Quebec Craft Beer Tour – From Ottawa & Gatineau

Beer tastes better with a plan. This four-hour evening outing links three breweries in Hull and Old Aylmer, pairing 12 beer tastings with dinner, behind-the-scenes brewery visits, snacks, and round-trip transportation from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. It is an easy way to sample Quebec’s local beer scene without arranging a driver or guessing which taprooms are worth your time.

I especially like the small maximum group of 14 and the access to production rooms at every stop. The tour also earns points for its friendly, inclusive guiding style. One visitor singled out guide Brandon for making sure an English speaker felt involved, even though much of the group spoke French. The main consideration is that the tour is non-refundable, and the four-hour schedule gives you only about an hour at each brewery, so this suits samplers more than serious beer collectors.

Key points at a glance

• Three breweries in Hull and Old Aylmer: You visit À La Dérive Brasserie Artisanale, Brasserie Artisanale Gallicus, and 5e Baron Microbrasserie in one evening.
• Twelve beer tastings included: The tasting breakdown is four beers at À La Dérive, four at Gallicus, and two tastings plus one full beer at 5e Baron.
• Dinner is part of the price: Expect a burger-style meal with homemade chips and salad, with vegetarian and vegan choices available.
• Production rooms are open to you: Each brewery includes a backstage visit, with Gallicus offering a look at its oak-barrel brewing work.
• Transport keeps the evening simple: Pickup is offered from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau, with a small minibus and snacks along the way.
• English guiding is available: The tour is offered in English, and Brandon’s warm, inclusive approach was praised specifically.

Why this evening works well from Ottawa

The appeal here is simple: you get to explore Quebec’s craft beer scene without turning the evening into a transport puzzle. The breweries are across the Ottawa River in Hull and Old Aylmer, and round-trip transportation is included from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau.

Pickup details are sent by email before the tour. You should expect a pickup time within a 10-minute window, usually about 45 minutes before the 5:00 pm start. That extra detail matters. You are not left with a vague instruction to wait somewhere in the city, and you can ask the operator to confirm your accommodation if you are unsure it falls within the pickup area.

The group limit of 14 keeps the outing more personal than a large coach excursion. It also matters inside the breweries. A smaller group can hear the guide, ask questions, and move through a production room without feeling like it has taken over the place.

The tour is offered in English, but Quebec’s beer culture is naturally bilingual. If you speak only English, you should feel comfortable booking, but it is worth knowing that the evening may include French-speaking company. The strongest practical reassurance comes from the experience of a visitor who did not understand French and still felt fully included by Brandon, the guide.

À La Dérive: four tastings and a proper dinner

The first stop is À La Dérive Brasserie Artisanale in Hull. You receive four beer tastings here, followed by a filling meal. The listed food is a pulled pork burger with homemade chips and garden salad, while the inclusions describe the meal as a smash burger. Since those descriptions differ, I would confirm the current menu before booking if the exact burger style matters to you.

The meal is a useful part of the evening rather than a minor snack. Twelve tastings can add up quickly, and starting with dinner gives you something substantial alongside the beer. Homemade chips and salad also make the meal feel more complete than a simple bar snack.

Vegetarian and vegan options are available, which makes this tour easier to recommend to mixed groups. Still, if you have a serious allergy or a strict dietary need, contact the operator before the date. The supplied details confirm those two alternatives but do not specify the full ingredients or preparation arrangements.

À La Dérive sets the tone for the evening: local beer, food, and a social start before the more technical brewery visits. You have about one hour here, including four tastings and dinner, so expect a brisk format. It is a good introduction, but you will not have unlimited time to linger over every pour.

Gallicus and its oak-barrel beers

At Brasserie Artisanale Gallicus, the emphasis shifts toward brewing technique. You receive four more tastings and a private tour of the production room. Gallicus is known for using oak barrels and for experimenting with unusual beer styles, making this the most distinctive stop for anyone interested in how brewers create flavors beyond the standard tap list.

Oak-barrel brewing gives a brewery room to work with different textures and flavors, but the important point for you is access. You are not simply seated with four small pours and left to work through them. The private production-room visit lets you connect the beer in your glass with the equipment and methods behind it.

The wording around Gallicus suggests a brewery that keeps testing new ideas. That makes the tasting flight especially useful. Four samples let you compare different approaches rather than basing your opinion on one house beer.

This is also where the one-hour limit may be felt most clearly. If the production tour sparks questions, you may want more time than the schedule allows. The tour is designed to give you a well-rounded introduction to several breweries, not a long technical seminar at one location.

5e Baron in Old Aylmer

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

That combination gives you a useful change of pace. Earlier stops focus on several smaller samples, while 5e Baron gives you a full beer to enjoy in a more relaxed setting. The brewery is described as a place to learn about brewing while settling in, so this final stop should feel less like a quick tasting counter and more like a chance to absorb the evening.

You will have about an hour here. The two tastings help you compare beers, while the full serving gives you time to choose a favorite and enjoy it at a slower pace. If you are sensitive to alcohol, remember that the full beer comes after ten previous tastings. Take advantage of the unlimited snacks on the minibus and pace yourself.

The Old Aylmer setting adds a local-community feel to the route. The tour does not just shuttle you between anonymous industrial taprooms. It includes breweries connected to Hull and Old Aylmer, with access to the rooms where the beer is made.

Twelve tastings, but pace yourself

The advertised total is 12 beer tastings. The breakdown is:

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

The wording counts the two tastings and full beer at the last stop as part of the 12 included beer servings. You should still treat the evening as a substantial amount of alcohol, especially because the tour lasts about four hours.

