St-Ambroise Millésimée 2007
McAuslan Brewing

St-Ambroise Millésimée 2007St-Ambroise Millésimée 2007
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From:
McAuslan Brewing
 
Quebec, Canada
Style:
English Barleywine
ABV:
8%
Score:
88
Avg:
3.94 | pDev: 9.14%
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
27
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 29, 2013
Added:
Dec 12, 2007
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by flipper2gv:
Photo of flipper2gv
Reviewed by flipper2gv from Canada (QC)

4.32/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 2 | smell: 5 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
A: Super aggressive pour gives a minimal creme white head. It quickly dissipates to a ring. The beer itself is burnt orange in color and cloudy, can't see through at all. Almost no lacing.

S: Smell is very strong. Tons of malts and malty sweetnesses: caramel, toffee and light honey. Very fruity too! I get a lot of cherries, plums, raisins, red apples and pears. Licorice is also very present.

T: Tons of toffee and caramel, honey is still there too. The fruits are more "tame" (I wish they were as strong as in the smell) but still there: cherries, plums, raisins, red apples and pears, just like the smell. Licorice is yet again very present. Also, there is quite a good amount of smoke going on in this as well as an oak/sherry life aftertaste. Very reminiscent of scotch for this. A bit of earthy hops to end it all.

M: Superb. The beer is quite heavy and thick, with low carbonation.

D: It's good, it's balanced, it goes down easily, no doubt about it.
Apr 15, 2010
More User Ratings:
Photo of TerryW
Reviewed by TerryW from Canada (ON)

3.5/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Found this buried in storage and lo -- after six long years it is actually still standing and is drinkable.

I don't expect that I could give it a proper and fair review after all this time, but kudos to McAuslan for crafting such a rugged brew that's still recognizable as a proper barleywine.
May 29, 2013
Photo of papat444
Reviewed by papat444 from Canada (QC)

3.92/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 341 ml. bottle into my St-Ambroise Millésimée 2006 snifter.

Appearance: A thicker head than the '06 with pockmarks in the foam resembling the moon. A reddish copper body.

Smell: Caramel, dried berries and sweet toffee. More berry-like in aroma than the '06.

Taste: Grapefruit mixed with sweet caramel. Tea-like a bit with some dried orange.

Mouthfeel: A nice mix of creamy smoothness and dryness.

Overall: Slightly better than the '06 with a more pronounced fruit presence.
Apr 10, 2012
Photo of Yoonisaykul
Reviewed by Yoonisaykul from Canada (QC)

3.97/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Found this one about two months ago in some random grocery store, all alone in the wine section.

Very weak hiss as I twist the cap.

A- Small light beige head. Nice, hazy brownish amber. Second pour was brown and completely opaque. Definitely not as nice.

S- Smells like rum. Some citrus in the front, like very ripe mandarin and orange. Very sweet.

T- Something strange. I think it might be oxidized since there is a real cardboard taste. Sweet dark fruit. Like prune jam... if that exists. Finish is Cardboard and a nice green hoppiness. Very light bitterness. Alcohol taste is very smooth. Tiny bit watery.

M- Medium carbonation. Full body. Crisp but not dry.

D- Very good. A part from the slight oxidation, this is delicious, clean, light yet complex and satisfying.

To bad I don't have another bottle.
Mar 08, 2011
Photo of SFLpunk
Reviewed by SFLpunk from Vermont

2.93/5  rDev -25.6%
look: 2 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Thanks to freud for picking these up for me. Comparative tasting with 2007 & 2009 vintages.

341mL brown glass twist-top bottle in cardboard tube. 2007 Vintage.

Appearance: A good amount of sediment is suspended in the orange amber beer. Some thin, off-white head dissipates quickly leaving no spotting. Much more orange in color and lighter than the 2009.

Nose: First thoughts are that it's oxidized. It's not a terrible thing, being an English-style barley, it's somewhat expected. Toasted nuts and charred orange peel, raw beef, banana peels, dried garlic powder or maybe white pepper, and black soil. Complex, but not super appealing. 2007 is much more earthy and dull than 2009.

Palate: Really muted and sharp with alcohol. Not enough residual sugar to give it much body. Flavors are thin and wrecked by oxidized malt. But right on the finish is this wonderful black tobacco note that sort of turns my opinion around a little. But the second sip confirms that this beer is past it's prime.

Notes: Not enough residual sugar and not enough alcohol % to age properly. An interesting experiment and the 2009 was a vast improvement on the 2007. I still don't think they've got it right yet, though. Keep on trying guys! You're on the right path!
Jul 10, 2010
Photo of Derek
Reviewed by Derek from Canada (BC)

3.59/5  rDev -8.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Hazy copper with plenty of yeast floaties, thin ring of head, very little retention, slight leg.

