Tankenstein IPA
Mill Street Brew Pub

 

Bottle - pours a clouded burnished gold ale in the glass with a 2 finger cap which laces well. Aromas of musty grapefruits and ripe citrus peel, over caramel malts. Flavor imitates aroma - a good dose of malts to chew on up front with a good balance of herbaceous earthy bitter hopping goes to a long wet finish which dries slightly. A decent DIPA but nothing outstanding about it.

Hazy brown with a strong head. Citrus and malt nose. Lighter malt body with consistent hop astringency. Light carbonation and a sneaky 7% ABV.

 

355 mL bottle from the LCBO; one of two included in Mill Street's 2017 Harvest mixed pack, along with two servings each of their octoberfest and pumpkin ale. This year's batch is listed at 7%. Dated Sept 7 2017 and served slightly chilled.

This one sure looks likes its older sibling Tankhouse, pouring essentially the same familiar clear bronzed amber colour and fitted with a half-inch crown of thick, creamy, off-white foam. Its capacity for retention is superb; I left the glass alone for ten minutes and the head hadn't given up any ground at all. Good lacing, too; no visual complaints. As for the aroma, I'm getting notes of pine sap, lemon zest and slightly floral hops, layered on top of a caramelized malt backbone with some bready qualities.

A decent pale ale; the strong malt backing supplies a sturdy foundation for the Cascade hops to build upon. Caramelized sugar sweetness, grainy malts and toasted bread come to mind initially, with notes of muddled orange and grapefruit citrus joining in nearer the midpoint of the sip. The resiny pine and floral qualities imparted by the dry-hopping process become more pointed towards the finish, culminating with a (slightly) 'green' bitterness which dominates the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with moderately low carbonation levels that gently jostle the surface of the tongue; quite smooth on the palate, and just a little slick. A well-made IPA, though there's not much novelty here, which may leave experienced hopheads with a lukewarm impression.

Final Grade: 3.79, a B+. Having had more than my fair share of boring Cascade-hopped pale ales in the past - and also having never expected all that much from Mill Street products to begin with - I'll admit that my expectations for Tankenstein IPA were pretty low going in. That being said, pessimism can sometimes be the prelude to a pleasant surprise, which is exactly what this beer was. Perhaps 'surprise' isn't the most accurate term, because I have never minded Mill Street's Tankhouse Ale much (at least, compared to their other year-round offerings, few of which I care for). This one is very similar in spirit, although more strongly hopped of course - I mean, it *is* an IPA after all - but I'm still not sure it's all that much better (or worse) than their year-round West Coast IPA.

 

 

355ml bottle, @ 7% ABV, part of the current fall seasonal Mill Street mixed pack.

This beer pours a clear, medium copper amber colour, with a teeming tower of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat creamy off-white head, which leaves some layered skewed cloud form lace around the glass as it slowly subsides.

It smells of mixed citrus flesh, bready caramel/toffee malt, a bit of earthy yeast, and some leafy, piney, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy caramel malt, a twinge of biscuity toffee, orange and red grapefruit citrus, more subtle yeastiness, and a bitter (but in a strange way) floral and herbal hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite understated in its insouciant frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, just a hiccup of hop bitterness cutting through things here. It finishes sweet, the malt and fruitiness of the hops continuing to push out the concurrent acerbity.

Overall, this comes across as a rather disjointed version of the style - and way maltier than the norm. It's hoppy, there's no denying that, but it never seems that way - I'm really having trouble trying to describe what's wrong with this one, other than that. Not a particularly enjoyable IPA experience.

Beer Review - Tankenstein IPA from Mill Street Brewing in a Limited Edition 750ml swing top bottle - 7.5% ABV - 60 IBU - Pours a dark copper colour with a thick white head with good retention. The nose has a bit of citrus and earthy hop notes as well a slightly sweet malt note. The taste is very similar but the hop notes are much more pronounced. There is also a sweet malt breadiness that rounds out the flavour. The mouthfeel is in the medium range with quick finishing carbonation. Not a bad IPA, but I feel it is slightly one diced with the malt slightly overpowering the hoppiness. Part if me thinks that this was intentional with the brewer trying to hide the higher ABV.