Winter Bock
Mill Street Brew Pub

Fresh at the brepub. Pours dark brown with lacey head. Aroma is minimally malty, with a touch of tabacco. Taste is malt and some roast, and coffee in the finish. First half pint was more malty, then the bitterness seemed to grow, with the second half pint. Simple recipe but very drinkable. ABove average mouthfeel.

On tap at the brewpub.

Pours a clear orange/red, decently thick tan head forms, quickly drops down to a thin ring, no lacing. Smell is sweet, some chocolate, bread and biscuits, caramel, floral, brown sugar, clean and malty, smells okay. Taste is chocolate, light roastiness, caramel, wheat, bread, dry spices, toast, very fruity finish, touch of iron. Mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with medium carbonation, pretty smooth. I actually liked this one, solid winterbock.

Clear ruby with a solid head. Aromas are mostly toasty with a touch of coffee. Flavourwise, this is sweet, quite bitter, but balanced by a hefty dose of fruitiness and toasty graininess. Moderate in body and nicely carbonated.

My impression is that this is a little bit heavy and on the verge of being cloying - there's a ton of dark fruity esters and sweetness in this one. Roastier than most bocks I've had, and a good though too, as the that character seems to do a good job of cutting through the fruit and sugar. Still, not something I could drink a lot of at a time.

New at the Mill Street Brewpub. The barman said that the regular Helles Bock was used as the basis of this release. The pour is a deep ruby red with a thin off-white head, which diminishes to a fine film. The aroma is malty and slightly sweet. The taste is very bready, with residual hints of sugar, before leading through to a dry finish full of roasted grain and a hint of vegetal flavours. The body is medium. I thought this was a very decent seasonal offering, and would definitely try it again.