"So goodbye yellow brick road Where the dogs of society…read morehowl" (Elton John) The SAQ stands for the Société des Alcools du Québec. It's the network of government-run liquor stores in Quebec. It manages the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages across the province and operates its own retail stores. We were fortunate enough to win a gift card to SAQ at a charity event last week, so one of our final visits in Montreal was to walk over to this small store at the Place D'Armes and pick up whatever we could for our C$50 prize. Although the store wasn't very large it was very neat and fully stocked, with prices clearly marked for every bottle and can in the store. One of their sales associates was very friendly and helped us find what we were looking for. I'm a big Bloody Mary fan, and from previous trips to Canada knew that "Bloody Caesars" are favored up here. The differ from a Bloody Mary by using Clamato juice instead of a tomato juice base. So, when I saw a shelf with plenty of Clamato choices, I knew one would be coming home with me. I selected a 16 ounce can of Clamato Caesar "With the Works" (Le Tour Garni) with extra spices, seasonings, hot sauce and horseradish (C$3.80). We rounded out our purchase with a bottle of Cliff 79 Shiraz (C$11.75), a bottle of Folonari Pinot Grigio (C$14.95), a bottle of Casa Santos Sangria (C$12.45), and a nifty little branded tote bag for (C$2.95). The only down note of our visit concerned a bottle of SIVO blueberry liqueur I had hoped to buy. I had some at a social function on Thursday night and liked it so much I took a photo of the bottle. When I showed the photo to the sales associate, he not only told me they didn't carry it, but he also told me it was just syrup, and not alcoholic. He said any grocery store would have it. I learned that he was wrong, it is an alcoholic product made in a Canadian distillery.

Excellent selection and what seems like decent prices. I found what I went for: maple whiskey and…read moremaple cream liqueur.

I'm so lucky to have les assoiffées Just down the street from me! They have an exceptional…read moreselection of local, Canadian and international beers. One of the owners is usually the store clerk, he knows every single beer he sells. He is always able to recommend his favorite beers of the moment or a specific brand whenever I ask him a question. He knows all of the beers he has in stock and which beers can only be sold at certain breweries. In addition to beer, they also sell sausages, homemade sauerkraut (their beer sauerkraut is my fav!), and delicious sourdough baguette! Not into beers? That's ok they have a huge selection of cocktail mixes. This is truly a special store that has put alot of effort into selling local products of high quality. Go support them now!

Beer lover ?…read more Feeling lonely on the south shore ? Can't find good beers in your local depanneur ? Don't look any further, this is the place you need. Large selection from your favourites microbreweries in quebec (and Ontario too, hello Beau's) some in the fridge if you can't wait and want to drink one right now. Also some food, sauces, tapenades, spreads, chips, and more. Owners know their stuff and are passionate about it, ask what you want and feel like, they will guide you to the best beers they have in store.

A couple years ago Maltéhops hosted this whacky horror street festival along Wellington. I found it…read morea little strange that a speciality beer store was hosting a horror street festival but didn't investigate further. I finally got around to visiting the shop itself and it alllll came together: it's a tastefully horror nerdy beer shop with all the fixings. I love it- everything about this store reflects the unique personality and passion of the owners. Honesty, I'm so impressed with the variety of speciality beer, spirits, wines and ciders. In fact, it's overwhelming. Also, as an occasional teetotaler their selection of alcohol free drinks was amazing. More and more brands are developing interesting booze-free alternatives and this place has a great variety. While I didn't buy a ton on the booze front today I epically indulged in their snack selection- the salmon jerky and chorizo were both great. I'm also really impressed with their extensive hot sauce wall. Overall, a great place to indulge and definitely a great spot for gifts for foodie friends.

Everything you need..or..ask and you shall receive. Handy location and late hours yo accommodate…read morethe bring-ur-own booze places in gentrified Verdun. The owner is super friendly..obviously knowledgeable and loves his beer. Go in..ask for something new..or buy a gift..their gift certificates are made of cool chunks of wood from his shop!

If you have a craving grab this sandwich on the go. The crunchiness of the bread, the tasty…read moresandwich, with the sauerkraut. We asked question and the employe was helpful describing all the sausages in order to make a good choice.

Nice selection of beer and wine and plenty of meats. They also sell sandwiches to take away. Obtain…read morea loyalty card and get your 10th sandwich free.

Easy walk from hotel and got what i was looking for in terms if wine. Its easily accessible from a…read morelot of local hotels.

Small but reasonably stocked retailer, two narrow aisles run the length of the store with wines…read more$10+, adequate selection in the $20 range. France and USA are over-represented in wines, other countries (literally "Autre Pays" in their signage) much less so. Small selection of basic spirits but not much for beer choices, though there are a few ciders / rosé type options too. Hours are good til 10pm each night, nice for visitors staying at various area hotels.

Great option when downtown to stop in and pickup drinks for the weekend or after work for at home…read more They always have a great selection and their staff is always super nice. Usually amazing stock but I do notice it runs low around major holidays. So buy in advance. They have great shooters and different types of alcohol to try different times of the season.

Convenient wine and liquor store. The upstairs Signature boutique is pleasant and ritzy, and the…read moredownstairs SAQ Classique is like a clean mini-mart. Picked up a few bottles for dinner (not too expensive, credit cards accepted), then headed on our way. The cashier asked me if I wanted a bag (extra); next time I'll buy an SAQ wine tote! Neat trivia: This is the first SAQ I've ever walked into.

With a name like House of Beers (translated of course), you might expect there to be quite the…read moreselection of chips, no silly -- beer, and they don't disappoint in that category. It may be one of the most diverse selections of single can offerings I've ever encountered in the realm of specialty beer stores. That being said, they do also have a nice selection of snacks (which do include chips) and other related beverages like artisanal root beers, ciders and the like. The shop has a bit of a rustic saloon feel from what I can remember on a quick visit at night. Another quick notable is the person behind the counter was quite friendly and say them helping another customer with their selection among the various rows of shelves and beer fridges lining certain walls. The only negative is that the prices did seem on the high side (and I tried to find exceptions), even for specialty bottles and cans that are known not to come in at run-of-the-mill brand prices. I also didn't notice anything on promotion and seemed most were at the retail price. In a beer keg shell -- great selection, cool ambiance, neatly kept, but boohoo pretty pricey.

This is NOT an inexpensive store, you're getting high end beers at relatively high prices…read more I gave the employee the ability to pick out six different beers for me and he hit it out of the park on five of them (the sixth was very good, but not amazing). I wish I could (legally) bring twenty or thirty bottles back with me into the USA every time I visit my daughter at McGill! Looking forward to my next visit to this fine establishment.