polite staff at L' amere a boire a short distance away, there's no reason to ever drink here. If you're in your early to mid-twenties, in Montreal for the first time for a weekend, staying at a nearby hostel and just looking to party with some craft beers, Le Saint-Bock will do the job for you and you'll probably think it's a cool bar. If you're an older, experienced beer traveler, Benelux, Le Cheval Blanc, Dieu du Ciel, Reservoir, L' amere a boire, and Vices et Versa are far better choices.

03-01-2013 02:15:58 | More by Tut

karlfree

Massachusetts

4.53/5  rDev +14.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | $$

Great brew pub in a really cool location. My friend and I travelled up to Montreal and found this place right near the hostel we were staying at. They have a pretty big selection of different styles, each sounded very interesting. I had a Saison and Black Ale, both of which were great. They have a decent sized outside seating area. People really squeezed into a tight area outside, but it is fun if you love listening in on conversations and trying to pick up on the French being spoken. Overall a definite must try if visting Montreal, if only for some poutine and great beer.

08-15-2011 21:56:53 | More by karlfree

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Nice bar located close to downtown and easily accessible. I was there during a hockey game which create a weird atmosphere. The barmen was actually working the crowd with his microphone. Service was quite good even though the place was packed. The selection is quite interesting with a bunch of beers brewed on site with some good QC micros and very interesting imports. Food was actually quite good with huge plate and fair prices. I must admit that some of the beers were off and I am wondering if it is due to the lack of cleanliness of the draft line. I would revisit but maybe not the first place I would hit when I am in town.

04-14-2011 02:15:07 | More by Phyl21ca

Digimaika2

Ontario (Canada)

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Frequent this place quite a lot, usually either later in the evening or for lunch in the afternoon. This is probably my favourite place to go for both good food & good beer in Montreal.

Atmosphere is great. Pretty hip/classy inside with modern and tasteful furnishings and decor. As mentioned by others, it can get pretty busy during Canadiens games so might be tough to find a spot, but I've never noticed the service suffer as they usually have a ton of people working those nights. Also ridiculously cheap shots whenever the Canadiens score.

Service can be kind of slow, especially during afternoons I've noticed, but I think their approach is to only interrupt tables when glasses/plates are empty. Staff are real friendly and helpful, and can recommend something for the beer style you're into.

Have about 20 taps of Quebec regionals and their own St.-Bock beers. I've noticed through the Winter about 80% of their taps are St.-Bock beer, so you can really work your way through their line-up (plus they have 5-beer samplers). I find St.-Bock beer pretty good for the most part, with some great ones (Centurion) and not-so-great ones (Gummy Beer), but their beers aren't quite on the same level as Dieu du Ciel.

Beer menu is fantastic, but I've noticed quite alot shown isn't available. Great belgian selection though, and prices are fair for the most part. Favourite go-to are tall bottles of Moinette.

Food is surprisingly quite good. Probably has the largest menu I've seen for a place with such a tiny kitchen! Prices are very fair for what you get. Favourite go-to is the chicken/bacon/brie panini-style sandwich. Great fries, and great salads too.

Overall, if you're in the Montreal area I would highly recommend this place (especially if you're into Belgians and the Quebec brewing scene).

03-12-2011 23:48:03 | More by Digimaika2

Glory

Quebec (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev -1.5%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

OK Everyone needs to know that La St-Bock is THE place in Montreal for imported beers.

It has the best selection of beers from Belgium, The States, Germany...You get products like Dark Lord, Sam Addams Tripple Bock 1997, A few Cantillons, Trappists and the list just goes on if your willing to pay the price !

They have a nice selection of homebrews that are pretty much always weel done, beers inspired by German, Belgian en English recipes.
The food is honest, nothing classy or different than Nachos, burgers, hot dogs..you know...but still well made !

The service is a bit bad, on busy night or hockey night you can wait quite some time before beeing served or re-served.
I like the place alot..if you are in Montreal for the Beer sceen you need to go to St-Bock

Cheers lads

03-06-2011 06:45:26 | More by Glory

LeffeHanded

Massachusetts

4.47/5  rDev +12.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Great spot that qualifies as a beer bar and a brew pub. Saint Bock has about 20 taps, 5 or 6 reserved for their own brews, the rest are for guest beers. I really enjoyed the brune, and the baltic porter. My cohort enjoyed a McAuslin's creme ale. We sat at the bar, and were served fairly quickly, though the place wasn't too busy yet. I've visited the pub on previous occasions and the food was pretty good..the menu was only in French if I recall correctly. Great atmosphere, with tables, lots of lounge chairs, and library shelves filled with interesting beers. St. Bock has an outside patio as well, but stay clear if you're sensitive to smoke.

Highly recomended, will definitely visit again.

08-16-2010 19:02:08 | More by LeffeHanded

tugdriver7

Maryland

4.4/5  rDev +11.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

Wow, two thumbs up here. Dropped in Sunday afternoon (following the Canadian GP). Not many folks there, but really enjoyed the attention from the waitress who knew a lot about beer. Had some great sandwiches (not quite sure what I ordered, because it was all in French, but I got lucky) and the beer list was stellar. Tried Le Tabernacle, Tentations and Crucifixion, and a couple of other Quebec staples. I had ordered one with my meal and when the waitress found out we found her place through BA and that we were going to review it, she immediately offered a few samples of other beers to try. Great experience all the way around. One side note... A small group of (American?) race fans dropped in and sat at a table near us. One asked if they had any "light beers," to which the surprised waitress said, "No, but there is our beer list." Rather than try something new, they declined to eat there and left. Had they only asked, we could have steered them into Beer Heaven. Oh well, you can lead a horse to water....

07-08-2010 15:50:51 | More by tugdriver7