Walk, Talk and Drink Beer with Local Tours Montreal

I recently visited Montreal with my girlfriend for a wedding (original post here) and we decided to make a weekend trip out of it to explore the city and what it has to offer. Any reader of Real Man Travels will know that we all love beer, so naturally I signed us up for a walking Brew Pub tour which Local Tours Montreal graciously let us participate in for free. The Brew Pub tour was hosted by our guide Phillipe Blouin (Phil) and he was extremely knowledgeable about beer and Quebec history. The tour would see us visiting 3 different establishments in Montreal and stopping off at local historic attractions. After it was all said and done, the tour was much different than I expected, but in a very good way.

Local Montreal Tours Logo and Brew Pub Tour Logo

I think it’d be important to first state the difference between a Brew Pub and a Micro-Brewery. As our guide Phil informed us, a micro-brewery makes and distributes their beer into SAQ, convenience stores, Beer stores etc, whereas a Brew Pub can only make and sell their beer on their premise. That means that all the beers I will describe below can only be found at each location! That is a pretty good enough reason to make sure you visit them if you are a beer lover!

Our first stop of the Brew Pub tour was L’amère à Boire located at 2049 Rue Saint-Denis. This establishment had a great classy rustic look to it and it was here that we met our group of 18 on the private terrace in the back. Our first beer of the day was a German Hefe Weizen; at the mention of this a lady from New York clapped in joy as it was her favourite type. Phil immediately put us to the test and asked us what fruit and spice we tasted in the beer. After all of us guessed wrong it was revealed that there was banana and cloves that created the spicy aroma and fruity taste. Our second beer tasting was a Czech Pilsner, the pride and joy of this establishment as the owner had gone through great lengths to acquire and maintain his yeast. I don’t want to spoil the great story behind the yeast but it involves communism in Europe and doomsday-esque storage, so be sure to listen up during the tour at this point.

One of the first beers we tried, obviously I had to be reminded to actually take a photo before drinking it all!

With two tasty beers down the gullet it was time to move on to Brew Pub number two. But first we made a pit stop at the Grande Bibliothèque (Grand Library) where Phil gave us a great rundown of Quebec’s history and why this building is so important to French heritage. After the history lesson we shuttled through an alley way filled with beautiful murals and ended up at our second stop of the day in the Quartier Latin at Le. Saint Bock.

Just a fraction of the group at Le Saint Bock drinking and eating.

Le Saint Bock, located at 1749 Rue Saint-Denis, was a far more modern bar with a huge selection of beer. In fact the selection is so large that they have a catalogue dubbed the “Beer Bible”. We are talking over 600 beer choices with 44 of those on tap. We began our tasting with a Brown Ale that was paired with melted brie, maple syrup, bread and roasted pecans. I have to say this was as tasty as it gets! Our second beer was a double I.P.A. During this tasting Phil had delivered a lesson on the process of brewing and what factors make for different brews. We also had a chance to smell and taste some roasted malt and smell a jar of hops. Although I was familiar with the brewing process, Phil gave a great rundown of how it is done and a definite must listen to anyone considering home brewing. 

Looks messy, tastes amazing! Melted brie with maple syrup, roasted pecans and bread.

The rest of the tour would see the group through the St. Louis Square (dubbed "the closest thing to a European neighborhood square you'll find this side of the Atlantic" by the Project for Public Spaces, a non profit situated in New York). After that we ventured down an alleyway filled with little shops, bars and more that was a hidden gem and a highlight of the trip.

The next Brew Pub was Benelux located at 245 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest. Benelux as well is modern in style and offers a handful of beer. The beer you will taste here varies for each trip but because we had a bachelor party in our group Phil wanted to bring out the big guns percentage wise for them. We tried a 9% beer called Zoot which is an Abbey Tripel so it was hoppy in the finish which was great. And the last beer the group would have was an American Ale, something refreshing to finish the day.

Nectar of the gods. 

Unfortunately this is where the tour ended, but after scoping out some other bars and brew pubs along the way, we had an idea of where to go next! Thank you to Local Montreal for hosting us on this fantastic tour and to our guide Phil who was not only fun and engaging, but very knowledgable and willing to answer any question. If you are ever in the Montreal area and have 3 hours to spare I would recommend signing up for this tour!

Next time you are in Montreal be sure to book a tour with Local Montreal Tours via their website, They also host a Bachelor Party tour and a Mile End Food tour so be sure to check out their Twitter page for any updates.

