St-Ambroise IPA Launch

Posted: July 4, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Event | Tags: , , | Leave a comment »

Hear ye, hear ye. It looks like the weather will be nice today in Montreal. The perfect opportunity to go down to the St-Ambroise terrace and drink some of their IPA at the official launch. While there you can also enjoy another another Lachine staple, the Grumman 78 truck will be there serving tacos.

India Pale Ales were brewed in 19th century England. In order to endure the long sea travel in clipper ships across the equator to India, English IPA’s were high in alcohol and brewed with plenty of hops. The hops provided a spicy bitterness balancing the malt and maintaining the quality of the ale through the natural antibacterial properties of hops. McAuslan has brewed a classic IPA using a blend of pale and specialty malts giving the beer a New World twist.

I’ve had the St-Ambroise IPA last year and I really enjoyed it. It’s a perfect introductory IPA and perfect for the weather today (hot and cloudy).

The launch is a 5 à 7 at the terrace @ 5080 St-Ambroise street. Normally the terrace is open until 11pm and at the launch the beer is usually a special price of $4 a pint, but I’m not too sure if that is the case this time around.

St-Ambroise Raspberry Ale Launch Tonight

Posted: May 16, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Press Release | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment »

McAuslan’s limited-edition Raspberry Ale is back just in time for summer. The beer will be available in select stores this week and the launch event will be at their terrace this afternoon at 5pm where the ruby red beer will be on tap.

St-Ambroise Framboise is ruby red in colour and brewed with real raspberries and choice hops. This 5% alcohol by volume beer won Silver at the 2011 Canadian Brewing Awards.
“This is a refreshing summertime beer – emphasis on the word “beer”. We brew Raspberry Ale only once a year and when it’s gone, it’s gone” says Peter McAuslan, Founder and President of McAuslan Brewing. “Brewing specialty ales for our consumers’ enjoyment is important to us, and is our way of thanking those who enjoy our beers.”

A four-pack will cost you about $9.99 and it is worth it. This is a great refreshing summer beer. The balance between hops and raspberry is perfect in this beer and it is easily one of my favourite summer fruit beers. It is available at select stores and you can view the list at McAuslan.com. You can visit tonight, May 16th and 5pm behind McAuslan Brewing (5080 St-Ambroise, Montreal) on their terrace for the launch.

About McAuslan Brewing
Established in 1988, and located in St. Henri along the banks of the Lachine Canal, McAuslan’s year-round offerings include: St. Ambroise Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout, Apricot Wheat Ale, Cream Ale, and Griffon Extra Pale Ale and Red Ale. In June 2011, St-Ambroise Pale Ale and Griffon Extra Pale Ale were awarded the top place in their respective categories by consumer report magazine, Protegez-Vous.

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale

Posted: February 10, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Review, St-Ambroise | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

St-Ambroise Scotch AleSt-Ambroise Scotch Ale

ABV: 7.5% (Bottle 341ml)

Malts: Pale Malt, Munich Malt, Peated Malt

This is the first of the 2012 St-Ambroise seasonal brews. Living so close to the brewery, I spend a lot of time there on the terrace, and I was able to have a taste this past summer. Now finally it is available for the masses and you can pick up a four pack (or more) at select locations around the city. This is by far one of my top brews of theirs and I think second only to their Pumpkin Ale.

It also seems to be up from 7.2% from last year.

St-Ambroise Scotch Ale is dark ruby red with a tawny head – sweet and malty, with hints of vanilla and butterscotch, and a log hop finish. With it’s 7.5% alcool, this beer evokes the classic “wee heavies” or the full-bodied 90-shilling strong winter ales of Scotland. Enjoy a glass of St‑Ambroise Scotch Ale and celebrate over 400 years of Scottish heritage in Canada.

Appearance:

This pours out very smooth and leaves a small light brown head.
Like the description says, this is a very deep red, ruby, beer.
It is very clear, without much carbonation, and the head disappears quickly.

Aroma:

It has a caramel/butterscotch aroma with some dark fruits mixed in.
It very pleasing, without being very complex, it seems that there is a new aroma each time you go back, cherries, toffee, caramel, dark smokey malts.

Taste:

The beer is extremely smooth and has a silky almost buttery feel to it in your mouth. The carbonation plays well and adds some nice feel to it.
The taste is just like the aromas, sweet with a caramel/butterscotch flavour and it plays just right together. It is quite a nice light taste, with a bit of a hint of smokiness.
There was not much of an alcohol taste to it as well, which added to my enjoyment.
The sweetness and flavour stay with the after taste without turning bitter.

Overall:

This is an exceptional seasonal beer that I wish was available more often. It goes down very smooth, but doesn’t rush you. It tastes great cold and 30 minutes later I was still sipping on it and enjoying every drop. I didn’t want it to end. So I opened another bottle and had another go.

Official Site 

St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout Chocolate Cake

Posted: February 9, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Recipes | Tags: , , , | Leave a comment »

A lot of recipes lately. There is nothing like the mixture of beer and food and drinking a beer with beer made with food. This one popped up on my Facebook feed this morning. This is a recipe closer to home in Montreal. A chocolate cake made with St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout. Probably one of my favourite stouts. Oatmeal Stout is intensely black and creamy with an amazing chocolate and espresso taste. The perfect addition to a chocolate cake.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of St-Ambroise Oatmeal Stout
  • 2 cups of non-salted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups of unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 4 cups of flour
  • 4 cups of sugar
  • 1 tbsp of baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups of sour cream
  • 2 cups of cherry pie filling
  • 1 can of cake frosting

    • Preparation

    Preaheat oven to 350°F. Butter four,8-inch round cake pans. Heat beer and 2 cups of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the cocoa and whisk until the mixture is smooth.Cool to room temperature.

    Mix flour, sugar, baking soda andsalt in large bowl. Beat eggs andsour cream in a separate bowl. Add cocoa and beer mixture to egg andsour cream and beat. Add flour mixture and stir until well blended.Pour into cake pans and bake for 35 minutes.

    Take each cake and add frosting and cherry filling on top. Stackcakes one on top of the other, covering them with your favorite frosting.

    Gâteau au chocolat à la stout from Extra Caramel on Vimeo.