Brasserie McAuslan Griffon Rousse American Amber/Red at 4.5% ABV | 25 IBU (C$11.50 on tap at Hurley’s Irish Pub YUL, reviewed 4-Mar-2017)
Appearance: clear reddish deep amber with a short creamy ivory head settling rapidly to a thin skim, patchy lacing. (3/5) Aroma: caramel and toffee, toasty malt, light herbal. (6/10) Taste: moderate-high sweet, moderate bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly slick body, moderate-soft carbonation, medium duration finish. (3/5)
Fairly outrageous pricing for a plain-Jane Irish Red, but I guess that’s par for the course when you’re stuck in an Irish pub in the high-security post-screening part of YUL. (I feel very secure. And significantly poorer.) Decent enough example of the style, malt-dominated but well-behaved, with none of the diacetyl this style can be so prone to. I have a high opinion of McAuslan, and this isn’t a let-down: to the extent it’s possible to do a good Irish Red, they’ve done it. I really find these way too sweet for my preference these days, though, which makes it hard to be impartial. A bit old-fashioned, and good(-ish) – but one’s my hard limit. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
