Getting towards the end of the hike, we saw Trillium erectum growing next to Erythronium americanum (1) and then we were back at the car park, hot and thirsty, where a kind passer-by took a group shot of my wife and I, Richard and Louise and their son Justin (2). Then into the car for the short drive to Gatineau and the Brasserie du Temps.
What a place! Located in an old water mill, they brew a vast range of beers supplemented by excellent food. Put it on your must-visit list. Of course I had to have the tasting flight (3,4), sixteen samples of their range of beers, and all excellent. Went down a treat with the Elk and Caribou sausages and mash. My wife had a wheat beer and Bison tartare which she pronounced excellent. Having consumed the sixteen samples (and made notes of course) the friendly waiter, who spoke English, said they had three more seasonal specials if I would like to try them as well. It would have been churlish to refuse. One beer was cask conditioned (what we know as Real Ale) which is a growing trend in Canada.
Back to R & L's house for tea. In the evening, after dinner in Byward Market we found ourselves in another brewpub in downtown Ottawa, The Three Brewers, part of a French chain. Bars and pubs in Canada seem to serve their beer in a confusing mix of measures; some by the ounce, some metric, some in halves and pints, and often a mix of all those. Here the beer came in halves, pints and Varlets, which turned out to be a litre. But the main focus was the hockey, live on big screens throughout the pub and a huge screen out in the street. The place erupted when Ottawa scored the winning goal over Montreal! And so to bed, happy and tired.
To be continued....