Thanks again to Montreal Tourism and Local Montreal Tours for setting us at Real Man Travels up with this great experience! If you have been to any of these establishments or have done the walking tour be sure to let us know in the comment section below, on Twitter or on Facebook.

Cheers,
Ed Arsenault

Read More

A Tour of Target Field - Behind the Scenes

Ground level view from left-centre field

A Tour of Target Field

When I was a kid I dreamed of being a professional baseball player. In the summers my friends and I would have our own home run derbies, declaring which of our favourite players (Joe Carter was a popular choice for us Canadian kids) we were as we stepped to the plate. We would "call our shot" like the Great Bambino himself, often pointing to our vine covered house in left field, or, as we called it, The Green Monster. 

Last fall on our trip to Minneapolis, the great people at the Minnesota Twins welcomed us for a special behind the scenes visit of Target Field, their state of the art stadium that will play host to the 2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Obviously we jumped at the opportunity.

A Brief History Lesson

April 12, 2010 - 51 years had passed since the last time the Minnesota Twins played their home opener outdoors, an occasion that took place at Metropolitan stadium. In 1982 they moved to the year-around comforts of the newly built Metrodome, where they would spend the next 28 years. On this day the freshly minted Target Field opened its doors for the first time. Players and fans alike felt like kids in a candy store with many fans who had visited the "Old Met" stadium when they were kids, excited for the beginning of a new era of Minnesota Twins baseball. 

Fast forward to the present day and this American League jewel is set to play host to all of Major League Baseball's biggest stars. On July 15, 2014 the Minnesota Twins will host the 85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at Target Field and its is sure to be a great week of festivities for one of our favourite cities, Minneapolis.

First Impressions

Arriving at Target Field by light rail

Getting to a game is a breeze, thanks in large part to the light rail system that spans from the Mall of America, all the way to Target Field. As you pull into Minneapolis' historic Warehouse District you get your first glimpse, and are astounded by how it looks so modern, yet fits the skyline so perfectly. When I stepped off the train I marvelled at the massive stadium covered in 450 million year old(!!!) Mankato limestone. The only thing missing was the smell of  ball park hot dogs filling the air.

We ventured inside where we met our guide for the day, Chris: part of the Twins' media relations team. As we boarded an elevator Chris suggested we start at the top and work our way back down to field level. When the doors open we at the top of the stadium standing on an outdoor patio area called the Budweiser Roof Deck. This section plays host to private parties and boasts its own bar, heaters and a fire pit. 

View from the Budweiser Roof Deck

Target Field is friendly to the Earth

Target Field is green in more ways than just its rich playing surface. It's just the second sports stadium in the USA to receive LEED certifications for new construction. The Twins weren't done there. They have also become the first professional sports franchise to receive LEED silver certification for their operations and maintenance. How do they do that? The Twins staff utilize a custom-designed rain water recycle system that captures, purifies and reuses more than 686,000 gallons of rainwater a year, drastically reducing the use of municipal water.

Tributes to former Twins greats like this one to Harmon Killebrew are tucked throughout Target Field

Scattered throughout Target Field are nods to the Twins greats of seasons past including the bronze statues of  Kirby Puckett, Rod Carew, Kent Hrbek, and Harmon Killebrew located in Target Plaza (a popular entrance point of the stadium). Another Killebrew tribute is the "gold glove" in Target Plaza. While it serves as a salute to every Twins player to win a gold glove, its location, 520 feet from home plate, marks the longest home run ever hit at the Met Stadium

Hard not to recognized the smiling face of Twins legend Kirby Puckett

One our favorite photos from our tour. The steps that lead to the field through the Twins dugout

Passion, Hustle, Heart, Fun

Just as we thought that our tour was winding down, Chris melted our little league hearts when he invited to go into the Twins Clubhouse (which is off limits to cameras but I can describe to you what it was like).  As you walk through many hallways that seem to be there just for confusion sake,  you can see that no expense was spared when building this facility with state of the art fitness equipment and training rooms, including traditional hot and cold tubs, surrounded my modern medical equipment. Finally we came upon two large wood doors ingrained with the Twins' logo. Once inside, the room opened up to to a very large, dark wood grain walled area with lockers and half a dozen massage chairs. A giant Twins logo decorated the carpet. Joe Mauer's locker stood out for its corner location, certainly a perk of being the homegrown all-star he is.

