St-Ambroise Pale Ale - McAuslan Brewing

nokes

Ontario (Canada)

4.3/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into a beer mug, coppery, deep amber with lots of bubbles rising moderately slowly all around. Two fingers of head that died back slowly around the glass leaving a pillowy centre that retained well and eventually died down to a film that stayed around for the duration and left nice lacing on the glass. Hard to beat that...looks really good.

Smell seemed fairly muted, a gentle mix of hops and malts. Nicely balanced, but it wasn't inspiring for whatever reason.

Taste, though, is great. Very very nice. Right from the get-go, an excellent balance of bready, malty, citrusy, lightly bitter hoppy, yummy flavours. It's really good.

Mouthfeel is moderate to full, with an excellent balance of carbonation to keep it even.

This is scary drinkable. Generally, I'm so-so on pale ales, but I really like this one. Highly recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-24-2010 22:37:24 | More by nokes

GodOfBeer

Ontario (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice dark gold with a thin white head, some nice lacing.

Smells of grassy grains and sweet malts and fruits, strawberries, and hint of hops in the aroma.

Tastes malty and sweet up front, some grassiness, pretty fruity with a nice hoppy finish. Not as hoppy as I would of liked but still a very good balance.

Decent mouthfeel, and highly drinkable. This is always a good refreshing beer to have on hand.

Serving type: bottle

06-16-2010 23:33:08 | More by GodOfBeer

slyke

Minnesota

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

McAuslan Pale Ale pours a pleasing golden color with a slightly off-white head.

The smell has a breadiness, a citrus quality and a bit sweetness.

Taste is balanced with all of the above-listed notes playing a part. The flavor is more like an English Pale Ale than an APA to me.

Mouthfeel is medium-bodied with a slight, pleasant aftertaste.

Drinkability is pretty good. It would be no trouble to enjoy a few of these at a sitting. Recommended.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2010 19:47:41 | More by slyke

Eastman2009

Maine

2.55/5  rDev -34.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Poured into a pint glass from a bottle. One finger of quickly dissipating head. A warm golden shade with steady lacing throughout the drink.

Fully alcoholic scent, few other scents, off malt notes?.

No real hop profile to speak of. If this is a pale ale, it's a very tame one. Not even a lingering flavor. While highly drinkable and probably appealing to even the most novice of beer newbies, but there's nothing unique or special here.

Note: My opinion didn't change throughout the six pack.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2010 03:32:10 | More by Eastman2009

liamt07

Ontario (Canada)

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 341ml bottle into my Duvel tulip. Golden brown colour, with a few fingers of head (poured a bit aggressively on my part by accident) that settled down to a small layer head for the remainder of the beer; web-like lacing too. Smell of sweet hops, a bit of hops in there. Taste is good, pretty balanced with a nice bitterness and the sweet, kind of sugary malt flavour with it too. Good mouthfeel, medium/low carbonation and definitely sessionable in terms of drinkability! Solid pale ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-03-2010 00:15:22 | More by liamt07

flipper2gv

Quebec (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

A: Maple syrup like color, fully transluscent. Head has big bubbles, is tan but doesn't last very long and doesn't show any lacing.

S: Lots of biscuits malts in this. Pretty sweet, brown sugar like. Overall strong malts. Quite a nice level of floral and herbal hops.

T: Quite a nice level of biscuit malts. Brown sugar again. Slight hops with floral and herbal characteristics.

M: Very lively, light to medium body, medium to high carbonation.

D: Very high, very sessionable.

EDIT: had to change my review, I had a bad bottle.

Serving type: bottle

04-27-2010 01:03:02 | More by flipper2gv

ZorPrime

Quebec (Canada)

4.63/5  rDev +19%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

I had to find some good session beer, not out of this world in the taste. Got a 6-pack. Here is my review.

The color is copper, very clear. Bubbles are present and the head is creamy and sticks well to the glass. The aroma presents itself with hops notes and caramel malts. A great aroma, very inviting. On the taste, it is caramel malts instead of being dominated by hops. However, the finish is dry and slightly bitter. It stays in the mouth for a long time... Very good taste but I would prefer a little more hop bite. Not bad at all, it would be perfect with the additional hop bite in the end. Medium body beer with carbonation that is presents in the mouth. A good session beer for everyday.

Serving type: bottle

04-10-2010 22:36:38 | More by ZorPrime

kwjd

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours an orangish colour, with some amount of red in it. Nice half inch head and some lacing down the glass. Nice mild hoppy aroma. It has a nice level of bitterness to it, with some hop flavour to enjoy. Quite well balanced. Not over the top carbonation, which makes this quite drinkable.

