One of Montreal's few female brewers runs the show at 4 Origines

Brewing is a craft of precision and endurance, and much of it goes unseen. Hours of demanding work go into the pints pulled by a variety of microbreweries: lifting sacks of grain, stirring hot mash, checking temperatures and PH balances, and repeating this process in the early morning hours and all through the night.

That’s saying a lot when looking at 4 Origines in Pointe-Saint-Charles, a brewery housed in an old industrial building and tucked in between rail lines, where brewer Sydnee Wilson and head brewer Yanick Turcotte make up the small team running the entire operation.

Their pace is relentless as they seamlessly climb steps, haul bags, and empty mash. Heavy metal blares as they move swiftly through the hot and humid air, Sydnee pausing only to check on the steeping wort which releases a warm, sweet, grainy aroma all throughout the brewery. While navigating this intense routine, she patiently walks me through each stage of brewing, breaking down the chemistry of fermentation along the way. Later that morning, during a brief cigarette break, I asked about her work’s demanding rhythm and realities.

Grab a dart, pull up a chair

In an industry where women remain underrepresented, Sydnee’s role underscores the importance of collaboration. She is one of few female brewers in Montreal, a reality that followed her from McAuslan to 4 Origines.

“Over the years, I’ve only met four other women brewers,” she reflects, a reminder of how sparse the network in the city remains.

National figures echo this imbalance: though exact data is limited, a 2021 survey by the Canadian Craft Brewers Association reported women in only a third of management roles. South of the border, a 2019 survey by the American Brewers Association found that only 7.5% of brewers identified as women.

This imbalance is striking when placed against brewing’s origins. Women were, in fact, the world’s first brewers. From Ninkasi, the Sumerian goddess of beer, to Hildegard of Bingen’s pioneering work with hops, women shaped the foundations of brewing for millennia, only to be pushed to the margins of its history.

Sydnee and other women brewers today are not so much breaking into new territory as reclaiming a tradition that was theirs from the beginning.

 Where real progress happens

When asked what this reality feels like in practice, Sydnee shared that the women brewers she’s met are, in a word, badass.

“Women are resilient, efficient, and find a way to make it work,” she says. “You have to be creative to get the job done, but it makes the work that much more rewarding.”

For Sydnee, teamwork is part of that resilience. She acknowledges that asking for help isn’t always easy but insists that’s often where real progress happens. With only two people running the operation, collaboration is essential, and she ensures that both feel comfortable relying on one another.

Despite the gendered gap in the brewing industry, Sydnee is hopeful that change is on the horizon. Across Canada, initiatives like the Pink Boots Society are helping to make that shift, empowering women and non-binary brewers through mentorship and education.

A personal expression

At 4 Origines, that push for inclusion takes shape in their latest release, Les Sœurs du Malt, which debuted in June 2025. Light, juicy, and fruity, this beer was head-brewed by Sydnee, with recipe support from Yanick.

For Sydnee, that devotion found personal expression in Les Sœurs du Malt, which intertwines her love of the craft with family ties. Named as a tribute to her two sisters and featuring a can design inspired by a photograph of the three of them sitting together on a dock at sunset, it embodies both her artistry and her roots, a reminder that every pint carries a story.

What makes this IPA especially distinctive is its foundation; the hop blend used, Duchess 25, developed through Duke25 Hops and showcasing Quebec-grown Chinook, Limonadier, and Hydra varieties, was created in honour of the women working in the brewing industry.

Sydnee’s experience highlights the challenges and possibilities shaping Montreal’s brewing community, where craft beer here goes beyond creative flavours and tells of brewers whose skill, care, and resilience transform raw ingredients into something more.