 As I wrap this post up I will leave you with these memorable quotes above the doorways of the clubhouse:

We're all in this boat together. Everybody grab an oar. - Tom Kelly

Live for today. Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone. - Kirby Puckett

Read More

Spend Light, Travel Big: Germany and Czech Republic

 

a post by Alison Preiss

A European vacation has been on my wish list for a while. So last summer when my brother did an oversea’s study program in Germany, I jumped at the chance to tour around with him at the end of his stay. In 10 days and nine nights we saw over 2,000 kilometres of Germany and the Czech Republic, with stops in Frankfurt, Berlin, Prague, Stuttgart, and Freiburg. And we managed to do it for a reasonable price: Including flight, hotel, some nice meals and some VERY light shopping, the trip cost me less than $3,000. I left with some great memories shared with my brother, and didn’t go into debt doing it. Here’s how we pulled it off:

Das Brother

Getting around

Trains: We wanted to see as many cities as possible during my 10 day visit, while still allowing for some flexibility. We opted for a Eurail regional pass that was good throughout Germany and the Czech Republic. We bought two 2nd class super saver passes for about $350 Canadian each and allowed for 5 days of unlimited travel anywhere in these two countries. This got us easily to big cities, and also allowed us to a take ‘just cause’scenic ride up into the heart of the Black Forest and back (yes we bought cake).

Local Transit: Most of the local transit systems (light rail, tram and trains) we encountered were self serve (you buy your own ticket, there are no ticket collectors but there are occasional spot checks). I’d recommend just buying 24 hour passes, it was easier to manage since not all of the machines were easy to navigate in English.

Eating

Breakfast: We either scammed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, or we picked up pastries the night before.

Lunch: Opt for street food. This is a cheap way to experience great food, and some local flavours. In Frankfurt we had fish donair from a food boat (!), Berlin was all about Currywurst (french frys with curry, sausage, ketchup and mayo - believe me it WORKS), and in Prague my go-to street food fried cheese sandwiches. There were good grab-and-go desserts aswell: We found really good, creamy ice cream in most german cities for about 1 euro. In Prague they wrapped leavened dough around a wooden spit, dipped it in sugar and then baked it over an open flame.

Dinner: Dinner was where we splurged a little, or really planned out where we were going to eat. Things you should eat in Germany: Spaetzle, handkase, schnitzel, flammkuchen, beer cheese, apfelwein, and every different kind of sausage you come across.

Biergartens: I loved biergartens, and I don’t even really like beer. Imagine a really beautiful park, filled with long picnic tables and shaded by big sprawling trees. There are little play areas for kids, dogs are welcome, and if you want a cold beer and a sausage, you just head up to a cute little hut and order one. It’s seemed like the sort of place where you just run into your old friends of favourite neighbours. Seriously, it makes me really angry to think about our uppity liquor laws here in Canada. Try taking your dog into a patio in Toronto, let alone finding a place where kids can play while adults imbibe.

Biergarten food

In these glorious places, the food was cheap and delicious, and I discovered a beer that is suitable for my sweet-tooth palate - Radler (beer mixed with 7-up). We hit up Prater Garten in Berlin [http://www.pratergarten.de/e/index.php], and Augustiner Keller in Munich [http://www.augustinerkeller.de/en.htm].

Sleeping

Hotels: At first I liked the idea of not booking anything and then just seeing where we wanted to go, but when you only have 10 days, we decided it would be better to have a plan. To allow for some flexibility, we booked hotels for the first 6 days, and then left some flexibility open for the last three. After doing some comparisons on hostels, versus AirBnB, I actually found the best deals were hotels booked through Priceline. If you don’t know Priceline, it basically lets you bid for hotel rooms, you get a geographical area and a star rating, but once your bid is accepted, you’re locked in. We used the express deals functionality and got decent hotels for between $40-$70 a night. The app made it really easy to book places on the spur of the moment, and they kept sending me 10% off coupons with every room I booked. A word of warning, the Priceline star rating doesn’t hold up as well in Europe. After two nights in a Prague three-star, I insisted on a four-star in Germany complete with an indoor pool.

Couchsurfing: Okay, so my brother kind of tricked me into my first Couchsurfing stay. He had visited Freiburg earlier in his trip and fell in love with it. Freiburg is close to the French border and right on the edge of the Black Forest, and basically looks like a village out of a fairytale. He arranged a Couchsurfing stay with a friend of the person he originally surfed with. He told me we were staying with a friend of a friend. This was technically true.