S: Toffee, candied pineapple, caramel, cider, raisins, orange rind.

T: Toffee, candied pineapple, figs, prune, orange rind, strong oak with hints of vanilla, good bitterness, slight alcohol warmth.

M: Well-attenuated, moderate body seems a little thin for the style, modest carbonation, dry finish.

D: The alcohol is subdued, but it's just not enticing.

Perhaps it didn't cellar well... a bit over-priced.
Jun 07, 2010
Photo of berley31
Reviewed by berley31 from Canada (NB)

4/5  rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A: Poured from a bottle purchased at L'Autre Oeil in Gatineau, Quebec. Head was medium and off-white, and left behind some nice lacing. Body is dark copper and slightly hazy.

S: Quite a sweet aroma that has some bitterness to balance it out. Seems to be some fruit present, maybe raisins too?

T: A smooth-drinking beer. The sweetness is there, of course, followed by a bitter finish, but as I mentioned with the aroma, it's balanced very nicely. Some caramel present in the malt.

M: Medium-to-full bodied, creamy texture, with average carbonation.

D: My first vintage McAusland beer, and I was not disappointed. Dangerously easy to drink.
Mar 04, 2010
Photo of Travlr
Reviewed by Travlr from District of Columbia

4.42/5  rDev +12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle at Beerbistro in Toronto, consumed on 6 Dec 2009.
A: Chestnut brown with a medium tan head and very fine lacing.
S: Plethora of aromas here, including licorice, peppermint, caramel and honey.
T: Flavors of honey, raisins and cinnamon, nicely complex, with a dry finish.
M: Outstanding body.
D: Delicious, complex and interesting. Would like to store it for a couple of years more.
Dec 08, 2009
Photo of bloberglawp
Reviewed by bloberglawp from Canada (QC)

4.35/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Having a little monday night fun, no work tomorrow. So I'm having my last 2006 and 2007 side by side.

This vintage is a little lighter than its older brother (8 avb vs 9.2 avb).

Pours medium cooper, virtually identical in color with the 06. A little more earthy notes in the nose with a solid malt presence afterwards (06 was malt, a lot of malt). Flavor : more bitter than the 06, more hop presence, still very much burnt caramel candy but with a more balanced dry and bitter finish. This one seems to taste more like a american barleywine, the 06 was more like a english barleywine.

Add chinook in as a dryhop addition, I think the 07 could be mistaken for a bigfoot.

Exellent beer, well worth the wait, if you still have some of these left, you're in for a treat.
Oct 20, 2009
Photo of brewtal
Reviewed by brewtal from Canada (QC)

3.88/5  rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
A good deal of sediments (from 2 years of aging I would suppose) makes this a hazy, deep burnt orange robe with a faint glow when held to the light. Creamy beige-ish white head that reduces to a layer of fine bubbles.

A great deal of biscuity malts and figs. Sweet spices, orange pekoe tea and alcohol.

Rich butterscotch flavor, very earthy hop presence balanced by more bitter citrus aromas not unlike curaçao.

An overall well balanced and warming brew with a good chewy texture.

Not a brew to have in numbers, but i could be left wanting for more!
Sep 30, 2009
Photo of Sammy
Reviewed by Sammy from Canada (ON)

3.58/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Thanks Jason, this one was aged two year and was bettr for it. Malty aroma, a good head and decent tad above average mouthfeel. A tad of bourbon and scotch. Lace dots. Reasonable drinkability. Decent carbonation. More of a scotch than a barleywine. Well done though not complex.
Aug 20, 2009
Photo of AlexF
Reviewed by AlexF from Canada (QC)

4.1/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Cannot be too harsh on that one. It's two year old, and in a regular capsulated 330 ml bottle. There is therefore little to no carbonatation. Very yeasty. Orange colour, seem liquory.

It smells very good! Fruity, malty. I'm not able to discern exactly what kind of fruit I smell in there, but it does smell fruity.

In mouth, I'm a bit impressed. Nice hops and a dry beginning in mouth. Original. Obviously, we have the usual maltiness of the barleywine that gets into action right after. Interesting. If this is how barleywine age, I definately want to try aging some!
May 13, 2009
Photo of everetends
Reviewed by everetends from Alabama

4.08/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
341 ml bottle I picked up back in August last year while I was in Quebec. This has been sitting in my cellar for quite a while, and I almost forgot about it. Going to give it a shot. The bottle and presentation tube say this is a strong ale, but I ain't hatin. I apparently paid 6.99 Canadian. Served up in my Terrapin snifter.

