St Ambroise Special Reserve Russian Imperial Stout – McAuslan Brewing Inc.

There is no secret about my love for McAuslan Brewing from Montreal.  I kind of go on and on about them….. Their Pale Ale makes me quiver, etc.  So, when I was sent a bunch of their brews, I was a little more than excited.  That it included their new barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout nearly put me over the edge.  This is a style that could go badly wrong; both Russian Imperial Stouts and anything barrel-aged have the potential for disaster.  But McAuslan is so damn good at what they do, fear wasn’t even on the radar.  Just pure excitement.  I’ve actually had to wait quite a while to do this review, but today is the day, and here it is!  Now, to clear up a few things.  McAuslan is noted for their excellent English-style beers.  So why the Russian Imperial Stout, you ask?  Well, without delving too deeply (there’s a Balrog down there somewhere), Russian Imperial Stouts were stouts, made in England, to be shipped via the Baltic Sea to St. Petersburgh and the courts of Catherine the Great.  Not Russian-made stouts.  The style has become quite popular in the USA and Canada recently, and is often one of the more sought-after brews from a brewery.  This particular iteration is aged in bourbon barrels, which is (sort of) true to form.  The originals would have been shipped in oak casks to Russia.  I’m no spirit-historian, but I imagine they wouldn’t have been Bourbon casks in the days of Catherine.  That being said, in today’s world, Bourbon barrels are easy to come by.  This stems from the fact that *all* Bourbon must be aged in a new barrel.  This law means that while finding a cooper (barrel-maker) in, say, Orilla Ontario is probably next to impossible, in Kentucky you are hard pressed not to physically bump into one at your local BBQ joint.  It also means that there is a ready source for Bourbon barrels, and brewers are taking advantage of their lovely vanilla-scented staves, and aging beers in them. Phew, let’s do this!

St Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout - McAuslan Brewing Inc

St Ambroise Russian Imperial Stout – McAuslan Brewing Inc

From a 341ml ISB with both a printed batch number and a vintage year on the label, St Ambroise’s Russian Imperial Stout pours a solid opaque black with glimmers of ruby at the edges when held up to a bright light. I think it’s actually pulling light from my house into it, as it seems to be getting darker here.  There is 2″ of dense head in a shade of mocha brown that I’ve never seen on a beer before.  It slowly drops a bit, but stays thick enough you could probably walk on it, and leaves more of a wool sweater than a lace on the glass.  Aroma is just amazing, wet sharp hops, vanilla, cocoa powder, coffee, tobacco, leather, oak, and a bit of a boozy tang.  I’m not sure I’m not going to cry when I drink this.  Let’s see.  Taste is really quite well balanced.  There is immediately signature oak-aged bourbon/vanilla, just textbook.  More cocoa and chocolate are forefront, with a  nice smokey roasted character lingering, hinting at coffee.  Hops are there too, and are a little herbal, which adds an interesting depth, as opposed to a spicy hop.  On the back of your palate and the finish, there is little bursts of leather, charred wood, tobacco and more bourbon.  There is no doubt, this is a beer best consumed warm; McAuslan recommends 13-15C on the packaging, and I agree.  Sweetness and even little hints of dried fruits are coming out as the beer warms, as well as a spirit-like warming feeling in my throat.  And that vanilla oak loveliness just keeps on popping back up.  Oak-aging is a tough balance, and it seems like McAuslan has nailed it here.  Enough oak to add to the over-all character, but not so much that it becomes the flavour of the beer.  This is wonderful and yet not surprising.  In your mouth, the beer carries a great weight, but in a delicate way.  It is not heavy or cloying, but is velvety and dense, cut slightly by it’s carbonation.  Knowing what I do about these beers, it is both hugely sweet, and yet checked by what is probably a massive amount of hops.  As such, there is a pleasing dryness on your cheeks and tongue, without being sticky or overly bitter.  While there is no doubt you will want to sip and savour this, it goes down remarkably easy (and so I will remark on it).  It hides it’s 9.2% well, but does have a bit of a warming feeling, though I think with the massive flavour profile the actual pop of the alcohol gets well disguised.  While I wouldn’t say this beer drinks as a “young” beer, I have no doubt it would settle and change with some time in a bottle.  This is another time to buy a case, drink one now, and each subsequent one for the next five years.  I bet you won’t be unhappy with the results.  It’s available at the LCBO now, but it will go quickly.  Pick up some of their Vintage Ale while you’re there.  Another lovely winter-warmer.

Sante, McAuslan.  Thanks for another amazing brew.

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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