St Ambroise Pale Ale — McAuslan Brewery

I was seriously shocked when I checked and discovered I had never actually reviewed McAuslan’s St Ambroise Pale Ale.  I mean, I drink it frequently, both in bottles and on draught.  I often sing it’s praises to others, and feel that it is one of the best English-style pale ales available in Ontario, if not the country.  So I was super excited when I got a few of their new tall boy cans, and assumed it would just be a nice news notice here.  But then there it was: no review.  So happily I sat down and put on my serious-beer-guy hat and got into it.  Here we go!

st-ambroise-pale-ale

From a 473ml tall boy can, McAuslan’s St Ambroise Pale Ale pours a bright, clear orange/copper with a generous dense head.  Aroma is huge, and seems to pop much more than in the bottle.  Hops are super clean and fresh, a little leafy with some tea like notes.  A little pop of lemon brightens it up.  Malts are classic and biscuity.  A touch of woodiness and hints of tree fruits, maybe pear and apple?  It really is like the bottle version turned up to 11.  Not sure if this is partially recipe-tweaking (which I doubt) or simply the difference in packaging.  Perhaps a more turbulent pour?  I don’t know, but I know I like it.  I know if this rotator-cuff shapes up by summer, more than a few of these will accompany me in my golf bag for the few rounds I get in.  Taste is absolutely impeccable.  Nicely dry and tannic hops, sweet malts showing up after the initial hop, with biscuit and rye bread, slightly fruity British ale yeast, definitely adding a trace of pear and a very clean dry hoppy finish.  For English-style pale ale, I seriously doubt will find a better example anywhere in Canada, if not the continent.  Hop forward but well balanced.  Nearly medium body with a creamy carbonation, and nice sharply dry finish.  Just incredible.  Now make sure you understand: this is no American Pale, with big juicy hops and moderate bitterness.    It is a bitter beer to be sure, and hops are a key flavour, but they are old-world.  A true classic, and seemingly all the better for the new cans.  Certainly, for outdoor applications — while brown bottles are good at light-protection — it’s hard to be a totally light-proof can.  All I can say is: Buy this beer.  Lots of it.  I wish I had a whole shelf of it in my new beer fridge.

Cheers McAuslan!

Buy McAuslan St Ambroise Pale Ale

Well, it’s certianly on tap around the city (notably at Barque, that excellent smoke-house on Roncesvalles. No shortage of excellent dishes there to pair with the St Ambroise line-up, particularly the Pale Ale and Oatmeal Stout).  But you are reading about the tall-boys, and want to know more.  So here you go:  LCBO #331264 it will be on shelves sometime in March.

Drink It With

Well, it’s a classic English-style pale ale, why not have a go at Britain’s “National Dish”, Chicken Tikka Masala?  Hint, it’s hard to find this in Toronto (it’s not actually an Indian or Pakistani dish, it was created/adapted in the UK), but it’s an easy enough meal to make.  Plus, you can sub the chicken with fish, shrimp, tofu, paneer cheese or just veggies.  In the “original” version, you add tandoori chicken to a sauce of tomatoes and yogurt with spices.  Generally, the chicken (or whatever) will be marinated and roasted in a tandoor, but as I don’t have one (honestly, one of the few cooking implements I lack…), I generally just do a one-step, where the marinated “meat” is sauteed with some onions and celery dice, and the spices.  I usually go simple, with cumin, coriander seed, tumeric and cinnamon.  Sort of deglaze with a jar of canned tomatoes (always whole, then diced or pureed as needed, unless you preserve your own tomatoes from whole, like me, in which case diced are fine) then mix in some yoghurt.  Adjust spices/salt as needed, and add either cream or coconut milk if you need to thin the sauce.  Serve with rice or naan (pro-tip: buy it from your local *good* Indian/Pakistani restaurant.  It’s hard to make, generally lousy when bought prepared at the grocery store (PC’s version is the somewhat expensive exception here) and to be fair, something they make in large volumes daily anyway).  I’m copping out, because I want to do other stuff, but for cheese pairing, I think it goes without saying: paneer cheese.  Ideally in a Paneer Tikka Masala…….

About the Brewery

St Ambroise - McAuslan LogoMcAuslan Brewing began operations in January of 1989. Located at 4850 St-Ambroise Street in Montreal’s St-Henri district, it has established itself as Quebec’s foremost micro-brewery.

The brewery launched its first beer in February 1989. St-Ambroise Pale Ale was an immediate success. Its distinctive hoppy-ness and clear reddish hue set it apart and gained it an instant following. Shortly after, McAuslan Brewing became the first micro-brewery to offer its product in bottles.

http://www.mcauslan.com/

 

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