I drink this beer often, as it seems to be on tap at several restaurants in Toronto (ie. Harbord Room & Black Hoof). It isn't spectacular, but it is a very solid offering and I'll frequently order it with my meal. I'm able to have several in a sitting without being tired of it too.

Serving type: on-tap

03-09-2010 02:43:30 | More by kwjd

ReFill31

Quebec (Canada)

3.3/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle poured into a pint glass

A : Nice golden color, dense head (almost creamy) that leaves a nice ring on the glass.

S : We can easily detect hops.

T : The bitterness is well balanced, some hops, crisp taste also.

M : Low carbonation, feels watery

D : Really enjoyable, easy to drink.

Overall a good beer but I have seen better from McAuslan breweries.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2010 17:04:53 | More by ReFill31

kjyost

Manitoba (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -12.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured a redder than expected, though not abnormally so, with a short head that did not last long, but did leave light lacing throughout. Smells normal with a bit of citrusy hops, a sweetness on the nose and a couple of times I could have sworn I smelled banana.

The beer itself is balanced, with a crisp light bitterness. Very little in the body save the bitterness and malt. It later sips I caught some fruity flavour. Finishes cleanly. A good crisp level of carbonation. Enjoyable and quite easily sessionable.

Serving type: bottle

03-04-2010 01:01:10 | More by kjyost

bob3701

New Jersey

3.28/5  rDev -15.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured into a Sam Adams glass. Poured a light amber with a big fluffy white head with Ok lacing. Flowery aroma. Kind of a bland taste with big hoppy finish. High carbination in mouth but still very drinkable. Not my first Canadian choice. Much better beers coming out of Montreal.

Serving type: bottle

02-28-2010 22:27:16 | More by bob3701

Otterburn

Quebec (Canada)

4.35/5  rDev +11.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Appearance: color of the brew is amber,lots of white head, creamy foam, medium carbonation

Smell: floral,herbal malty smell

Taste: well balanced brew with a friendly bitterness,some floral notes, that comes and go during the sip

MF: medium carbonation, creamy and fresh at the same time. well strutured body

Drinkability: this is an excellent pale ale
very tasty and easy to drink.

Serving type: bottle

02-15-2010 04:16:20 | More by Otterburn

LittleCreature

Australia

4.08/5  rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Appearance - 4.5
Pours two fingers of moussy cream coloured head over a clear amber-orange body. Good head retention and a little lace.

Smell - 4.0
Subtle, pleasant hop driven smell mostly consisting of floral and fruity hop aromas, with sweet biscuity malt in the background.

Taste - 4.0
Very well balanced pale ale with a biscuity malt and fruity yeast to back up the hops. Bitterness punches strongly in the middle with grapefruit, metallic and spicy flavour, fading in the dry finish.

Mouthfeel - 4.5
Light to medium bodied, with lively carbonation and fine bead.

Drinkability - 4.0
Good session beer that deserves re-visiting.

OVERALL - 4.15
Lovely pale ale that has character far beyond its 5% abv. To me this seems somewhere in between the Belgian and American pale ale styles due to the fruity yeast character.

Serving type: bottle

02-12-2010 07:40:42 | More by LittleCreature

Yoonisaykul

Quebec (Canada)

4.45/5  rDev +14.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 5

341ml
Since I was a kid I've always found this was a really good looking label for a beer.

A- Wow. In my many years of drinking this straight from the bottle I never notice how nice of a head you can get. Beautiful. True lacing. Just clings to the glass everywhere trying to stay alive. Slight yellow hue to the head. Liquid is a true copper (I think).

S- Honey. Lightly roasted malt. Zesty lime hops. Pear.

T-Follows the smell. Bitterness seems perfectly placed.

M- Medium to full bodied. Carbonation also medium to high.

D- High. I don't think I'd mind being stuck with cases of this. You can drink this all the time and not get sick of it. If I had to choose a lifetime supply of a beer (that I had to drink and couldn't sell of course) this would be it. You can drink this all the time and not get sick of it.
A part from mouthfeel which could be a bit crisper, this might very well be a perfect beer.
I've had so many of these growing up as my dad often kept some the fridge. I felt it was good but I was missing so much.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 21:03:15 | More by Yoonisaykul

ritzkiss

Ontario (Canada)

4.15/5  rDev +6.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

12oz bottle, had numerous times but never reviewed. A Canadian classic.

Pours into a pint glass a perfectly clear caramel with a couple fingers of head building up and then slowly receding, leaving small islands of lace down the glass.

