McAuslan Spiced Pumpkin/ St-Ambroise Citrouille

Brewed by McAuslan Brewing
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Montreal, Canada

Bottle. Copper body with a white creamy head. Smooth and creamy, shit tonnes of pumpkin and toasted malts. a touch watery, plenty of cinnamon vegetal spice. Smooth body - it’s not overwhelming and it’s a bit straightforward as pumpkin ales generally are. But it’s hard to argue considering how drinkable this stuff is.

Brown bottle, 341 ml, gift from Karl Probst, savoured on October 9 2007; eye: orangey with a reddish hue, clear, light effervescence, tiny ring of beige head, no lacing; nose: malt, caramel, spices, bubblegum; mouth: surprisingly thin, nutmeg, "pumpkin", a big thick layer of caramel, finale in "pumpkin" where the clove is quite present, lightly sweet, slightly bitter, quite carbonated; overall: ordinary FRANÇAIS Bouteille brune, 341 ml, cadeau de Karl Probst, savourée le 9 octobre 2007; œil : orangée avec une teinte rougeâtre, claire, légère effervescence, petit anneau de mousse beige, pas de dentelle; nez : malt, caramel, épices, gomme balloune; bouche : curieusement mince, muscade, « citrouille », bonne grosse couche de caramel, finale en « citrouille » où le clou de girofle est bien présent, légèrement sucrée, très légèrement houblonnée, assez carbonatée; en résumé : ordinaire

Bottle (341ml). Via trade with Viper666 - I think I owe you some beer, man!. Exquisite colour - bright, deep, clear refractive burnished copper with a decent frothy-fizzy, somewhat quick-diminishing off-white head. VERY spicy aroma - nutmeg, cinnamon, anise, herbal hops and sweet malt - man, that’s nice. Pumpkin - yes, real and restrained, nice underlying caramel malt; again the cinnamon-nutmeg etc, but more hop bitterness, more floral than bitter, has a very nice sweet spice/bitter finish. Light, crisp body, dry and astringent on the palate, there’s spice (and sweet yeast) for days, that and a subtle bitterness are the legacy on the tongue. Excellent - wish I had more, very easy to drink several.

341 ml, touche épicé très agréable, la première version était brassée sous licence de Buffalo Bill’s Brewing, quoi qu’à l’époque la Pumpkin Ale était plus sucré que celle de McAuslan, aujourd’hui la saveur diffère, je préférais les versions précédentes. un peu courte, la couleur est superbe par contre.

355 ml from a 4-pack bought at Marche Jovi, served cool in a tulip glass.

App.: Clear, medium copper, small light tan head. Aroma: As expected, a big noseful of ginger, cloves and allspice, some cinnamon, I guess too; definite bubblegum esters, fruitiness, some medium-roasted malts; more of a spice cake than a pumpkin pie. Palate: Medium body, slightly oily, medium yet sharp effervescence. Flav.: Tons of all the spices come through, as does the caramel/toffee cakey malts; really tastes like a spice cookie or spice cake; the flavour follows the aroma, which is often not the case with these beers; a bit sweet with almost no bitterness ; light acid brightness and only light spice residuals.

Normally not a fan of these beers, but I didn’t mind this one. Would have liked to get one of the gift packs shown in the pic!

Clear dark orange coloured ale topped by a small off-white cover that recedes to nothingness. I’ll be more than surprised if actual pumpkin flesh was used, but nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves can be smelled amidst a wave of emptiness. Very thin-bodied, clean and softly carbonated. Very bland caramelly maltiness. It’s not that I hate the style more than anyone else, I actually really like the one from Southampton, but I found this rather atrocious, completely soulless, just vagabonding spices on a bed of malts that remain as thin as it gets.

The look: Clear amber body with a little beige ring of foam
The style: Spicy Pumpkin beer
The stuff: Lots of pumpkin flavour in there and quite a bit of spices too with the expected assortment of nutmeg, cinnamon and friends. Body is as full as can be expected from the genre and the carbonation is appropriately soft-medium. Doesn’t bring anything new to a generally boring style however it does it more intensely than most of the competition. Funny that I have never eaten a pumpkin or a pumpkin pie but I can now identify pumpkin flavours after drinking so many beers. So that’s at least one thing that beer has taught me, unfortunately is doesn’t quite make-up for all it has made me forget.
The how: Bottle, fresh.
The conclusion: Flavourful and slightly above average for the style.

Bottle from metro Joanette Poured a gorgeous deep burnished copper color with an excellent creamy tan cap. Aroma is phenomenal....like liquid pumpkin pie...malts, pumpkin, spices and light sweetness...delicious! Tastes pretty much like it smells..malty sweetness with pumpkin flavors and spice/hop astringence to balance, develops some earthy-mustiness in the middle...slightly drying finish with a wonderful pumpkin pie after taste. Of the pumpkin beers I’ve tried this is undoubtedly the best.