St-Ambroise Scotch Ale - McAuslan Brewing

Long813

Nova Scotia (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -5.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

A: Dark brown body with one finger of mocha head. Retention is poor as is lacing.

S: Aroma of sweet malts and dark fruit. Light notes, but distinguishes the style.

T: Light in flavour as well, hard to pick out much. Sweet malts with dark fruit mixed in with a distinct earthiness. Some amount of bitter hops, but only faint.

M: Medium bodied with medium-low carbonation. The texture is very water like with some earthy aftertaste that lingers. No alcohol notes.

O: It's a easy brew to drink, but I find that it lacks character. It's very watery for what I like in a Scotch Ale.

Serving type: bottle

06-09-2011 21:44:11 | More by Long813

ThinkAgain

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

03-27-2013 01:40:53 | More by ThinkAgain

yancot

Ontario (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

03-09-2013 04:42:38 | More by yancot

Haydn-Juby

Quebec (Canada)

4.05/5  rDev +8.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Served from a 341ml bottle

A: Nice dark brown with red hues coming through when up against light. Pretty small, maybe half finger head with some lacing.

S: Candied dark fruits. Very sweet candy like smell.

T: The candied fruit in the aroma is not so present in the taste it is still there however. Caramel and sweet malts are the most present flavor in this. Some nice hops that help simmer down the sweetness of the malts. Nicely balance. Its malty but at the same time its not cloyingly sweet. Some of the alcohol is noticeable but that is not out of key for the style.

M: Smooth going down. Leaves a nice caramel after taste.

O: I could picture my self besides a fire sipping this after a cold winters day or paring it with a deeply marinated roast. It was enjoyable.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2013 21:26:15 | More by Haydn-Juby

thehyperduck

Ontario (Canada)

3.56/5  rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

341 mL bottle from the LCBO, care of the brewery's winter sampler pack. Bottled Sept. 27 2012. I tend to love McAuslan's offerings, so I've got high hopes for this one - which happens to be the only brew in this pack I haven't tried previously. Served only slightly chilled.

Pours a beautiful deep translucent copper-ruby colour, topped with about one finger's worth of foamy, fizzy, light beige-coloured head. It fades away rather quickly, with only a thin film on the surface remaining a few minutes later. The aroma is pleasant and very malt-forward, with lots of toffee and molasses sweetness, as well as some raisins and black cherry. The peat becomes a bit more noticeable as the glass warms to room temperature.

The taste is alright, but not especially interesting. Sweet malt notes are in the forefront at first, with lots of butterscotch/toffee accompanied by vanilla, figs and raisins. These flavours are abruptly interrupted with a solid dose of bitter dryness - a little leafy, with hints of dark chocolate, molasses and rum. On the light side of medium-bodied... too thin for something that is supposed to be a winter sipper. The carbonation seems high at first, but settles as I sip my way through the glass. Not something I'd want to drink large quantities of, but this bottle is fine for a cold afternoon.

Final Grade: 3.56, a respectable B grade. St-Ambroise Scotch Ale isn't one of McAuslan's best beers, not by a longshot. That being said, it makes for a decent warmer during the cold winter months, reminding me of some of the heavier I&G offerings (e.g. the rum cask). I doubt I'd go out of my way to try this again (perhaps on-tap), but to be fair its presence is no reason to avoid the sampler, because the oatmeal stout and pale ale are both excellent. An acceptable sipper, but as far as wee heavies go, I've had better.

Serving type: bottle

02-24-2013 19:08:59 | More by thehyperduck

BigGruntyThirst

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-16-2013 23:41:05 | More by BigGruntyThirst

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-15-2013 02:20:24 | More by DaPan

4ster

Quebec (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +0.8%

02-05-2013 02:06:57 | More by 4ster

djcreepshow

Nova Scotia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.5%

01-05-2013 04:31:18 | More by djcreepshow

cfalovo97

Ontario (Canada)

2/5  rDev -46.2%

12-20-2012 02:33:03 | More by cfalovo97

TerryW

Ontario (Canada)

3/5  rDev -19.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A lightweight compared to other beers of the same style.

Pours a decent head the disappears pretty much immediately. No head, no film, no ring, no lace. Chestnut coloured brew, not as dark as a cola. Aroma is primarily malt and a whiff of smoke.

Drinks fairly sweet, surprisingly little smoke and the high alcohol is generally well hidden. Thin bodied, rather high carbonation. Doesn't have the earthiness you'd expect. Alcohol raises its head in the finish.

Nothing really special about this, subdued character, just a faceless macro brew.

Serving type: bottle

12-09-2012 14:52:25 | More by TerryW

rappmann

Ontario (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

Poured into St-Ambroise nonic pint glass after work. Reviewed from notes.

A - Deep brown almost burgundy in colour, reminiscent of caramel. Barely any noticeable mocha head that disappears instantly.

S - Dark fruits, figs, plums, raisons, and rum. Lots of sweetness.

T - Really sweet malt, a lot of the same dark fruits from the nose. A little too sweet but not a deal breaker.

M - Nice carbonation, and rather easy drinking for such a heavy beer.

O - A nice change to the regular all McAuslan lineup at my job. Glad I got to try it, but won't be missing it too much until next year.

Serving type: on-tap

12-08-2012 16:47:00 | More by rappmann

TheHammer

Ontario (Canada)

3.73/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 2.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This is SPARTA!!!! This is review #300 for me! I was saving La Fin Du Monde for this one, but I figured it would be more appropriate to save it till December 21st and see if the Mayans were right.

