St. Ambroise Vintage Ale

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: Barley Wine
Montreal, Canada

2001 bottle. Dark orange-copper hazy body topped with a beautiful, thick and lasting off-white head. Vineous and complex nose that carries chocolate, butterscotch and alcohol aromas. There are also some tiny notes of roasted coffee. Taste is incredibly rich. It is made of varions flavors of chocolate malt, caramel and brown sugar. Lovely smokey hints and warming effect. Finish is long, warming and moderately bitter. That amazing beer clearly deserves to stand among Ratebeer’s top 50. Could not find better for number 200!!!

341 ml, 2006. Clear copper with a spongy white head. Nose is woody orange and toffee; slightly herbal. Tingly medium body but feels lighter. Alcohol sneaks up on you. Taste is candied orange peel, caramel, juniper and melon. Long bittersweet grassy finish. Well balanced, deep and complex. Good stuff.

2007 amber color, good amount of white foam, toffee nose strong alcohol. taste is sweet malts alcohol, and mild hops. Decent beer will see with some age

2001 vintage bottle, 9.6%abv. Hazy amber with no head. Aroma is mostly yeasty and a bit fruity with some cherries, and some light alcohol. The flavor is smooth, alcoholic, and sweet, with bright fruit and some yeast. Medium-full bodied with almost no carbonation leaving a pretty flat, dead feel. Some decent flavors going on, but this should have been drunk a few years ago.

Dark orange color, big frothy tan colored head. Brown sugar, some citrusy notes and alcohol in the nose. Syruppy smooth mouthfeel. Thick and lots of maltiness with a tinge of hops in the palate, some spiciness. Good carbo. A fine beer, but as Oakes says, can stand for a little aging. There are some flavors that couldn’t fully express themselves yet. I say this because I couldn’t quite define them. Defenitely a good brew, nice to see a barely wine in these parts for once.

2001 Vintage. Reddish amber color, thin tan head. Full and rich aroma of caramel, plums, figs, dates, and malt. Fruity and sweet, but not overly so. If the alcohol was pretty hot when it came out, it has mellowed nicely. Rich and velvety mouthfeel. You want to savor it because it’s so nice, but you could easily quaff this stuff because it’s just so damn drinkable. If you have a bottle in your cellar do yourself a favor and crack it open, she’s ready to be opened! Thanks beerhugger for the treat.
Earlier Rating: 11/2/2004 Total Score: 4.3
Pours a great looking reddish amber color, moderate and longer lasting beige head. Big peachy aroma, some cherry, lots of malt, and some hops fighting for attention. Pretty sweet, fruity, a bit of alcohol. Smooth, rich body, still a little boozy, but not overpowering. A fantastic beer. Thanks so much DougShoemaker!

2001 Vintage. Orange-copper colour w/ wispy head. Brandyish nose w/ hints of orange, brown sugar, raisins & alcohol. Thick, chewy feel. Smooth, complex flavour of brown sugar, caramel, cherries, plums, burnt toast, wood, & spice.

2000 Vintage. Lovely reddish copper colour w/ slight head. Brandyish nose w/ hints of cherries, mint & alcohol. Thick, chewy mouthfeel. Flavour: nice melange of brown sugar, caramel, cherries, plums, burnt toast. Also slightly woody & meaty. Salty, spicy finish.

Aroma 8; Appearance 4; Flavour 8; Palate 3; Overall 15; Total Score 3.8.

Vintage 2001. Huge sweet and sticky aroma, notes of plums, overripe pears, sweet cookie dough, a very pleasant hint of alcohol. Murky dark red to brownish body, with a nice creamy light tan head. Lots of sweetness in the flavor, like caramellized fruits, figs, dades, some cane sugar, a bit oaky in the end. Just the right amount of alcohol, it gives a wonderful warming sensation in the throat and stomach. Very smooth and full bodied palate. Although it has been leaking a bit from the cap under its journey, its not noticeable in the beer. Thanks a bunch to radiomgb for sending this gem.