A: Pours a really pleasant dark orange in color. Held to the light it has the color of some dried apricots with that hazy orange and light amber color. The color is quite pretty and practically glows. Poured pretty agressively, but just a touch of foam bubbled up. Said foam has no real retention or lacing which is quite disappointing. Can't win em all I guess. Inside the fluid you have a bit of debris floating around in there and swirling about. Pretty intriguing brew.

S: Smell is a bit weaker than I expected. First smell you get is a lot of clean, very clean, water. Then comes in some nice toffee malts. After that there is a touch of fruity goodness in the form of plums and lemon. Its not bad but I expected more to be going on in here. For the ABV to be at 8%, you can smell some alcohol. Besides the alcohol, everything is really tame and barely there. I just want more pushing through in the aroma. Something more pronounced and a bit in your face.

T: Taste is pretty nice and really makes up for that smell. The taste has just so much going on in there. First off you get a lot toffee and caramel malts. The malts are nice but they don't overpower anything with the sweetness. Just the right amount of maltiness you expect from a barleywine. Nicely subtle. Then you get a good amout of fruits coming out here. The fruits are all over the place with some grape, plum, lemon and grapefruit. Nice balance of sweet fruit and citrus/acidic fruit. Makes for a nice flavor profile and is very complimentary. Then there are some German style beer flavors coming out here with just a touch of that clean German hoppiness. For a beer with some age on it, they must have hopped the hell out of this beer. I mean big time. Besides the Munich hops, you get some bitter and citrus hops coming through with some bite. Pretty impressive for the age. All in all, very nice and enjoyable taste.

M: This beer falls in the lighter side of full in body. It has a heaviness to it but the carbonation makes this crisp and easy to put down. The feel is a bit slick and sticky, nice malt sugary stickiness on the palate. Yet again, for such a beer sitting at 8%, I am getting a bit more heat than I was expecting. This is a welcomed suprise because I like my strong ales or barleywines having a touch of heat to it. Aftertaste is mostly just some nice hops. The debris I mentioned in the look, really doesn't play a role. It seems to disappear into the pour and doesn't leave any unpleasant chunkiness in your beverage.

D: This beer is quite nice and I am very happy that I picked it up during my vacation. This beer has aged nicely and goes down very easily. Very nice drinking. The flavors are many and subtle, but that works because there is so much in there. The subtlty doesn't keep the flavors from being understood or enjoyed, just nothing is too much here. Great balance. I really digged this beer and would love to have the chance again. My only gripe is that they amp up the aroma a bit because it is a bit weak for the style and lack complexity in that area. With that said, it is still worth seeking out and trying IMO.
Mar 11, 2009
Photo of tpd975
Reviewed by tpd975 from Florida

3.65/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A: Pours a pretty golden hue with an above average head. The head quickly dies to a collar with a light cling producing a bit of lace.

S: Nice sweet malt up front with hints of sweet summer fruits. A touch of citrus hops as well.

T: Matches the nose perfectly. Sweet malt with notes of apples and pears. A nice citrus hop finish plays well against a touch of alcohol.

M: Medium in body, with nice carbonation, actually maybe a bit too much for the style.

D: Not bad, not the best Barleywine the the world, but a fine offering from north of the border.
Jan 12, 2009
Photo of kkipple
Reviewed by kkipple from South Carolina

3.45/5  rDev -12.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Thanks to my buddy Brendon for hauling this rare brew back from Dark Lord Day!

Arrives in a swank cardboard tube (see the picture!) and looks quite sophisticated for a Canadian product. No beaver-hats in sight! :D

A. Red-copper with a small white head, no lace. Poor retention, but for the style that's ok.

S. Quite malty, oxidization is beginning to set in (perhaps intentionally so), sweet singed sugars blend with an interesting white grape and fruity, figgy nose. A touch of smoke and alcohol round it off. Good, but not terribly intense.

T. Fruity, malt sweet, "old" tasting, a single hop bitter note runs though everything here. Fairly well balanced towards the American side of things. Booze is restrained but noticeable. Malt sugars need a little more "oomph" and complexity to keep things interesting, but there's nothing seriously wrong here.

M. Low carbonation, middling body. Finish is caramel and sherry.

This is a decent English (Canadian?) barleywine that tastes a lot older than it actually is. Not half bad, but St. Ambroise has made better brews.
Sep 16, 2008
Photo of biegaman
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)

3.68/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
2007 Vintage. 330ml bottle. Born April 5th 2007.

