St Ambroise Erable — McAuslan Brewery

I don’t even know if I can adequately describe in words how much I love maple syrup. When I buy a new bottle (always Ontario), I open it on the spot and take a swig.  Ben does this now, too.  Be aware, if you are pouring syrup out of a bottle that I bought, it’s had my mouth on it.  I nearly always buy those little maple sugar candies that the syrup sellers always have on their tables, too.  While I love the pursuit of the ideal pancake (and I’m closing in on it), basically as soon as the first bite or two has confirmed the quality of that batch, I really only care about the pancake as a vessel to transport the syrup to my mouth.  So, it goes without saying, I’m a fan of maple beers.  Much more so than honey beers.  They vary in mapliness, but many are delightful.  And as the sap runs in the trees, it’s time to start drinking them again.  First one this year for me, is St Ambroise Erable by McAuslan Brewery

St Ambroise Erable — McAuslan Brewery

St Ambroise Erable — McAuslan Brewery

Maple is my staple” — “Fearless” Fred Kennedy

From a 341ml bottle, St Ambroise Erable pours a bright clear deep copper red.  About 1″ of frothy head dropped to some fuzzy film that made a decent ring and left some good lace on the glass. Aroma is huge maple syrup.  Classic, sweet rich woody goodness.  There are hints of the malts as well, and a little trace of fruitiness.  But it’s a maple-fisted punch to your nose, in the best possible way. On the palate, there is a lot more balance.  In fact, initially it just shows some malty sweetness, which only pops into big maple syrup as it moves back on your palate.  There is definitely biscuity malts, as well as a nice touch of herbal hop.  The finish is all sweet maple syrup, though, with touches of hops and that hint of fruitiness (which I’m assuming is the yeast).  I’m torn on something though.  I kind of want the body to be heavier.  But that might just be because I’m half expecting it to be actual syrup, not beer.  As it is, it drinks like a nice brown ale, good carbonation with enough weight to be felt.  You could certainly get through a bunch of these. And I probably will.  J’adore.

Sante, McAuslan!

Buy St Ambroise Erable

Roughly 40 kegs of this delight is on it’s way to Toronto as I type.  You can find it on tap anywhere that you usually find St Ambroise products.  And the good news, is they’re applying for a listing next year at the LCBO.

Drink It With

Well, pancakes.  It’s okay, if you’re not comfortable drinking beer at breakfast, have flapjacks for dinner! For cheese, I would pair this with something sturdy, but not too big.  Maybe a nice piece of Emmenthaler would do the trick.

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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