Appearance: Produced a finger of head that did not lace and quickly evaporated. The body is a fine dark ruby with deep brown and bronze highlights with low carbonation.

Smell: A deep well roasted malt backed by vanilla and tea notes hides a complex note of peat and smoke. It didn't require a lot of warming to come out.

Taste: Start with a smoky dose of toffee malt with a backing of raisins that turns into a sweeter butterscotch, vanilla and rounds out with a slight hint of peat to a thick molasses and plum end.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation on this one falls flat quick and the complete lack of head is disappointing. However it gains ground by leaving a nice mixed aftertaste that doesn't cling at all, which is surprising given the molasses taste.

Drinkability: A little bit on the sweet side, but all in all entirely easy to get down and medium bodied. The low carbonation gives it a degree of smoothness and it certainly keeps you interested from start to finish, although doesn't quite have that wow factor.

Final Thoughts: All in all a solid offering, which I think would go very well with cabbage for some reason. I wouldn't say this is the cream of McAuslan's crop by any means, but I enjoyed it all the same.

Serving type: bottle

12-04-2012 01:37:43 | More by TheHammer

KalanM

British Columbia (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.5%

11-29-2012 01:26:07 | More by KalanM

Saem

4/5  rDev +7.5%

10-23-2012 04:24:15 | More by Saem

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +14.2%

09-20-2012 22:52:06 | More by Molson2000

Melomanemusher

Quebec (Canada)

4/5  rDev +7.5%

08-07-2012 02:37:56 | More by Melomanemusher

wookievath

Quebec (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -5.9%

06-18-2012 02:37:50 | More by wookievath

CookstLiquor

British Columbia (Canada)

4.28/5  rDev +15.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful chestnut brown colour, with a nice beige head. Not a ton of aroma, but what's there--hints of vanilla, nuts, caramelly malt--is nice. The nose really doesn't prepare you for the amazing smoothness and flavour on the palate. The vanilla is definitely present, along with some sweet, cooked malt notes. The mouthfeel is amazingly creamy and round, and there's just the right amount of bitterness at the end to tie it all together. Very easy drinking wee heavy. Totally delicious.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2012 18:21:37 | More by CookstLiquor

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

3.2/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Bottle courtesy of pushkinwow. Poured in to Founders tulip.

A - Dark amber. One finger of bubbly light brown head that reduced to a thin layer.

S - Very weak nose. Some bready malts with very light dark caramel and toffee notes.

T - Smoke up front, giving way to toffee, whiskey and light maple syrup flavours. Bready malts are present too but not dominant as they were in the nose.

M - Medium body, light to moderate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

05-20-2012 02:11:44 | More by TheSevenDuffs

NightINgale

Quebec (Canada)

3.78/5  rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

341ml bottle

A - Pours a very nice ruby red/medium brown body, with a nice caramel-coloured head. Very good head retention and decent lacing. Looks just like the great Scottish examples of the style.

S - Not a particularly strong aroma, but it is aromatic enough nonetheless (caramel, vanilla, chocolate and some peat).

T - Tastes very malty, with strong notes of caramel, butterscotch and vanilla. Also hints of peat and raisins. The finish is quite bitter and a little bit dry. After this beer warms up, the finish becomes more complex and even more enjoyable; I started tasting cherries and dark chocolate.

M - Medium body and carbonation. A little bit boozy, with some noticeable heat. There is also a slight sourness to it. Nevertheless, it goes down quite smoothly.

O - Another interesting beer from McAuslan I'm glad I've finally tried. Not the best wee heavy out there, but this is definitely a solid example of the style. Could also be a good beer to get into the style with.

Serving type: bottle

04-25-2012 23:02:48 | More by NightINgale

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

3.25/5  rDev -12.6%

03-15-2012 13:09:48 | More by oldp0rt

MrKennedy

Australia

3.08/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

12oz bottle from Warners at the Bay, poured into a Mikkeller tulip.

Has a dark colour with ruby tinged around the edges that are exacerbated when held up to light. Cool looking, yellow-orange-tan coloured foam that sits atop. Turns to film pretty soon.

Smells of vanilla, toffee, caramel. Quite good,

Tastes of dark fruit, booze and little else. Could be nice, but the booze damages it.

A bit boozy, some heat. Otherwise smooth, consistent and drinkable.

The booze hurts this, otherwise an ok scotch ale with a nice smooth and consistent fruitiness.

Serving type: bottle

02-11-2012 11:27:51 | More by MrKennedy

leaddog

Alberta (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance- Pours a medium copper brown with a thin, bubbly off-white head. Bubbles are present.

Smell- Vanilla, butterscotch, dark fruits, sweet malts, buttered rum.

Taste- Predominant flavours are the fruits and vanilla. Hint of butterscotch comes through. Sweetness remains as you drink this with no bitterness coming through in the aftertaste. Very, very minimal hops flavour.

Mouthfeel- Medium bodied with light carbonation and good smoothness.

Overall- Good representation of the style by St Ambroise. There are some unique sweet flavours that I quite enjoy. Worth a try for those looking to get into the style.

Serving type: bottle

02-03-2012 05:39:07 | More by leaddog

jrempel

Quebec (Canada)

5/5  rDev +34.4%

01-31-2012 03:21:13 | More by jrempel