Back in la belle province, at least in spirit, and spirits. St. Ambroise, the patron Saint of …. you guessed it… beekeepers, is the namesake of Montreal based brewer McAuslan’s award winning lineup of brews.
A place on St. Ambroise Street for the devout to worship.
So, what do beers, bees, and beatitudes have in common you may ask and you would be well within your rights to do so. Let me explain. McAuslan brewery is located on St. Ambroise Street near the St. Ambroise Church hence the name of their mainstay line of crafts, St. Ambroise. As for the bees, legend has it that St. Ambroise birth Father (as opposed to The Father) found his son’s face covered with bees, which was taken as a sign of his future ability to speak eloquently, with a “honey tongue”.
I remember as a kid being attacked by a swarm of bees while I had a PB&J sandwich in hand and mouth. My own Father saw it as a sign too, but not of a honey-tongued sainthood miracle. I think the term he used was “not the sharpest tool in the shed” and I don’t think he was referring to the bees.*
High ABV, high IBU and high hopes for this canonized craft from on high. A golden hue of a brew, with a saintly white halo of a head. A beauty pour well worth our worship. Aggressive hops on the nose, with some fruit in there somewhere. It smells like a bit of a booze fest, or a stiff pine bough slap in the face. Not sure which but I’ll tell you in a minute. Pine bough slap it is, very juicy and very hoppy. Tropical juice and a pine bitters finish, but not boozy. A big swig takes me over the line with a boozy bite coming off the pines to play center. A little juicier than your run of the mill double, and a little hoppier than your run of the mill double. I think this is a 2.5er.
A place on St. Ambroise Street for the devout beer drinker to worship.
Brewed and poured for hardcore, take no pilsners, IPA drinkers who have a hankering for hops. The balance is right on and the sequence is very well defined. Over the top fruit followed by over the top hops. If this beer was a sport it would be an extreme one. And you know what? I like it. A great juicy hoppy double.
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