McAuslan Cream Ale

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: Cream Ale
Montreal, Canada

On tap the froth is thick and creamy. The taste reminds me the St-Ambroise Stout, but the cream ale is more sweet and light. It’s a good discovery !

Verre de dégustation (provenant d’un fût) au Mondial de la Bière 2005 (Montréal, QC). Arôme: Odeur de céréale et de caramel (?). Apparence: Couleur blonde. Énorme col crémeux qui perdure. Faible densité des bulles. Large dentelle sur le verre. Saveur: Goût de céréales. Court arrière goût. Palette: Corps moyen avec une texture huileuse. Léger arrière goût de gingembre. Faible effervescence en bouche. (Rating #175)

Just finished 3 days of the "Le Mondial de la bière 2005 Beer Fest", montreal’s beer tasting festival. 3 long days of 4 oz glasses and WAY TO MUCH note taking. Cource some pages are just unreadable. For years now, being a huge fan of McAuslan St. Ambois, I have wanted to tase the cream ale, but very few pubs carry this one around montreal, it’s much more comon in toronto, wich is strange cuz it’s brewed here. 3 days ago I finaly got my wish. Verdict? ........ Best in show. I dont think I’ve ever enjoyed a cream this much, and probably never will again. On to the review. Pours a glass of of white nitro-foam, perfectly circular cascade that rises perfectly to a golden, almost flat, sunshine ale with A THICK white head. I MEEN THICK! more of a foam than any sight of bubbles. And there’s alot of it. I was shocked to see almost 3 inches of head after the rise. Aroma is of bitter hops, hint of lemmon zest, vinilla. Mouth feel is smooth and silky, solid head stays all the way to the end, with heavy beautiful white laceing. { Now, you gota understand, I’m unlucky with bitters. I want so much bitter hop in a ale that it makes you’re teeth hurt. Normaly when I’ve been pointed to a "AMASING BITTER" it normaly looks and smells great, but it all falls apart with a mild, somtimes even floral, hop taste and I get sad. This one wasn’t even labeled a bitter, but......} Taste if of bitter hop. Ibu around 35-40, mabby higher, I’m not shure, I’d had alot of beer by then. Smoth vinilla undernotes, touches of sweet bready malt, slight acit touch, and just a hint of yeast, an unfourtunite taste that seems to be in all cream ales. aftertaste is milky, air of some very dry hops, and a final wash of sweet. Final thought. It’s good. Realy good, but not for every one. Lovers of sweet style beers will normaly chose a cream ale in a "irish pub" and this one would not satisfy. More of a bitter on nitro than you’re normal sweet cream. One more day of the fest left. I’m gona go have more of this today. Cheers

Draft at Dieu du Ciel: Poured clear yello/orange with a thick egg shell colored head. Very little aroma. Very little carbonation. Mildly hopp flavor with a little citrus. Has session beer written all over it. Held its head the entire way.

On tap at Dieu du Ciel. Pours a clear golden color with a medium creamy white head. Decent aroma of malt, hops and caramel, bitter finish. Full body, very creamy and smooth texture, soft carbonation. I’m not fond of cream ales but this one is definitely interesting.

On tap at the Jester’s Court in Fredericton, NB. A bit surprised by this - I ordered it after seeing the St. Ambroise tap expecting the Stout. When it arrived I thought it was the Pale Ale. My waitress didn’t seem to know. I took notes because I thought it was the first time I was having the Pale Ale on tap and it wasn’t as good. Then I checked my receipt and it said Cream Ale. Which explains why it wasn’t as good as the Pale Ale. But I digress. Deep golden amber colour with a frothy and creamy white head. Fruity and bready aroma. Bready and nutty malts predominate in the flavour with light fruit and a faint astringency in the finish. Medium bodied and smooth.

on tap at DdC, body was a light tan color with a thin creamy head. aroma was sweet, with cirtus tones, and a little hop aroma. body was about the same as the aroma, with a very crisp and smooth mouthfeel, but i just felt like something was missing from this brew. it was pretty one dimensional as far as taste, but there was room for at least a second part of its character, it just wasnt there.

On draught at Dieu du Ciel, 3/6/05 with Muzzlehatch and tiggmtl. Had this while waiting for our bottle of Péché Mortel to warm up. Lightly hazy, apricot colored beer with a creamy white head, pretty much like it looks to the left. Sweet and sour aroma of fruity ale yeast with a touch of sourness. Flavor is again sweet and sour and it seems the yeast has a lot of influence on this beer, as it does with many cream ales. But, I felt there wasn’t enough else going on besides the light fruitiness from the ale yeast and the mildly crisp finish. The damned head was annoying when I was trying to drink this, because I kept getting sips of the head, which was very tastless and foamy. A little bit of dry caramel on the finish, dough and a light spiciness from the yeast, again. A well made ale/lager. Medium body, light wateriness at the end, pleasant carbonation and no alcohol.