St. Ambroise Pale Ale

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: American Pale Ale
Montreal, Canada

This beer is like candy. The first few drops really taste like caramel... but then the real fiesta starts as the after taste hits like a Todd Bertuzzi going on rampage! Rich, warming presence, this is a beautiful example of a pale ale, one that many should take as an model.

This is the beer that kick-started the McAuslan brewery, is owner Peter McAuslan’s labor of love, and has been surprisingly consistent from its inception roughly two decades ago. A true IPA, this beer is only closely rivaled by Bass and some other great British beers. Bitter, with few to no residual esters, this beer goes down smooth and seems to always fit the season. Whether it be a hot summer day when a cool refreshing beer is demanded, to a cold blustery winter horror, St. Ambroise Pale Ale always seems to suit the mood and occasion. Even as a beer lover who prefers Pilseners to ales, this beer is a standout.

Poured from 11.5oz bottle into pint glass Aroma - Malty, fruity, yeasty. Slightest hint of citrusy hops Appearance - Dark golden amber with large, creamy white head. Considerable lacing on the glass. Flavor - Full malt flavor with fruit and yeast, followed by a very tasteful use of hops. This is delicious! Palate - Light to medium with a very crisp finish. Leaves you longing for the next sip. Overall - Very drinkable. This bridges the hop gap between British and American pale ale.

In my opinion, this is what an American pale ale should be. None of this wussy "not quite" crap that so many breweries put out, and none of the hopelessly unbalanced 6,000 IBU stuff that others think is necessary for a good APA. No, this one neither dissapoints nor assaults. Wonderful floral aroma and malt sweetness in the nose, perfectly balanced. Pours with a nice head, and the first sip is a tasty sweet malt nicely balanced by a perfectly generous dose of hops, medium body and mouthfeel, with a lingering and rather dry finish. Everything an APA should be.

Great copper color, malty nose, prime aftertaste/bite. A new favorite for me for sure!

Flowery hop aroma. Clear amber colour with two-finger white head that receeds to a film with lacing throughout. Wonderful hop flavours with a nice malt character to back it up and some fruitiness. Definitely balanced on the hoppy side with plenty of lasting bitterness. Medium-light body - a good refresher or an excellent session beer. Bottle.

341 ml bottle. poured amber with an average white head. terrific hop aromas with detectable malts also in the nose. a nice floral bouquet with a citris punch fading into sweet grass soaked in honey. great well balanced progressive flavours that are tasty without being complex. an awesome apa.

Once again McAuslan wows me. I have had many Pale Ales (mostly English) to which I have not enjoyed nearly as much as this. It has a beautiful hop presence that should be in all pale ales. Word to the wise: do not purchase this beer if you are not in favour of hop flavouring.