At Le Presbytère, the terroir also makes its way into the glass.

Drinking Québec

At Le Presbytère, the 15 tap lines offer craft beers brewed on-site with grains sourced mostly from Mauricie and malted in Trois-Rivières. The spirits menu features around forty gins and fifteen other spirits, all from Québec distilleries. The wine selection, exclusively Canadian, contains nearly 70 bottles, 65% of which come from Québec. And for those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages, the microbrewery offers alcohol-free beers, ciders, meads, flavored sparkling waters and forest sodas.

For Francis Boisvert, the craft of brewing is a playground without limits. "I have been brewing for about twelve years and I love all beer styles, but I have a soft spot for Belgian saisons. Imagining new beer recipes fascinates me, especially when I incorporate wild edibles from Québec," he shares.

The couple also cultivates a permaculture garden where wild plants, vegetables and fruits grow, integrated into both chef Isabelle's dishes and Francis's cocktails and beers. Working with local ingredients nurtures in them a strong sense of belonging and great pride. "It is part of our Québec terroir identity and it opens the door to infinite creativity. It is a resource within our reach, as long as we know it and respect it, as our ancestors and the First Nations did," adds the brewer.

Sea buckthorn and staghorn sumac: jewels of the terroir

Among the many ingredients they love to prepare and showcase, sea buckthorn and staghorn sumac hold a special place. 

Sea buckthorn, which they source from a partner producer in Saint-Stanislas, is a small berry of remarkable intensity. Its bright and tangy flavor is reminiscent of tropical citrus. "Why search to the other end of the world for flavors like pineapple or lemon when our terroir offers us a berry of equivalent intensity? Showcasing sea buckthorn means choosing autonomy and proximity," explains Francis. For him, this berry embodies the richness of Québec's forest products, which have nothing to envy from imported citrus fruits.

Staghorn sumac, for its part, is a small native Québec tree that is often overlooked because it is considered invasive. Yet its deep red clusters reveal a delicate acidity, notes of red fruits reminiscent of tart cherry and a floral touch evoking hibiscus. Steeped for a lemonade (the famous "sumacade"), reduced into sauces and syrups, dried into an aromatic powder or incorporated into sour beers, staghorn sumac unfolds a range of possibilities as surprising as they are delicious. 

These ingredients come together in one of Francis's creations, the Cocktail Argousier Ensoleillé, which promises a boreal, electrifying and velvety experience. The full recipe can be found below. 

To watch Francis prepare this cocktail:

Whether you are a craft beer enthusiast, a fan of inventive cocktails or simply curious to taste a cuisine where terroir and creativity meet, La Microbrasserie Le Presbytère is definitely a destination worth stopping at.