Rhuby Cove Cream Ale
Mill Street Brew Pub

Strawberry Rhubarb! Wow! Not. Quite a disappointment.

Ordinary stuff to look at. Like pink grapefruit. Minimal head, no lace. Strawberry and some earthiness on the nose, not bad. But just anonymous to taste, watery mouthfeel. Darn.

Thanks to JLindros for sharing this can.

A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a dark muddy golden orange with a thin white head that fades to leave light wisps.

S - Aromas of fruit leather and marmalade, tons of bead dough, kvass yeast, dark bread, super cloy strawberry.

T - Taste is similar to the nose with nice fruit paste and strawberry preserves, light cracker and grains. Finish is hugely sweet. Almost cloy.

M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, bit flemmy. Body is light.

O - Overall this was a rather mediocre ale, good strawberry notes but really lackluster elsewhere.

Serving Type: can

Brought back from Ontario, shared with rudzud

Pours a decent frothy foamy head with medium retention, bit of lacing, very hazy murky sunset orange color

Nose there is some strawberry and rhubarb but not much, bread, like blended bread into the beer, like a straight up kvass, nutty, weird acidic fruit with a little chemical strawberry off-aroma

TAste some strawberry but more fake strawberry, faint bitter rhubarb but watery, bread dough and stale cracker, mild bitterness, little wheat dough, little fake flavoring thing too, dry bitter finish

Mouth is med to lighter bod, a little thin watery like, effervescent higher carb

Overall not bad, but not great, some fake characters, but not a great cream ale in general and the strawberry rhubarb was a bit fake tasting, but it wasn't too bad

 

 

473 ml can served cold into a Mill Street pint glass. LCBO purchase for $3.40 CDN.

Appearance - Turbid, muddy and opaque peachy brown colored brew with a finger of off-white head on top that fizzles away quickly. Small amount of soapy residue lingers on top.

Smell - Initially I get a burst of maple syrup and brown sugar followed by some strawberry aromatics and something akin to earthy plants.

Taste - Initially bitter then transitions to sour with some rhubarb flavors. Sweet strawberry is interspersed nicely, the flavors pull together quiet nicely. Dense flavors there's a creamy wheat like aspect that makes it flavored not that far from yogurt. I don't mind it, but not for everyone.

Mouthfeel - Chunky almost in the mouth, like lots of lactose and /or puree added to make this creamy but very filling. Carbonation is right.

Overall - The body is a bit too heavy and the ABV too light for this to be an easy summer sipper. The flavors are all there an it kind of works but this is more strawberry rhubarb milkshake with booze thrown in than something crisp and refreshing on a patio. Glad to have tried and some will love this, but straying away from beer in my mind.

473 mL can from the LCBO; dated Jun 13 2019 and served slightly chilled.

Pours turbid and muddy; its brownish amber-coloured body blushes with a slight pinkish tinge. One finger of foamy, off-white head recedes within the next five minutes or so, leaving behind a creamy quarter-inch cap that lasts for considerably longer. Fairly attractive, though it is a bit muddy-looking - I guess that's what happens when you include two types of purée in a beer, but it pays off in the aroma, which I'd liken to that of strawberry shortcake. Sugary sweet, and just a little tart; it's dessert-like, and highly appealing.

That theme carries over into the flavour profile - it's fruity first and foremost, but overall pretty well done IMO. The strawberry sweetness and slight rhubarb tartness play against each other nicely, while the underlying grainy, wheaty malts serve as an adequate backdrop. The tartness is most noticeable towards the finish, with hints of rhubarb, strawberry and citrus lingering briefly into the aftertaste. Low-ish carbonation levels, with a silky-smooth, creamy texture that works out rather nicely; light-medium in body, with superb drinkability.

Final Grade: 3.95, a B+. I'm not even a fruit beer fan, and I still liked Rhuby Cove - well done, Mill Street. Nothing too complex here: the strawberry and rhubarb run the show, but the end product is reasonably balanced, approachable and most importantly enjoyable. I still don't think it's worth buying a sampler pack just to try this one... but single cans have been rolling out as of late (which is how I bought this one), and if you're in the mood for a fruity brew to toss back on a late summer's evening, this might be just what the doctor ordered.

 

Appearance is cloudy like apple cider and there are little bits floating around in it. Not sure if this is intentional or not. Definitely a fruity Strawberry taste with a bit of tartness. Cream ale is my favourite beer style and it’s nice to try different iterations.
February 16 2020