Spring Imp
Mill Street Brew Pub
- From:
- Mill Street Brew Pub
- Ontario, Canada
- Style:
- Bock
- ABV:
- 7%
- Score:
- 80
- Avg:
- 3.4 | pDev: 8.82%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 9
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Dec 26, 2014
- Added:
- Apr 20, 2010
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 1
SCORE
80
Good
80
Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by CalgaryFMC from Canada (AB)
3.34/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
3.34/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Part of a mixed six pack with Spring Thaw Maple Ale. A light gold brew with a large light tan head, noticeably light for a bock or even for a maibock. Smells malty and sweet, with some brown spice and caramel notes apparent. Overall, a very mellow aroma to match the pallid color. Palate is again malt-forward with a touch of dry earthy hops. I get a light butterscotch or brown sugar backdrop with little to no toast or crust flavors and muted raisins. Quite fruity and bright, with some grape juice, cherry, and peach flavors that almost manage to overshadow what tastes like a simplified, unidimentional malt bill. There is little of the rich complexity one gets in European examples of the style. Thin body and moderate to high carbonation also miss the mark for me. Manages to get a bit grainy and boozy about 2/3rds of the way through. Not fantastic frankly, although would rank more highly as a sweet Euro lager of some other sort ... I think the bock label skews one's expectations away from what this beer actually delivers.
Feb 01, 2014
Reviewed by wordemupg from Canada (AB)
3.56/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.56/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
355ml bottle poured into tulip 12/6/13
A clear bright copper with lots of bubbles of all sizes but just a short lived finger of foam that leaves of lace
S sweet candied corn, bread crust, toffee and some fruity notes, pear and apricot perhaps? a little booze as it warms and some earthy hops
T some cereals and a little more booze, some caramel apple but other then that its similar to the nose but I'd give the smell a slight advantage
M medium bodied, less bubbles then I'd guess after how many I could see in the glass, a little booze going down and coats the roof of my mouth with some slickness
O nothing special but no major flaws just not very exciting, easy enough to drink but I get board and a little pissed faster then I'd like
Mill Streets brews usually fall a little short for me, not bad but I don't think I've ever rushed back to the beer store looking for more
Jun 13, 2013A clear bright copper with lots of bubbles of all sizes but just a short lived finger of foam that leaves of lace
S sweet candied corn, bread crust, toffee and some fruity notes, pear and apricot perhaps? a little booze as it warms and some earthy hops
T some cereals and a little more booze, some caramel apple but other then that its similar to the nose but I'd give the smell a slight advantage
M medium bodied, less bubbles then I'd guess after how many I could see in the glass, a little booze going down and coats the roof of my mouth with some slickness
O nothing special but no major flaws just not very exciting, easy enough to drink but I get board and a little pissed faster then I'd like
Mill Streets brews usually fall a little short for me, not bad but I don't think I've ever rushed back to the beer store looking for more
Reviewed by biegaman from Canada (ON)
3.52/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.52/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
I'm not exactly clear on whether imps are supposed to be friendly or feared, but Mill Street's Spring Imp doesn't appear either. Golden but tarnished, clear but shadowy, it's pretty from afar... but far from pretty. The lack of head, however, is irrefutably not good and tips the scales against this appearance getting the better score.
The malts are most certainly not rich - if they went to a German bank looking for a melanoidin loan they wouldn't have the collateral to put up. (That's a little bock humour for the BJCP crowd.) Despite exuding a good amount of toastiness few flavours develop beyond the instant two of candy-apple and plum cake.
Spring Imp tastes like a combination of apples, butterscotch and raisin bread. It isn't sweet or overly ester-y but does have some spiced fruitiness and a definite lack of focus for a beer meant to be decisively clean and distinctly rich and malty. Too light to be a doppelbock, too dark to be a helles - it seems to have been brewed hit and miss, without planning.
Earthy hops (with a little help from the alcohol) finish each sip with a spark, an herbal and sort of medicinal spiciness that gives the palate a shock but doesn't electrocute it. The malt has enough substance to keep the alcohol within the realm of tolerable (though some may find it a bit sharp, perhaps even detect a hint of fusels).
There's a reason 'Spring Imp' isn't called 'Spring Imp-anator': the use of all German ingredients doesn't automatically make the beer as great as the German classics (i.e., Salvator, Celebrator, Optimator). Though a very reasonably well made offering, it's not something you want to be the face of your spring release (literally, the label looks as though it were drawn in Microsoft paint).
Jun 07, 2013The malts are most certainly not rich - if they went to a German bank looking for a melanoidin loan they wouldn't have the collateral to put up. (That's a little bock humour for the BJCP crowd.) Despite exuding a good amount of toastiness few flavours develop beyond the instant two of candy-apple and plum cake.
Spring Imp tastes like a combination of apples, butterscotch and raisin bread. It isn't sweet or overly ester-y but does have some spiced fruitiness and a definite lack of focus for a beer meant to be decisively clean and distinctly rich and malty. Too light to be a doppelbock, too dark to be a helles - it seems to have been brewed hit and miss, without planning.
