About Us

Demijohn(jean): is a container for fluids used in brewing.

Let me start off by welcoming you to our blog, the Demi-Jean! My name is Jean and along with my partner Adriana we love everything to do with craftbeer. I am an amateur beer brewer and an avid beer drinker. I have dreamt of opening up my own microbrewery since my very first brew. As I work towards that goal, I want also to engage in the conversation on beer. 

My love-affair with beer began when I first visited Dieu du Ciel, a local brew-pub in the Mile-End neighborhood of Montreal. It was both unlike any other place I’d ever been and exactly what I’d been looking for without even knowing it. Dieu du Ciel wasn’t selling the cheap 40's I’d become accustomed to in my university days. No, no! This was an experience all its own, absorbing me into the universe of beer. Then unknown to me, this was a universe at times daunting, but always exciting.

I didn't want to just drink beer. I wanted to take part in its creation. This, I quickly learned, was both an art and a science. I began to brew with a friend. Our first batch was a straightforward, "instant cake-mix" kind of brew. It produced less than satisfying results. We then moved on to extract brewing, with very happy results. Our most successful brew was an American Pale Ale, dry hoped with cascade hops. Having been brewed on Elvis’ birthday, we lovingly named her the “EP.” Our next challenge was to move on to all-grain brews. These required a lot more equipment, all of which we built ourselves, reading DIY brew forums and making several visits to our local hardware store along the way.  So began the journey we are now on, our experimenting with different ideas, and our drawing inspiration from unlikely places.

Our interest in beer has taken us to Munich and Prague, where we’ve visited some of the world’s most renowned brewers. We frequent beer shops in search of the most inspiring brews, and we enjoy beer-tasting with good friends. We want to use this blog to post and talk about everything beer: Montreal beer- events, my far-away beer-trips, and our own experiences brewing with grains, hops, and yeast. 

Cheers! Prost! Santé! Salute!

- Jean & Adri