Nose is floral hopping, a sweet caramel and biscuit malt, a hint of anise?

Looking for a hoppy West coast APA? This is not your beer. Looking for an immensely drinkable, slightly on the malty side pale ale? This is it. Light to medium floral and grassy hopping, touch of fruitiness, light sweetness, caramel biscuit malt. Light bittering into the finish, tough of honey?, hint of citrus rind.

Not really sure why I like this one because normally I gravitate to the West coast APAs but this is just a well-crafted beer more along the lines of an English Pale Ale. Before I was heavily into craft beer a couple friends and I did a blind tasting and this one took second place. Quite approachable, well made, pairs well with just about any meal - a winner.

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2010 02:44:42 | More by ritzkiss

chickenm

British Columbia (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +10%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Pours a clear copper color with a thin white head. Aroma is fairly sweet, with caramel malts and little bit of floral hops. Malty flavor with some mild bitterness. Medium bodied with a really nice smooth mouthfeel, and very easy to drink. This is more like an English Pale Ale than an APA, but I like this beer a lot!

Serving type: bottle

01-04-2010 03:53:25 | More by chickenm

yelterdow

New Jersey

3.1/5  rDev -20.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Served in a pint glass about 45 minutes out of the fridge. 11.5oz. bottle, here goes.

Appearance- A deep, burnished russet color, this beer pours rather thick with a terrific three-finger head that condenses into a very nice portion of suds. Lacing is evident, clinging to various parts of the glass.

Smell- The malts are prominent, with their bready, sweet aroma overtaking any hop presence. I'm not sure if there is a staleness factor here, as there is no freshness date on the bottle.

Taste- The hops do make an appearance here, mildly bittering the tongue while the malts run amok. The balance is pretty good, but the finish doesn't feel right... a metallic character with a semi-dry tartness hinders whatever the ingredients intend to offer as a curtain call.

Mouthfeel/Drinkability- Easy and gently effervescent, the texture is nice for the style. APAs routinely deliver a nice hop smack to seal the deal, but this particular beer doesn't pull it off. Average at best.

Serving type: bottle

12-30-2009 05:10:55 | More by yelterdow

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

341ml bottle poured into pint glass dec9 2009

A golden copper with a fingers worth of head with decent retention and lace

S very fruity with a fair bit of malt

T not far from the smell but I pick up on a little bit of toffee I didn't smell

M crisp and carbonated not to bad

D not the best balance but a straight across the board good beer, nothing spectacular but pretty solid overall

I think this beer could use a little more hops but that's my only complaint with this beer

Serving type: bottle

12-10-2009 07:16:57 | More by wordemupg

Travlr

District of Columbia

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle at the Faculty Club, University of Toronto, courtesy of MSF.
Deep orange brown, with a small white head and great lacing.
Aroma of pine nuts and orange peel.
Bitter taste with a background of orange and coriander, with a bittersweet finish.
Nice body.
Very drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

12-08-2009 02:05:50 | More by Travlr

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

G: Stein

A: Bronze/copper clear body with 1.5 inch head with poor retention, leaving fine lacing.

S: Floral hops, citrus fruits, subtle caramel and biscuit malts.

T: Sweet peaches, caramel and floral esters upfront with hops following

M: Light-medium body and medium carbonation. Leaves sticky finish that is more dominant than the hops.

D: Nice smooth and great tasting beer. It could be a little more hop dominated, but all in all it is fine. The price point is also expectational.

Serving type: bottle

11-24-2009 02:43:58 | More by Long813

jbowers56

Australia

3.95/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

Clear bronze appearance with a fairly large head. Very nice head retention, remained throughout the glass.

Very fruity hop nose. Get notes of citrus, pineapple, lots of lovely fruits! Didn't get quite as much of the malty sweetness as others seem to describe, but I think I served it a little cold.

Really nice taste. Very good fruity hop flavours, mostly citruss with some slight grassyness. Malt acted to sort of sweeten it out and balance the flavours. If I lived in Canada (or didnt have to pay quite so much for the bottle in australia), this would be the beer I'd go to whenever I needed something refreshing but still very interesting.

Fairly light mouthfeel, but nothing wrong with that for a pale ale.

Drinkability was very good, I had to stop myself guzzling this down quickly (only bought one bottle).

Serving type: bottle

11-23-2009 04:01:25 | More by jbowers56

MeisterBurger

Ontario (Canada)

3.85/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Pours a really nice clear, light caramel orange with a bright white frothy head. Laces respectably.

