Archive for the 'McAuslan' category
St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
Next up this month from our friends at the Beer of the Month Club is an Oatmeal Stout from McAuslan. Matt really like the Pale ale that we also got in this shipment, so I’m hoping this bad-boy delivers, as well.
The Oatmeal Stout pours super dark with a spidery, malty caramel head that floats around the glass in circular islands and sticks to the side of the glass. In the nose, the aromas are super-biscuity with hints of sweet toffee. In the mouth, this beer is gentle in the front and big in the back. It starts off a little weak, especially when cold. But, by the time this beer gets to the back of the throat, it has exploded in flavor. Most of the predominant flavors here are sweet, bready, and big. Toffee is a notable presence, as is sweet bread, all coming together with a thick mouthfeel that does a great job of coating the tongue and sides of the mouth. The aftertaste of this sticks around for ages with lots of sweet chocolate and toffee flavors. As the beer warms, I’m noticing, some of the cloying sweetness becomes a bit more earthy and rootsy, which is actually a good thing. I’m actually pretty impressed with this beer. When I first opened it, I was skeptical and found it weak. However, as this increases in temperature, the flavor evolves and this beer gains a lot more punch. I’d recommend opening this cold and enjoying it slowly so that you can sense the evolution of this beer as it warms to room temperature. I’m not sure what the price-point is on this beer, but it tastes refined and complex – well worth the investment for a slow-drinking rich stout.
McAuslan St-Ambroise Pale Ale
It was a sad day at sevenpack.net when our Beer of the Month Club (BOMC) membership ran out. One day out of every month an angel would come to our house as Ben and I waited with bated breathed to accept that beautiful brown box of liquid goodness. And then “her” visits stopped and we wept…not really. Apparently the BOMC folks liked what we were doing because out of the blue our angel showed up again. That means Ben and I are privy to 12 more months of bliss and you have the fortunate pleasure to read what we think about each month’s selections…everyone’s a winner.
This month the BOMC sent out the Celis White, McAuslan Pale Ale, McAuslan Oatmeal Stout, and the BBC Dark Star Porter. At first glance this looks like another great batch of beer. A chance to get a beer the likes of the Celis White is reason enough to become a member but history suggests almost all of the beers sent out are dang good. Visit the BOMC website and give it a try yourself.
The St-Ambroise Pale Ale originated in Montreal, Canada and is distributed by McAuslan Brewing Inc. They’ve been creating craft brews on a professional level since 1989 and according to their website have won several awards both at home and abroad. This beer pours clear and clean with a generous amount of head. I would say this beer has a copper hue but it could be argued that the tint is a bit lighter than my description would suggest. I expected a floral aroma but instead I’m experiencing sweet bread and plum. There is an earthiness to the smell but it is very subtle. The taste is more characteristic of a pale ale as the hop presence melts down the sides of the tongue and a bitter, mustiness rises to the top of the mouth then clings to the upper palate. Bready flavors cut the sharpness of the taste and creates a rather smooth mouthfeel. This beer is very drinkable and quite tasty, a good start to this month’s batch.
