St-Ambroise Baltic Porter
McAuslan Brewing

Midnight body, capped by a milk chocolate head that forms slowly but thickly, fine and full with a good retention.
Aromas of a freshly opened, fruity dark chocolate bar; rich dark rum; lightly acidic; cassis and blackberry.
Flavour is like popping that fruity, acidic, dark chocolate in your mouth, again accompanied by notes of cassis, and distinct presence of alcohol like a shot of rum is in there; some bitterness in the finish, along with the alcohol heat, makes for an off-dry finish; the feel is soft with a puckering acidity; medium full body and fine carbonation.

A solid example of the style, on point with prominent acidity and bitterness, and of course the rich dark malt flavours. Intense and tongue-tingling, without being cloying or heavy.

This is the best porter I’ve ever had and might replace Chimay Blue as my favourite dark beer

 

 

 

St-Ambroise Baltic Porter got it in a 12 mix pacck for 16,99$

Look: Dark brown colour, with a brownish lace on the glass

Smell: Malt, caramel, cocoa, toffee,

Taste: Malt, molasses, caramel, some roastyness

Feel: Medium to full body, light to medium carbonation, easy drinking really, 8,2% ABV feels like a 5% one

So overall would I recommend it ? Yes

Would I buy it again ? Yes

473 mL can from the LCBO, one of four brews in their Dark Series sampler, and definitely the one I was most interested in trying when I bought said pack. Best before Dec 2 2022 and served barely chilled.

Not quite opaque, but very deep brown with copper red highlights; more than two fingers of puffy, foamy, billowing beige head erupts from the surface, settling off at a casual pace. At the five minute mark, a quarter-inch cap and generous collar remain in place, with an even ring of lace also deposited in its wake - a visually stunning porter. The nose is subtle yet nuanced - only a little bit roasty, with hints of cocoa, molasses, herbal hops, elderberry, fig and licorice, as well as a decent whiff of ethanol.

This is a bold-flavoured beer that I was in love with almost immediately. Sweet at the forefront, with toasted malt, cocoa, milk chocolate and dark fruits such as plum and fig coming to mind. The back end includes hints of sour cherry, licorice and herbal hops: there is a firm bitterness here, but the aftertaste trends more towards fruity, boozy flavours, with lingering hints of bittersweet cocoa. Medium in body, with low carbonation that softly brushes against the palate - seems a bit thin for something this strong, but what it lacks in body it makes up for in drinkability, making this a potentially dangerous brew if you aren't pacing yourself.

Final Grade: 4.1, an impressive A-. St-Ambroise Baltic Porter is easily one of the best McAuslan products I've tried to date - their RIS is the only brew of theirs that I know for sure I'd take over this, but that one is world-class. A beautiful, mesmerizing blend of malt, hop and alcohol, and a credit to its kind - a woefully underrepresented style if there ever was one. I don't even care that it'd be $5 or more per can, I'd still love to see the LCBO bring this in as a single. I'd call this the highlight of the sampler pack, though their Oatmeal Stout will always be a solid pick, too.

Oct 26 2024

 

 

473 ml can served sort of cool into a pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3 CDN as part of a multipack. I love me a good baltic porter so couldn't resist this 4 pack.

Appearance - Dark brown in color with near black color in the glass. A small half finger of tan head rests on top. Nice streaky lacing clings to the edges of the glass.

Smell - Big malty nose. Little bit of chocolate but much more molasses and even traces of licorice.

Taste - Lots of malt, plenty of molasses and treacle with licorice tips at the end. Underlying roasty character. Modest bitterness. Flavors more muted than expected.

Mouthfeel - Medium-full bodied, pretty slick, but a bit thinner than expected. Pretty low carbonation that prickles just a bit at the end.

Overall - I love Baltic porters, so this was a blast to find. Well made and constructed with good flavors, just a touch muted and it certainly wasn't because this beer was too cold because it wasn't. Worth a try because the whole 4 pack was just $12, and that includes a legendary Oatmeal Stout, a Black IPA, a Milk Stout and a Baltic Porter. Made by this renowned brewery that's an easy buy in my books.

 

Opaque black color, with a hint of red on the edges. Almost no head. No lacing. Can't see any bubbles rising.

Smells of darkly roasted malt with an odd solvent mixed in. It smells a bit like latex paint in the can before it starts drying on the walls. Swirling the glass kicked up a little more sugary malt and a little more latex paint.

Sweet, dark roasted malt flavor mostly. Very mild bitters which taste like they are coming from the malt roasting instead of any hops. Slight alcohol flavor. The aftertaste is mostly the bitter roast.

Strong tongue prickling despite the lack of visible carbonation. The bubbles feel almost like small beads. Very heavy body.

Generally this is a somewhat middle of the road. Nothing exceptional either either positive or negative other than the mild latex paint smell. My notes from a few years ago referred to it tasting like soy sauce; this seems to have been corrected, so I have given it a higher rating this time.

 

 

 

Well worth the purchase if you like the style. Lovely mix of dark molasses, cocoa and toasted malts. Very little bitterness and not overly sweet. Feel is complex and thick.

 

Body should be fuller, found it lacking and a tad thin at times. Has some good flavors (molasses and chocolate) but overall needs to be stronger in presence.