St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout – McAuslan Brewing Inc.

So the McAuslan brewery, in Montreal, makes a variety of beers, most of which are difficult, at best, to find in Ontario.  St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is available at a few locations around Toronto, but most people will have never had it.  Loads of people are familiar with their Apricot Wheat beer, which is a popular drink through the summer.  Their Pale Ale is incredible, but is rarely around.  But we’re talking about their Oatmeal Stout.  This particular bottle was brought to me from Montreal from my friend and La Belle Crawl cohort, Rob.  I’ve never had it in a bottle, so let’s see what’s up:

St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - McAuslan Brewing Inc

St Ambroise Oatmeal Stout - McAuslan Brewing Inc

From a 341ml bottle with a best before date on the back label, the beer pours an opaque black, with hints of brown at the edges.  A decent head dissipates fairly quickly to a nice film and ring.  The aroma is molasses and burnt sugar, some dark fruits and a nice little hint of hops in the background.  Taste is marvelous, coffee, chocolate and burnt sugar prevail, but with a clear spicy hop that cuts through and cleans up.  Hints of pepper and and cedar are in there if you look for it.  A bit fuller bodied then your average dry stout, thanks to the oatmeal, but it’s still a fairly light-bodied beer.  There is a good carbonation, but the complexity of the brew keeps this from being a gulping beer.  Still, I could drink a lot of this over the span of a night.  Such a great beer, if you like stout, seek this brew out, you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks Rob!

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