The tiny Dieu du Ciel! brew-pub, just at the edge of Montréal’s city center, has developed an incredible reputation and a devoted following in only a few short years. The young brewer, Jean-François, has never had any formal training as a brewer, but he is a natural, with superb skills and flawless instincts.

‘Dieu du Ciel!’ is a common exclamation, meaning ‘God in Heaven!’ more or less, which is undoubtedly the most polite oath you are likely to hear in Montréal – a city with a well-known penchant for turning religious sentiments into profanity.