St-Ambroise Pale Ale
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 5%
Presentation: 6 packs of 341 ml brown bottles
Brewery: McAuslan Brewing
Country: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
KANPAI! w/ Jeff Werstiuk
While it started out in 1989 during Montreal’s first wave of microbreweries, the McAuslan Brewery has exercised its staying power over the past couple of decades by producing top notch yet easily consumable beers, regardless of whatever style they tackled. Although their beers have been available here in Alberta for a good six years now, we are still only privy to their Apricot Wheat Ale, world class Oatmeal Stout, and refined Pale Ale.
It’s this last beer that has stood out as McAuslan’s flagship beer since day one, and has managed to maintain such a lengthy reign with a bearing of subtle complexity and solid character. After all, the style of Pale Ale is a ubiquitous mainstay within almost any craft brewery or brewpub to be found throughout North America, at times so unrecognizable from its neighbours that it sadly can be coined as the “vanilla” of craft beer styles.
Proper glassware won’t be too big of a concern for this St-Ambroise Pale Ale, it’s pretty versatile, so the standard mug or pint glass will serve well. Even with the nuances to discover within a fairly chilled temperature is recommended, so let the bottle sit out for 5-10 minutes before opening and consuming.
Gorgeous from the get go, what splashes into the glass is an appealing clear vibrant copper beer capped by a creamy off-white head that never fully dissipates. To follow is an aroma of grassy and floral hops, some light orchard fruit, rounded out with some light biscuit malt. No disappointment in the flavour either, it delivers what the nose promises with a seamless blending of malt and hops. Assertively crisp biscuit and caramel malt up front with hints of peach arising in the middle, while dry floral hops round things out accompanied with some light pear and fresh grass. All this riding on a creamy smooth and lightly effervescent mouthfeel. All in all a classy session beer.
If pairing with food, it would be best to stick with milder fare as to not overwhelm this St-Ambroise Pale Ale. Chicken, white fish, and pasta dishes with white sauce is safe ground. For a more ethnic twist consider mild curried dishes, along with Vietnamese or Mexican food so long as the chilies aren’t too intense. For those planning a session with this ale and only considering finger foods you can’t go wrong with salsa and tortilla chips, or a platter of mild and tangy cheeses to munch on between sips.
The next steps in the cooler:
From This Brewery:
St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
St-Ambroise Apricot Wheat Ale
In Style:
Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Yukon Gold
Pike Pale Ale
Tree Cutthroat Pale Ale
Lateral Steps:
Lagunitas Censored
Alley Kat Full Moon Pale Ale
Erdinger Weisse
Duvel
For The Adventurous:
Tree Hophead
Wild Rose IPA
Anchor Liberty Ale