Quebec Craft Beer Tour – From Ottawa & Gatineau

Quebec’s craft beer scene gets its own pub-crawl treatment on this four-hour evening tour from Ottawa or Gatineau. You visit three breweries in Hull and Old Aylmer, taste 12 beers, see working production rooms, and finish with a full beer at 5e Baron.

I like the useful mix of tasting and dinner, plus the small group size of no more than 14 people. I also like that the guide handles the driving, brewery introductions, and backstage access. The main drawback is the firm cancellation policy, so this works best when your evening plans are settled.

Key points to know

• Three breweries, three different angles: Taste at À La Dérive, Gallicus, and 5e Baron, with a production-room visit at each stop.
• Twelve beer servings are included: You receive four tastings at À La Dérive, four at Gallicus, then two tastings and a full beer at 5e Baron.
• Dinner is part of the evening: Expect a pulled pork smash burger, homemade chips, and garden salad, with vegetarian and vegan options available.
• Transport keeps the night simple: Pickup and return transportation are provided from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.
• The group stays small: The minibus carries a maximum of 14 participants, making it easier to hear the guide and ask questions.
• English is offered: The tour is offered in English, and the guide can help bridge language gaps when needed.

Three breweries in four hours

This is a compact evening built around the Outaouais beer scene, just across the river from Ottawa. The tour begins at 5:00 pm, with pickup generally arranged about 45 minutes before departure. Your exact pickup details arrive by email, usually within a 10-minute window.

That early pickup matters. You are not expected to find your own way from brewery to brewery, and you do not have to decide who will remain sober to drive. The minibus also gives the group a shared rhythm: arrive, taste, hear a little about the beer, see how it is made, then move on.

The evening is not a long lecture on brewing. It is a social outing with enough behind-the-scenes access to make the stops feel more substantial than a standard bar crawl. You get samples, food, transportation, and production-room visits in one package.

À La Dérive starts with dinner and four tastings

The first stop is À La Dérive Brasserie Artisanale in Hull. This is where the evening combines its first beer flight with a proper meal, a smart choice after pickup and before several more tastings.

You receive four beer tastings, followed by or alongside a pulled pork burger, homemade chips, and garden salad. The meal gives you something filling to work with before the next two breweries. A vegetarian or vegan option is available, but you should make sure that preference is known when arranging your booking or responding to the tour information.

The food also helps set the tour apart from a simple tasting circuit. You are not relying on small snacks alone, and the included dinner means the $99.15 price covers more than alcohol and transportation.

À La Dérive is allotted about an hour. That is enough time for a focused tasting and dinner, but it is not a leisurely evening at one brewery. If you like lingering over one pint for a long time, the schedule may feel brisk. If you prefer variety, the one-hour format keeps the night moving.

Gallicus brings oak barrels into the story

Next comes Brasserie Artisanale Gallicus, another Hull-area stop. Here you receive four more tastings and a private tour of the production room.

The most interesting detail at Gallicus is its use of oak barrels. Barrel aging can give beer additional character and creates room for unusual recipes, so this is the stop where the technical side of the tour may appeal most to curious drinkers. You get a look at how the brewery keeps experimenting rather than simply sampling a row of standard lagers.

The private production-room visit is valuable because it connects the glass to the equipment and process behind it. You may find that the tasting makes more sense after seeing where the beer is produced, aged, or handled. The guide can also give the visit a local frame, helping you understand how this small brewery fits into the area’s craft beer culture.

Again, plan on roughly one hour. Four tastings in that time can feel generous, especially after dinner. Take your time with each sample, but remember that the tour is designed to cover three locations in a single evening.

5e Baron finishes in Old Aylmer

The final brewery is 5e Baron Microbrasserie, located in the heart of the Old Aylmer community. This stop includes two tastings, one full beer, and another behind-the-scenes tour of the brew room.

The format changes here. Instead of four smaller samples, you get a full beer as part of the visit. That gives you a chance to settle into one selection after the faster tasting pace at the first two breweries. The two additional tastings let you compare more of the brewery’s range without adding an excessive amount of alcohol late in the night.

5e Baron also places more weight on the brewing process and the setting around it. The brewery is presented as a place to relax and learn, not just a counter where drinks are poured. The brew-room tour gives you another look at how the beer is made, while the Old Aylmer location adds a sense of neighborhood to the final stop.

The planned hour here brings the total brewery time to about three hours. The remaining time covers transport, pickups, transitions, and guide commentary. That is a reasonable pace for an evening that covers three breweries without leaving you on a bus all night.

What 12 tastings really means

The package includes 12 beer tastings in total. The count breaks down this way:

• Four tastings at À La Dérive
• Four tastings at Gallicus
• Two tastings and one full beer at 5e Baron

The wording separates the 10 smaller tastings from the full beer, but the package describes all 12 beer tastings as included. Do not read this as 12 full-size pints. The experience is built around samples, with a full beer at the final brewery.

That is plenty of beer for a four-hour evening, especially when paired with dinner. I would treat the tour as a tasting experience, not as a challenge to try to finish everything quickly. Eat the included meal, use the snacks on the minibus, and pace yourself.

