Altbier
Mill Street Brew Pub

Large swing-top bottle picked up at the brewery yesterday. Only 1 of the 6 beers I had so far from this brewery have been decent, the other 5 were pretty bad, so no big hopes for this

Pours a light foamy bubbly 1 finger head that fades slowly, nice lacing, and retention, crystal clear light pale color (def should be darker, but the head was nice)

NOse isn't too bad, earthy hops, a touch piney, mild sweet malt, a bit fruity which I'm not sure if it's hops or yeast derived esters, touch of sweet blond malt but no toasty or caramel like

Taste not bad either, sweet malts, not quite caramel but maybe a little toasty, grainy, plenty of blond malts, hops bring some spicy and earthy flavors, a touch fruity but again not sure if hops or yeast, it does get a touch metallic tinny like, medium-higher bitterness, mild sticky finish, lingering spicy and earthy hop bitterness

Mouth is med bod, medium-lighter carb, little sticky like

Overall not bad for an altbier, hops are pretty good, nice bitterness level, malts are OK but not quite there, a bit syrupy sweet, not quite the right malts, OK at best but not good

 

Capped: Clear brown color with a creamy beige 3 finger head that last a while. Strong legs and good swirl reaction. Flavors of roasted barley, toffee, berries, light chocolate and coffee, with herbal hops. Slick an smooth medium body with prickly carbonation. Light to medium strength finish, lots of caramel while moderately leafy and fruity. Ends pretty clean, freshness is good. A bit faint but the texture is nice and the balance is pretty good. Overall decent quality craft.

355ml bottle - part of the current Mill Street Canadian Brewpub pack. Made at the Toronto location.

This beer pours a clear, bright medium copper amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly ecru head, which leaves some defrosting back windshield pattern lace around the glass as it quickly sinks out of sight.

It smells of grainy and biscuity cereal malt, some indistinct bruised pome fruitiness, further red berry notes, some oily nuttiness, and plain floral, musty, and dead grassy hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, a bit of toasted wheat, some ground black pepper spiciness, muddled domestic citrus pith, some earthy nutty notes, and more understated leafy, herbal, and grassy noble hoppiness.

The carbonation is pretty restrained in its palate-probing frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and sort of smooth, as that peppery essence makes more than a minor nick in the surface sheen here. It finishes trending dry, the toasted malt showing the most lingering gusto.

Overall - this comes across as a well-made version of the style, with a proper balance between malt and hop, in the old-school manner, that is. Full of flavour, they should consider adding it to their full-time roster, IMHO (but they probably have to check with you-know-who first).

 

355 mL bottle from the LCBO, one of six included in this year's Brewpub sampler pack. Packaged May 2 2018 and served barely chilled.

Pours a deep, clear copper-amber colour, starting off with more than a finger's width of frothy, buff-tinged head that disintegrates within a matter of minutes. An attractive doily pattern of lacing has been splattered about in its wake, with a creamy collar still clinging to the perimeter of the glass; looks pretty darn good to me. In contrast, the nose is quite subdued and not innately interesting - smells a bit grassy and perfumey, with hints of citrus peel embedded within, but it's the biscuity-sweet, nutty, toasted malt notes which end up providing the bulk of the aroma.

Not bad - a respectable stab at the genuine article. Toasted bread and grains come through on the front end, as well as some mild biscuit and caramelized malt sweetness, with slight hints of nuttiness. The hops on the back end come off earthy and a tad grassy; there may be a touch of orange peel in there, too, but it doesn't linger, with the aftertaste mellowing out into a gently bitter earthiness. Medium in body, with low carbonation levels that provide a weak crispness that fades quickly as you sip your way into the glass; at that point, it mostly just feels smooth and wet.

Final Grade: 3.86, a B+. Mill Street's Altbier didn't blow me away, but it is at least a serviceable homage to the relatively uncommon German brown ale. If nothing else, I polished off my serving with enthusiasm - though it was, admittedly, not a very large serving. A strong effort in any event, and I dare say a better product than much of this brewery's year-round fare - I wouldn't go out of my way for more of this altbier, but it's a decent inclusion in this mixer that I'd re-purchase if it were sold as a single.

Clear chestnut brown with a strong head. Bready malt nose. Medium malt body with both crisp and creamy elements. Satisfying brew.

Part of the Summer 2018 Brewpub mixed pack

Pours a clear tawny body with an inch of off-white soapy head that gently laces down the glass. On the nose, sharp hop aromas with herbaceous zest, earth, and a mild malt backing aroma dominating. On the palette, the beer has bold flavours from a great synergy of hop and malt, with herbaceous and peppery hops accentuating earth and richness of the palette. Really nice beer, too bad it's just for a mix pack.