The best part of Couchsurfing is that you truly get to experience local culture (have you seen a complete stranger kick a one-night-stand out of his house in another language? I have). The downside is that you don’t really get your own space and you have to adapt to your host’s schedule. It gave my brother the university style party he was craving, and I am not above sleeping on a mattress on the floor (which I did, going to bed hours before everyone else).

Doing Stuff

Tours: I have mixed feelings on tours: On one hand they can be cheesy and something deep inside me really hates proffering that I’m a tourist. BUT when you are only in a city for a day or two, tours are a really good way to see the basics and orient yourself with a new city. In Berlin we took a bus tour (Sample dialogue: “This is a vacant lot, I think this is a very beautiful site because the building that used to be here was ugly”). In Prague we took a ‘tip tour,’basically you go around with a guide on foot for a few hours, and then you pay what you can. We chose a nice lady named Jana and we wound up being the only people on her tour that afternoon. She showed us the sites and explained some of the major historical events. On any Prague tour you’re probably going to hear a lot about Kafka and bridges.

Fun in the Streets: Some of the best events we attended were the cheapest. In Stuttgart we attended a street festival called Sommerfest. We were wandering through old town in Prague when we came across a street performer’s show. ChickenJoe contorted his body, laid down on broken glass and did all sort of other entertaining things. At the end he asked us to chip in the cost of a beer.

Explore: Most nights, we would just wander. It’s perfectly legal to drink in public, so we would grab a beer at a bodega and then just walk and talk, following the streets that seemed interesting, We found beautiful little parks, old churches, and had some great conversations along the way.

Travel Tips

Starbucks: I didn’t buy an international phone plan, and my european SIM card was pretty flaky, but Starbucks always offered free wifi, clean bathrooms and familiar coffee. I tried to drag my brother into one once a day to check my email and grab a coffee. Finding free hotel wifi was hit or miss.

Bathrooms: Be prepared to pay to pee, most public washrooms cost about 1 euro, but the upside is that they are convenient and clean. At the Berlin Aquarium you can pay an attendant 50 cents and she will disinfect the toilet seat in front of you. I daydream about this service at most public washrooms I encounter in North America.

Highlights:

Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt:

Movenpick Hotel Frankfurt City:

http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/europe/germany/frankfurt/hotel-frankfurt-city/overview/

Palmengarten - Botanical garden

http://www.palmengarten.de/#/de_DE/index/index

Berlin

KaDeWe Department Store - Go to the grocery floors!

http://www.kadewe.de

Berlin Aquarium - Perfect for a rainy day

http://www.aquarium-berlin.de

Burgermeister - Grab a burger then head down to walk along the Spree and the remainders of the Berlin Wall.

http://www.burger-meister.de

Topography of Terror - documentation centre on the Nazi party

http://www.topographie.de/en/

Prague

Old Town Hall and Astronomical Clock

http://www.praguewelcome.cz/en/visit/monuments/top-monuments/58-old-town-hall-with-the-astronomical-clock.shtml

Rent a paddle boat

http://www.prague.net/blog/article/20/rent-a-paddle-boat-on-the-vltava-river

Freiburg

The whole city is just wonderful

http://www.freiburg.de/pb/,Len/225797.html

Packing - with all this travelling I wanted to pack light. Read more about how I fit 10 days into one backpack on scribbled-down.com

Alison Priess

About Alison:  Alison is a former reality TV personality, craft wizard, foodie, and long time friend of the guys over at Real Man Travels, because lets face it, every group needs a sassy red head. Alison also a has her own blog www.scribbled-down.com where she writes about crafting, eating, and living. You should check it out!

Read More

Steam Whistle Brewery

Steam Whistle Brewery, A Family Adventure?!

     I have been to Toronto many times with my family for different types of Sporting Events or Ice Shows. But had never thought of going on a brewery tour while I was there. Until I heard from The Steam Whistle Brewery Company claiming it was the "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" type of brewery (Sadly, no Oompa Loompas). This sounded like the perfect place for the kids to take their dad... 

  I was right! The kids, and even my mom, had a great time. The kids were even lucky enough to pull the actual "Steam Whistle"!! (Jealous)

Three Things I love About Steam Whistle 

1. The delicious taste of the beer. 
2. The Steam Whistle Company is as Green as it gets when it comes to saving the planet.
3. Real Man Travels and Steam Whistle have "founding" similarities. Steam Whistle was thought up on a canoe trip in Ontario around a campfire and that is exactly how Real Man Travels was created.

   Steam Whistles Tour Info

Read More