St. Ambroise Vintage Ale

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Montreal, Canada

Fruity, malty aroma, with some tangerine, orange and peach, with a sharp, brash, alcoholic flair. Deep, dark reddish orange in color, opaque, fine carbonation and a slight head. Flavor meanders in some interesting directions, starting off acidic, malty, fruity, sweet and yeasty, then becoming spicy and dry, this being the advent of the faintly bitter hops, before a long, lingering, warmly alcoholic finish. Aftertaste is a swirling ribbon of malt sweetness. Seems to be at about the right age but would probably be fine a year from now as well, if stored properly. Distinctly different character than the '99 Vintage.
Earlier Rating: 1/15/2003 Total Score: 4.2
Rich, sweet, malty aroma, with some light brown sugar, a touch of alcohol, faint mulling spices and a floral component that gently appears as it warms. Hazy, bright, fetching orange-red color, very light, delicate effervescence and a slight head. Flavor echoes the tone set by the aroma, with a deep, richly sweet, mouth-filling maltiness (very dessert-like), with warming alcohol, and towards the long finish some very light, spicy hop flavor and bitterness. Aftertaste is nutty, sweet and fruity, with some red apple, pear and orange, golden raisin and plum. Indulgent and quite a treat. As it is brewed in January, so is it a fine month in which to enjoy.

RBESG05: Strong caramel and raisin aroma. Dark amber with a dark beige head. Sweet caramel, dark fruits. A little cloying in some parts, but nice and warming. A real winter sipper.

cloudy and brownish orange..big bubbled head..malty, agey aroma..creamy mouthfeel...flavors of alcohol, rhubarb, hops, pine needles, and grass..
Earlier Rating: 3/19/2003 Total Score: 3.8
A drunken sunset of brilliant oranges and reds hides opaquely behind the clouds..a living nose of red licorice, dried banana chips, cherry pie filling, sugar-dusted dried figs, and orange fused whipped-cream...the top was covered in a dirty cream...a creamy mouthfeel comforts a bitter backing while red licorice rides the creamy waves of the smokey ocean..subtle whispers of orange zest and bourbon contributing nicely to a chewy experience..

Shared at Cleveland tasting 3/15 2007 Bottle: Pours a clear copper with an off white head. Aroma, some caramel, boozy, grains. Flavor, yeast, sweet caramel, some vanilla, fruits, and an earthyness to it.

07 bottle courtesy of mr. Greg tpd975. Pours copper with white head. Aroma is malty with nice fruity nose reminding me of apricot.. Taste is again malty with light caramel and nice fruity mouthfeel apricot like giving the beer a warming thick palate.

12 oz bottle 2001 thanks to Sasquach 911. Murky Brown with medium floaties. Ok head faded quickly. Very Malty aromas. Heavy molassas, raisin, prune, roasted sugars. Deicious!!!! Chocolate on the flavor, more dark fruit. Some subtle spicing. More Caramel in the finish. Hoppiness is great. Not too much bitterness. Awesome stuff. Thanks a billion Francios!!!!!!!

Hazed dark copper with a thin bubbled on the edge white film. Wet acorn nose.menthol plum flavor that leaves a twang of starburst candy orange flavor. 3 7 7 5 16

2001Deep copper with a quickly dissapating tan head. The aroma is quite strong, caramel, musty, toffee, and some butterscotch. A huge and complex aroma. The flavor is also massive, caramel and butterscotch dominate, with some alcohol coming in towards the end. The palate is exsquisite, full and bitter (even after 4 years). Damn fine brew. Thanks a unch to radiomgb!