When Julien Roussin-Côté founder and captain of Go-Van fame told me he frequently parked his “condo” in front of Ma Brasserie in order to surf their free wifi, I thought there was a terrific storyline right there. I therefore organized a little private tour of the new Microbrewery established in Rosemont, Montréal.

Inspiring across America

The guy literally lives in a van, thanks to a collaboration between his magazine Go-Van and Safari Condo. The digital nomad and his collaborators keep inspiring us with tales of adventures across america supported by epic videos and mini-series.

For my generation: freedom, traveling and time are after all the new luxury.

The New Adventure Packages

Julien also explained that anyone can now live the Go-Van experience with their new expedition packages that will take you on a 7 days roadtrip of more than 1500km, gaining exclusive access to magical camping locations in partnership with the SEPAC the office of tourism. Check out their next Eastern Canada Foliage Tour (Oct 1-8).

The Visit: Inside Ma Brasserie

We were then met by Martine Lafontaine of Ma Brasserie, who gladly accepted to give us a tour of the cooperative microbrewery. Located inside a former and the oldest leather factory of Montreal, the beer tasting salon that is open to the public is simply brilliant and filled with constant natural light.

You will notice the huge industrial skylights that span throughout the whole structure and bathe the installations in divine rays.

Most of the furniture and interior design elements were crafted on the spot, with recycled materials. For example, these big lights below were made of old beer alambics while the countertops and the bars are crafted with former bowling alleys. Fascinating stuff.

In the back, more natural light and the ongoing production of many house blends for local pubs such as Isle de Garde, La Succursale and Brouhaha.

The brewmasters also experiment with techniques and crafts to create new blends, like leveraging the flavors and essences of these former wooden whiskey barrels.

Fun fact, downstairs we also found this industrial-era coal boiler they simply couldn’t move anymore.

Tastings and events

Behind the curtain, you can also see how all these beers can be served and tasted on location. They also brew a delicious kombucha and a sparkling ginger ale, both also available for tastinga. Kids are welcome inside the building since like it is the case for a winery, the cooperative holds a degustation license.

Ma Brasserie could be in fact your very next spot to host your office party or birthday! To learn more about groups reservations, tastings schedules and other activities, visit their official website

Oh, and thanks Julien. Now go home.