Published by Leonardo Calcagno
May 24-25-26, 2024 | Windsor Station and Rio Tinto Courtyard, a magnificent historical building in downtown Montreal
festivalmondialbiere.qc.ca
Annie Caya, English Montreal School Board
High School Teacher, French as a Second Language and Spanish as a Foreign Language
Anecdote / Memory:
My involvement with Mondial de la Bière began with a contest. In 2008, CHOM FM, in collaboration with Mondial, held a draw for a trip for two to Denver, Colorado. If my memory serves me right, the trip lasted 4 days. During the trip, we went to GABF (Great American Beer Fest) and visited a few breweries. It was while chatting with Guillaume Bédard, an employee of Mondial at the time, that I learned that the festivals “hired” volunteers. He told me about the different positions available and a few months later, I signed up for the Petit Pub. I had already been interested in beer for a while, I already had some basic knowledge, so the idea of learning about beers and being able to advise festival-goers appealed to me. I volunteered for the 2009 and 2010 editions, then I was promoted to assistant coordinator for one of the small pubs, and a few years later, I became coordinator. Brazil was one of the countries featured this year, and as I have a good base in Portuguese, this is the kiosk I inherited. 2024, the adventure continues!
Photo Credit Monica Bercan
Beer discovered at Mondial de La Bière?
Honestly, there are too many to name, I would talk more about countries discovered over the years. I had known Belgian beers for a long time, around 2006-2007 I started looking at the US. Then France, guest of honor for an edition I don’t remember anymore, there were German, English beers etc. I loved discovering Norwegian beers, so rich, as well as those from Brazil, brewers are very proud to showcase local ingredients in their brews. Same idea as (more and more!) in Quebec, but it’s such a different universe! Even the barrels in which the beers are aged are made from wood essences completely different from those here!
What are your plans for this summer?
For the summer, I plan to rest intensively after the school year, which was one of the most difficult in 26 years of my career, then I will go for walks here and there, quietly, and I will put the local terroir (It can overflow into the neighboring provinces and states) on my plate and in my glass. I have no desire to plan, I will go at the pace of desires and invitations. We need spontaneity in life!