A ll I could think of when I first heard the name "Brutopia" was how strangely it happened to rhyme with that Snapple-esque beverage manufactured by the rejects of McGill's proposed exclusive beverage contract - Coca-Cola.
Sure, I had passed the bar on occasion and heard stories from friends who frequented the place...but having never gone in, my attempts to eradicate the mental image of a fruity beverage when hearing the name "Brutopia" were met with little more than failure. Even after finally visiting this beer paradise, however, the names "Brutopia" and "Fruitopia" have continued to merge in my head - which I guess reflects my memory's positive reinforcement cycle (thanks Psych 100) regarding my favorite thing this bar has to offer: raspberry beer! Just thinking about it makes me want to cart my computer over to Crescent Street right now and smack down five bucks for a pint. But anyway...
Though it is located on Montreal's expensive tourist trap, Crescent Street, Brutopia does not find itself in the midst of the pricey restaurants and exclusive clubs that pervade the area between Sherbrooke and Ste. Catherine. Rather, you can find it right below Ste. Cat's on the left, up outdoor stairs marked by a cute little oval "Brutopia" sign. I went on a Thursday, when the only people there were two tables of my friends, a few randoms, and the quintessential "regulars" sitting at the bar, telling their life stories and sharing advice for the future.
There was also a live musician with hair rivaling that of Alanis Morrissette, whose musical talent completely exceeded hers (isn't that ironic!). All night, he entertained us on Brutopia's little platform of a stage with favorites from U2, REM, Chumbawamba, and the Barenaked Ladies, to name a few.
Brutopia is technically a two-level bar, though the upper story is really just a tiny, narrow place with a couple shuffleboard tables, an overlook to the stage, and the washrooms. The main level is where the, um, action is. (It is where most of the not-too-plentiful people at this petite bar hang out.) The left side of Brutopia has got a small grouping of tables, behind which lies an outdoor patio that offers fresh air (no tables or view out here, sorry); to the right is the bar area and the stage. The Brutopian bartenders are friendly people, there to light your cigarette or Cuban for you before you have time to strike your own match, and everyone around you is apt to have some kind of pint in hand.