Heated, glowing apricot lay under a shade of stained brass and a powdered flurry of yeast particles. The beer bounces light back with a glitzy sheen. Pixelated ivory suds barricade the beer while its lacing screens the glass.

I worried momentarily at the initial notion of oxidization. Nerves were shortly calmed by warming notes of orchard fruit (pear, peach) not unlike what you'd find in a Belgian Strong Pale or Tripel. This is nothing but pleasant but isn't the cut or character I look for in barleywines.

The flavour is also appealing and palatable, although not in the quintessential barleywine kind of way. It certainly has none of the hops of modern American examples. It has nothing like the typical dark caramel, butterscotch and fig pudding. This has enough apricot and effervescence to make it far more suitable to a hot summer evening rather than a frigid winter night.

This version is certainly maltier and fruitier than what I've come to expect living just north of the American border. Nevertheless, the English versions are generally nutty with deep toast and dried fruit and that is certainly nothing like what I am tasting here. This didn't confront me with the strong, intense, complex, multi-layered malt flavours I was looking for.

This is not too sweet, hardly bittersweet, and only mildly alcoholic (keeping in mind this is a lightweight for the category). Ringing in at a mere 8%, this is certainly more drinkable quantity wise than most others but it offers nowhere near the same level of satisfaction.

My first experience with St. Ambroise's Vintage Ale was a 2001 bottle that had aged the better part of five years. That was fantastic. This is not. I suspect the recipe (like the alcohol percentage) has changed over the years. This bottle is scarcely one year old and already tearing at the seems.

If you can find an older vintage be sure to snag it up. As for more recent years, still well worth trying, but don't be saving them for any special nights by the fireplace.
Sep 12, 2008
Photo of khiasmus
Reviewed by khiasmus from South Carolina

3.48/5  rDev -11.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3
Pours an orange, fairly clear, with a bit of soapy head that, surprisingly, lasts for a good while.

Smell of oxidation, welch's grape juice, caramel, the cool from menthol, cherry, dark fruits, earth.

taste is complex and surprisingly dry with an immense amount of hop bitterness, unexpected after the dark fruits and sweeter nose. Tons of dark fruit still, and a satisfying finish that's hop bitter and dry. the body is reasonably full, and the carbonation is quite low.

Drinkability... not the most drinkable. sadly the flavor is a bit overwhelming after a few swallows and doesn't lend itself to a lot of consumption.
Aug 16, 2008
Photo of allergictomacros
Reviewed by allergictomacros from Canada (ON)

4.03/5  rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A - Hazy peach-copper with a solid head and brilliant lacing.

S - Big fruity aromas, dried fruit, and floral hops. Pungent.

T/M - Very sweet, very bitter and very fruity. A surprising hint of grapefruity hops, and a solid lemony hop afterwards. Finish is astringent and puckery. Very thick, heavy mouthfeel. Alcohol is well hidden. Take 2 - fruitiness reminds me of apricots, peaches, apples and raspberries. Hops are very citrusy, but more zest-y than juicy. Cotton candy comes to mind also.

D - There's a lot going on here. Not something I would drink often and no more than one in a sitting. Certainly very interesting.
Apr 03, 2008
Photo of ChainGangGuy
Reviewed by ChainGangGuy from Georgia

3.98/5  rDev +1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 3.5
2007 bottle.

Appearance: Pours a clear, orangey body with a small, bubbly white head.

Smell: Candyish toffee aroma with a hint of grain and bright fruitiness of dried figs and grated orange peel.

Taste: Rich toffee maltiness with a medium sweetness that gets kicked in the jimmy by a spicy bitterness. There's the zest, there's the figs. The sweetness manages to recover in time for a bittersweet finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium carbonation. Warming alcohol presence. Slight stickiness.

Drinkability: Yeah, that was pretty ok! Recommended.
Mar 23, 2008
Photo of slitherySOB
Reviewed by slitherySOB from Canada (ON)

4.32/5  rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Beautiful, cloudy orange liquid poured into the glass. Thick, creamy head that leaves plenty of sticky lace on the glass. Smells of caramel, malts, figs, oranges and a bit of butter. Taste starts out warm. A decent amount of alcohol to give that warming sensation, but not so much that it seems like I'm drinking turpentine. Plenty of dark fruits and malts up front. Finishes sourly sweet, with some grapefruit, toffee and butter. Low carbonation gives a full bodied, but not thick, mouthfeel. Somewhat chewy, actually. I have another bottle that I plan to age. Highly recommended.
Mar 09, 2008
St-Ambroise Millésimée 2007 from McAuslan Brewing
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 27 ratings