Brasserie McAuslan St-Ambroise Black IPA Black IPA at 6.5% ABV | 58 IBU (C$3.99 at Oak & Vine, 473 ml, packaged on 7-Feb-2018, acquired 21-Jun-2018, reviewed 23-Jun-2018)
Appearance: clear brown with two fingers of dense creamy beige head, good retention and moderate lacing. (4/5) Aroma: coffee, grapefruit, molasses, ash. (5/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter. (6/10) Palate: medium slightly watery body, moderate carbonation, off-dry bitter slightly smoky finish. (3/5)
Fairly disappointing, even if that’s not actually surprising. These guys do some things very well indeed, and others not well at all. Unfortunately, their IPAs, of whatever stripe, seem to tend more towards the “not well at all” end of the scale. I was sort of hoping this would be more like their RIS, but unfortunately it’s more like their EIPA. Muddled and indistinct, this is not a good example of a style that’s very hard to get right. Don’t bother, unless you’re a hardcore fan of the style, who’s bound and determined to try as many examples as possible. I will say this for McAuslan, though: when they strike out, they do it swinging hard for the fences. (12/20)
6/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
