English pub with a French flair
New addition at Alexandre et fils
Owner is the man responsible for bringing imported
beer on tap to local bars in 1982
Matt Radz
The Gazette
Bar: John Sleeman Pub
Address: 1454 Peel St. (upstairs at John Sleeman Pub),
just north of St-Catherine St.
Phone: (514)288-5105
Web:www.chezalexandre.com
Hours: Noon to 3 a.m., seven days a week
Bar: The new pub’s raison d’être,
a vast selection of exotic beers on tap at 6$ a pint,
features Sleeman’s Silver Creek lager, Cream
Ale and Rousse, plus Guinness, Harp and Tartan, as
well as
Quebec ales from Unibroue, Raftman and Blanche de
Chambly, Sleeman bought Unibroue last year and when
the namesake pub opened at this downtown location
last month, the Quebec brewer created a new beer to
mark the occasion – Chambly Noire, specially
crafted “to appeal to people who find current
black beers too heavy. It is exceptionally smooth,
not too bitter, with an attractive and persistent
beige head.” Wine by the glass includes Château
Maligny Chablis ($10.50) and Château d’Escurac
Médoc ($15).
Restaurant: Steak and kidney pie, fish and chips,
bangers and mash, Stilton cheese, as well as all the
bistro favourites from Alexandre’s kitchen,
like knuckle of veal & risotto, steak with or
without frites, roasted deer, steak tartare and Chilean
sea bass.
Brunch: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays,
$24.50 (marinated salmon, avocado and crab, grilled
salmon, eggs Benedict. Etc.), free children’s
portions.
Cover charge: None.
Ambience: Architect-designer Malcolm Brown has created
a British gentleman’s pub atmosphere with an
elegant combination of shiny brass, subdued lighting,
muted colours, framed prints and a Victorian fireplace.
The large space has an open convivial area around
the bar and private nooks. Sports fans are invited
to watch all major events on strategically placed
plasma screens.
Music: Soft recorded sounds to match the day’s
mood.
Special nights: Half-price tastings for pub regulars,
also a “half price plus a buck” cinq à
sept.
Noteworthy: French-born restaurateur Alain Creton,
who came to Canada in 1967, introduced imported beer
on tap to Montreal tipplers in October 1982 when he
offered Bass & Guinness to the customers at Alexandre’s,
his authentic brasserie parisienne on Peel St. Until
then, the only beer on tap had to be locally brewed
and served in a tavern.
Creton was given a four-week SAQ permit to demonstrate
that ending the tavern-keepers’ monopoly would
not ruin the province’s suds biz. The experiment
was a great success and the rest of the course is
history. A year later, 20 bars around the city were
serving imported beer on tap, a trend that would spawn
micro-breweries and brew pubs.
Tap beer is non-pasteurized and non-filtered, requiring
special equipement. It was John Sleeman, then the
only importer of kegs of Guinness and Bass, who supplied
it, enabling Alexandre’s to carry on his draft
plan. The price back then was $3.75 a pint. The john
Sleeman pub is Creton’s way of welcoming the
Unibroue connection and recognizing the longtime partnership
that changed Quebecers’ beer-drinking habits.
For over twenty five years Indianica, our small family
run gift shop, has been offering the finest in hand
made crafts of the First Nations People's of North America.
It has always been our desire to share the rich and
diverse culture of the First Nations People's.
Our shop is based in the heart of "Old Montréal",
(Click here for Montréal tourist information)
on scenic St-Paul street, the city’s premiere
tourist destination. Last year 11 Million people from
all over the world visited Montréal. Many of
these visitors have stopped in to visit us. (Click here
for a virtual tour of "Old Montréal")We
cater to everyone, from the young to the young at heart.