Unlimited snacks are also included during the ride. The supplied details do not specify the type of snacks, so think of them as useful support between stops rather than a second meal.

Why the small group matters

The maximum group size is 14 people. That is one of the better practical features of this experience.

A small group helps in three ways. First, you have a better chance of hearing the guide during production-room visits. Second, transitions should be simpler than they would be with a large coach. Third, the social side feels more natural when everyone can fit into the same minibus and brewery space.

The guide is an important part of the evening. Brandon is specifically associated with one highly positive experience, and the details of that outing point to a useful quality: he made a participant who did not understand French feel included in the group. The tour is offered in English, and that language support matters if you are visiting from outside the region.

You should still expect that the setting may include French, since this is a Quebec outing in Hull and Aylmer. The guide can help keep the tour accessible in English, but the breweries themselves operate in their local environment.

The $99.15 price: where the value sits

At $99.15 per person, the value comes from stacking several costs into one evening. You receive round-trip transportation from downtown Ottawa or Gatineau, a guide, three brewery visits, 12 beer tastings, dinner, minibus snacks, and backstage tours at each brewery.

If you paid separately for transport, dinner, a dozen samples, and multiple brewery admissions, the package would be difficult to reproduce without spending more time organizing it. The included driver is also important. After several tastings, arranging your own route and getting back across the river would be an inconvenience at best.

The price is strongest for someone who wants a complete evening rather than a single brewery visit. It is less compelling if you are already staying beside one of these breweries or only want to order one beer and sit for a long time.

The dinner adds real value. A smash burger, homemade chips, and salad make this more than an alcohol-only outing. Vegetarian and vegan choices also make the package workable for mixed groups, though you should confirm your preferred meal option ahead of time.

Timing, pickup, and the practical details

The tour begins at 5:00 pm, with pickup details sent by email before the outing. The pickup is typically set for about 45 minutes before the start, within a 10-minute time frame. Since the exact pickup point depends on your accommodation, check the email carefully.

Pickup is offered from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. If you are unsure whether your accommodation falls within the selected pickup area, the provider asks you to send the address, name, or a map screenshot for confirmation. That is worth doing before you commit to the date.

Confirmation is sent within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability. The tour is near public transportation, but the included pickup and return service are more useful than public transit for an evening involving multiple breweries.

The experience is listed as suitable for most participants. No special physical requirements are provided, so you should ask the provider directly if you have a specific mobility concern or need detailed access information.

The firm cancellation rule

This booking is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or request an amendment, the amount paid is not returned.

That is the one policy point I would take seriously before booking. Do not reserve this tour while waiting to see how your schedule develops. Choose the date only when you are confident you can attend.

There is one exception at the provider’s end. The tour needs a minimum number of participants. If it is canceled because that minimum is not met, you are offered another date or experience, or you receive a full refund.

Who will enjoy this evening most

I would recommend this tour to you if you want to sample several Quebec breweries without planning the route yourself. It suits beer fans who enjoy hearing how a brewery works, not just sitting at a taproom. The oak-barrel focus at Gallicus and the production-room visits at all three stops give the night some substance.

It also works well for a mixed group. The included dinner keeps non-beer details simple, and vegetarian and vegan options are available. The small minibus group should make it easier for friends, couples, and solo participants to settle into the evening.

This may not suit you if you want a slow, unstructured night at one brewery. The schedule is fixed, and each stop lasts about an hour. You will see more places, but you will have less time to linger.

It is also not ideal if you are very particular about pickup timing or need a flexible cancellation policy. The exact pickup window arrives later by email, and the booking cannot be changed once made.

Should you book the Quebec Craft Beer Tour?

Book it if you want a guided, all-in evening with three breweries, dinner, transportation, and access to production rooms. The combination of 12 tastings, a full beer at 5e Baron, oak-barrel discussion at Gallicus, and a meal at À La Dérive gives the tour more range than a basic pub crawl.

I would be especially comfortable recommending it to visitors staying in Ottawa who want to experience the Quebec side of the National Capital Region without renting a car or planning a route. Just pace yourself, confirm your pickup details, and make sure your date is firm before paying.

FAQ

How long does the Quebec Craft Beer Tour last?

The tour lasts approximately four hours, beginning at 5:00 pm.

Where does the tour operate?

The breweries are in Quebec, with stops in Hull and Old Aylmer. Pickup and return transportation are offered from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.

How many breweries are included?

Three breweries are included: À La Dérive Brasserie Artisanale, Brasserie Artisanale Gallicus, and 5e Baron Microbrasserie.

How many beer tastings are included?

The experience includes 12 beer tastings. You receive four at À La Dérive, four at Gallicus, and two tastings plus a full beer at 5e Baron.

Is dinner included?

Yes. Dinner includes a pulled pork smash burger, homemade chips, and garden salad. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

Are brewery tours included?

Yes. Backstage tours of the production or brew rooms are included at all three breweries.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Round-trip transportation from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau is included, along with pickup service.

Is the tour offered in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English.

What happens if the tour is canceled because there are not enough participants?

You are offered a different date or experience, or you receive a full refund.