Unlimited snacks are available in the minibus. That is a practical touch, not filler. Snacks help bridge the time between dinner and the later tastings, and they give you something to eat while moving between breweries.

I like the way the tasting format encourages variety. You can try beers you might not order on your own, and the guides can add context as the evening moves from one brewery to the next. The tradeoff is that small tastings do not always leave enough time to settle into a favorite beer. If your ideal brewery visit involves slowly studying a tap list, this route may feel busy.

The tour works best if you approach it as a guided sampling night. You are there to compare breweries, learn a little about production, and enjoy a meal, not to spend an entire evening at one bar.

What the $99.15 price really covers

At $99.15 per person, the price includes more than beer. You are paying for 12 beer tastings, dinner, unlimited snacks, a guide, round-trip transportation, and a production-room visit at each brewery.

That package makes the cost easier to assess. Booking three brewery visits independently could mean paying for transport between locations, arranging a safe ride back to Ottawa, and buying food separately. Here, those pieces are bundled into one evening.

The transportation is especially valuable for beer drinkers. You do not need to choose a designated driver, rely on several separate rides, or stop tasting early because you still have to get back across the river. For a small group, the minibus also keeps the route together.

The value depends on how much you care about brewery access. If you only want a few beers, $99.15 may feel high compared with visiting one local taproom. If you want a planned route, a meal, guided production visits, and transport, the price is more reasonable.

The group size adds value, too. With a maximum of 14 people, the experience is more intimate than a large bus tour, while still giving the evening enough energy for a social outing.

The four-hour schedule and evening timing

The tour begins at 5:00 pm and lasts approximately four hours. Pickup generally occurs within a 10-minute time window about 45 minutes before the start, so you should keep your early evening flexible.

The three main brewery visits are each listed at about one hour. That creates a clear rhythm:

1. Dinner and four tastings at À La Dérive
2. Four tastings and a private production-room tour at Gallicus
3. Two tastings, one full beer, and a brew-room tour at 5e Baron

This schedule is efficient. You see three breweries in a single evening without having to plan the route yourself. It also means you should arrive ready to move along when the guide gives the signal. The tour cannot offer unlimited time at every stop.

The 5:00 pm start works well for people who want a full evening activity without using the entire day. It is also practical for visitors staying in Ottawa or Gatineau who want to keep daytime plans open.

Because the tour is evening-based, dress for the conditions and bring the items recommended in the pre-tour email. The operator sends useful tips and a suggested packing list before departure. The available information does not specify the exact clothing list, so wait for that message rather than guessing.

A friendly guide can make the difference

The best part of a small-group food or drink tour is often the person leading it. Here, Brandon received especially warm praise for creating an inclusive atmosphere and making sure an English-speaking participant was involved in the evening.

That detail is worth taking seriously. A bilingual region can be fun and welcoming, but language differences can leave someone on the edge of a group if the guide does not pay attention. Brandon’s approach suggests that the human side of the tour is a major strength.

The guide also helps connect the three stops. Without that link, the outing would be three brewery visits with transport between them. With a guide, you get a sense of how the breweries differ, why Gallicus uses oak barrels, and what happens in the production rooms.

The supplied rating is five out of five, with 100 percent of respondents recommending the experience. That is a very small sample, so I would not treat it as a guarantee. Still, the praise is consistent with the tour’s strongest features: enthusiastic guiding, good beer, a fun evening, and careful inclusion of someone who did not speak French.

Who should book this beer tour?

I would recommend this experience to you if you want a structured night out rather than a self-guided brewery crawl. It is particularly suitable for couples, friends, and visitors staying in Ottawa or Gatineau who want to sample Quebec beer without handling the driving.

It also suits curious drinkers who care about how beer is made. The production-room access at all three breweries is more useful than a simple tasting flight, especially at Gallicus with its oak-barrel focus.

Vegetarians and vegans can also consider it, since alternatives are available for dinner. Confirm the precise menu if your diet is strict.

You may want to skip it if you prefer to spend several hours at one brewery, dislike fixed schedules, or need a flexible cancellation policy. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason after booking. It also requires a minimum number of participants, although a cancellation for that reason comes with the choice of another date or experience, or a full refund.

Final call: a strong choice for a planned beer night

I would book this tour if I wanted to explore several Quebec breweries in one evening and remove the hassle of transport. The combination of 12 beer servings, dinner, snacks, small-group travel, and three production-room visits gives the $99.15 price solid value for the right audience.

Go in expecting a lively sampler tour, not a slow afternoon at one taproom. Keep your schedule open around pickup, pace yourself, and confirm the current burger details if food is important to your decision. If those points suit you, Aventure Outaouais offers a practical and welcoming way to discover the craft beer scene across the river.

FAQ

How long does the Quebec Craft Beer Tour last?

The tour lasts approximately four hours.

What time does the tour begin?

The stated start time is 5:00 pm. Pickup usually takes place within a 10-minute time window about 45 minutes before the tour begins.

Where does pickup take place?

Round-trip pickup is offered from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau. You can send the operator your accommodation address, name, or a map screenshot to confirm if your location is within the selected pickup area.

How many breweries does the tour visit?

The tour visits three breweries: À La Dérive Brasserie Artisanale, Brasserie Artisanale Gallicus, and 5e Baron Microbrasserie.

How many beer tastings are included?

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

Is dinner included?

Yes. Dinner is included, with the meal described as a pulled pork burger or smash burger, homemade chips, and garden salad. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Round-trip transportation from downtown Ottawa and Gatineau is included, along with a guide and unlimited snacks in the minibus.

Is the tour available in English?

Yes. The tour is offered in English.