The aroma reveals nuances of toastiness, caramel and citrus zest and grapefruit notes. Some fruitiness comes out as it warms.

The taste is a wonderfully satisfying caramel malt at first parried by a good hit of bitterness in the finish--mild hints of orange and grapefruit rind linger in the aftertaste. As does a good dose of chalky, minerally dryness. Sort of an English-American pale ale hybrid maybe.

Medium mouthfeel, bright, with a nice slow fade in the finish.

It's a good beer but if I didn't know I wouldn't have pegged it as being in the top 25 beers in Canada as it's rated here. It's number 17 as of right now and I kind of feel like I've had way more than 16 Canadian beers I liked better than this. But still, great malt backbone for a pale ale. Very nicely done.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2009 02:29:53 | More by MeisterBurger

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

4.4/5  rDev +13.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Number three of my McAuslan mix pack, and apparently one of the best beers in Canada. Lets see how this bad boy does.

Appearance: Wow, pours with a solid two thumbs of head that lace very well and retains decently. The body itself is a clear bronze that boasts an abundance of small bubbles of carbonation. The only downside I can see is the retention could be better.

Smell: A very fragrant beer as fruity esters and floral hops harmoniously dominate the nose. A background of lightly roasted caramel malt and an almost shortbread biscuit scent are in the background. My biggest qualm though is it took quite a bit of warming to come out and could be stronger.

Taste: Starts with nice sweet caramel malt with a hint of peaches that shifts to a more floral, fruity and herbal hop mix balanced with a solid backing of grain, and a still somewhat sustained malt. The only thing stopping it from a perfect score is that the starting tastes seem to hold strong for a little bit too long.

Mouthfeel: Exceptional transitioning and a prime example of using well balanced hops to clean up the pallet, but still allow a degree and malt and hop aftertaste to linger for just the right amount of time. Carbonation is exceptional as well, and the only issue is the somewhat dryness left behind.

Drinkability: Certainly no issues getting this one down, and is sitting very admirably in my paunch. Smooth going down, and an honest pleasure to drink all around. The dryness is the only issue, as it doesn't quite make the beer as refreshing as it could be.

Final Thoughts: Wow, I'm not the hugest fan of Pale Ales, but this is without a doubt the best one I've had thus far. This beer certainly deserves to be one of Canada's top 25. You would not go wrong buying a 24 of this, and I'm considering doing just that. I got one more bottle of this in my mix pack, and I am going to enjoy it, that is for sure.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2009 07:49:04 | More by TheHammer

ludachris

Ontario (Canada)

4.43/5  rDev +13.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Got this from my latest trade with TheHammer. Thanks Markasaurus rex. Had this before and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pours a clear copper hue with golden highlights and a two finger chunky, off-white head that leaves some suddy, watery lace.

Excellent mash of toasted malts, biscuit, juicy citrus and herbal hops in the nose.

Quick dash of biscuit and toasted malts before a burst of herbal hops and citrus hit the tongue, but both manage not to over assert themselves in the midst of the malt.

Medium bodied, lightly creamy with a dry hoppy finish and kick of carbonation. Very well balanced and very, very easy to drink. Only complaint would be the somewhat watery finish.

Overall, the best beer I've had from this brewery thus far. Loved their oatmeal stout but for me, this brew tops it. Tasty, great hop presence, excellently balanced and an easy quaffer. One of my favorite APA's I've had to date.

Serving type: bottle

11-10-2009 03:31:50 | More by ludachris

nighthawk

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4.2/5  rDev +8%
look: 5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

341mL bottle from the "Premium Taste Pack". Freshness date printed on back label, pouring this one into a pint glass.

A generous head is produced on first pour, several fingers high, slowly receding to one finger of white cap that lasts until the beer is finished, and leaves plenty of lacing on the glass. Body is a crystal-clear copper.

Nicely balanced aroma with some wheat, toasted biscuit, toffee and a nice blend of herbal and sweetly citrus hops.

Flavours of honeyed, toasted biscuit, a touch of wheat, caramel, finishing with some dark fruit and nicely bitter and floral hops. Throughout, the malty flavours mingle with nice, grassy (but not abrasively so) and tea- and flower-like hops.

Mouthfeel is a full medium body, with nicely assertive carbonation that gives it balance and a refreshing bite. Clean and crisp.

Great drinkability, it's a beautifully balanced, flavourful and refreshing beer. A pleasure to knock back a few, this beer is probably one of my favourites to session, or order while at a discerning bar.

Serving type: bottle

11-07-2009 19:13:23 | More by nighthawk