| The mythical griffin is a fitting icon for McAuslan Brewing (www.mcauslan.com). This winged beast with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle is said to watch over hidden treasures. In the case of boxed six packs of McAuslan’s beers, the griffin watches over the best British-style beers brewed in Canada.
Founded in 1989 by an accomplished home brewer intent on bringing better beer to Quebec consumers, McAuslan Brewing quickly established a loyal following in its home town of Montreal. But it has taken until now for the beers to make their way to Alberta. Finally available in six packs in Calgary’s finer liquor stores, two of McAuslan’s beers, both under McAuslan’s St. Ambroise label, form the pinnacle of craft brewing in Canada.
Inside the black griffin-protected box of St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout is perhaps the best English-style stout ever produced, surpassing even those from England itself. I have tried more than 100 commercial examples of stout beer and St. Ambroise is unequivocally the best. From its visual appeal to its complex flavour, this beer is fully enjoyable, from the time the bottle is poured into your glass until the last drop drips onto your eagerly awaiting tongue. In 1994, this beer was awarded a platinum medal at the World Beer Championships, making it one of only two Canadian beers to ever receive this prestigious award.
The beer is brewed with two-row pale and specialty malts, rolled oats, roasted barley, wheat and four types of hops. The result is a stout with unparalleled complexity. It pours opaque black and is capped by a café-au-lait-coloured head. The flavour is balanced slightly to the sweet side, as an oatmeal stout should be, but a gentle roasted bitterness provides balance. A light, creamy sweetness caresses the tip of your tongue while hints of charcoal smoke tickle the back of your mouth. The predominant flavours are coffee and bitter chocolate, but hints of smoke, biscuits and toast provide complexity. Notwithstanding a light tingle of carbonation, the beer has a gentle mouthfeel.
St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout’s older sibling is St. Ambroise Pale Ale, McAuslan’s flagship beer. Two-time winner of a silver medal at the World Beer Championships (in 1994 and 1996), St. Ambroise Pale Ale, although sporting a shorter list of awards, is also a very good beer. It is an appropriately hoppy beer and bridges the gap between British and American interpretations of the style.
As is appropriate for a pale ale, St. Ambroise Pale Ale is lowly carbonated and pours with little head, allowing its hoppy nose to be appreciated unobstructed. It is copper-coloured, although golden highlights flash about when the beer is held up to light. The flavour has an initial instant of sweetness, but is generally balanced to the bitter side. A wonderful hop flavour gives the beer bite. The hops are primarily citric, a characteristic common to American versions of pale ale, with secondary grassy flavours providing complexity and a European flair. Notwithstanding this strong hop presence, a gentle malt flavour, including tea-like crystal malt and some darker malt flavours, provides background support.
While both beers contain the standard five per cent alcohol by volume and can therefore be consumed in quantity over a long period among friends, they are best appreciated when sipped or accompanying food. The gentle smokiness of St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout makes grilled meats an obvious accompaniment, but be wary of strong sauces, as they will overpower the beer’s subtle nuances. The hoppy bitterness of St. Ambroise Pale Ale, on the other hand, is a perfect sidekick for spicy dishes, particularly meaty ones. |
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