Earthy hops (with a little help from the alcohol) finish each sip with a spark, an herbal and sort of medicinal spiciness that gives the palate a shock but doesn't electrocute it. The malt has enough substance to keep the alcohol within the realm of tolerable (though some may find it a bit sharp, perhaps even detect a hint of fusels).
There's a reason 'Spring Imp' isn't called 'Spring Imp-anator': the use of all German ingredients doesn't automatically make the beer as great as the German classics (i.e., Salvator, Celebrator, Optimator). Though a very reasonably well made offering, it's not something you want to be the face of your spring release (literally, the label looks as though it were drawn in Microsoft paint).
Reviewed by thehyperduck from Canada (ON)
3.42/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.42/5 rDev +0.6%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
355 mL bottle from the LCBO; courtesy of their Spring Mix pack. Served chilled and poured into a mug. I already tried one of these last night and wasn't super-impressed, but a new day sometimes means a new, more positive outlook.
Pours a medium amber-copper hue, relatively light and clear, and topped at first with slightly more than one finger of frothy, off-white head that recedes steadily over the next few minutes. It leaves behind a soapy cap at the surface and a narrow collar; no lacing. The aroma is a little subdued at first, but opens up a little as the glass warms. It's generally on the saccharine side, with hints of caramel, bread and buttertarts, as well as a modest dose of grassy hops. The alcohol is detectable just barely below the surface of the bouquet. Pretty enticing, I must say.
And not that misleading at all, as this is fairly tasty stuff, indeed. The malts take center stage immediately, comprised largely of caramel sweetness, with notes that are reminiscent of red apples, honey and that buttertart I picked up on the nose. This leads into a finish that includes a mixture of floral, leafy hops, honey sweetness and ethanol. Slightly spicy aftertaste with lingering sweetness. Medium-bodied, with a vague hint of yeasty chewiness in the finish and aftertaste. A decent bite from the carbonation; not really strong enough to be distracting, and helping prevent the mouthfeel from being too sticky or slick.
Final Grade: 3.42, an acceptable B-. After being less than enthralled with my first sampling of Mill Street's Spring Imp, I've warmed up considerably on this subsequent tasting. It's fairly light (both in colour and depth of flavour) for a bock - this is obviously closer in kin to a maibock than a doppel. But there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it's done well - and this one offers a nice balance between big malty sweetness, European-style hop notes and boozy warmth. Not the greatest bock in the world, and not something I'd bother going out of my way for, but I'll have no trouble finishing off the last of the bottles.
Apr 16, 2013Pours a medium amber-copper hue, relatively light and clear, and topped at first with slightly more than one finger of frothy, off-white head that recedes steadily over the next few minutes. It leaves behind a soapy cap at the surface and a narrow collar; no lacing. The aroma is a little subdued at first, but opens up a little as the glass warms. It's generally on the saccharine side, with hints of caramel, bread and buttertarts, as well as a modest dose of grassy hops. The alcohol is detectable just barely below the surface of the bouquet. Pretty enticing, I must say.
And not that misleading at all, as this is fairly tasty stuff, indeed. The malts take center stage immediately, comprised largely of caramel sweetness, with notes that are reminiscent of red apples, honey and that buttertart I picked up on the nose. This leads into a finish that includes a mixture of floral, leafy hops, honey sweetness and ethanol. Slightly spicy aftertaste with lingering sweetness. Medium-bodied, with a vague hint of yeasty chewiness in the finish and aftertaste. A decent bite from the carbonation; not really strong enough to be distracting, and helping prevent the mouthfeel from being too sticky or slick.
Final Grade: 3.42, an acceptable B-. After being less than enthralled with my first sampling of Mill Street's Spring Imp, I've warmed up considerably on this subsequent tasting. It's fairly light (both in colour and depth of flavour) for a bock - this is obviously closer in kin to a maibock than a doppel. But there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it's done well - and this one offers a nice balance between big malty sweetness, European-style hop notes and boozy warmth. Not the greatest bock in the world, and not something I'd bother going out of my way for, but I'll have no trouble finishing off the last of the bottles.
Reviewed by GodOfBeer from Canada (ON)
3.22/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.22/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Pours a copper-reddish brown with a thick head that almost completely dissipates after a few minutes. Looks like iced tea now(without the ice).
Not much of an aroma, definitely quite a bit of alcohol is noticeable along with some nutty and malty undertones.
Fortunately the alcohol is well hidden amongst a blast of malty sweetness - almost too sweet. Other than that not much going on here, some nuttiness, bready malts and a nice fruity character. Nothing amazing compared to other european Bocks, but still pretty well done.
Probably not something I'd buy again, can't wait to try the maple beer though!
Apr 14, 2013Not much of an aroma, definitely quite a bit of alcohol is noticeable along with some nutty and malty undertones.
Fortunately the alcohol is well hidden amongst a blast of malty sweetness - almost too sweet. Other than that not much going on here, some nuttiness, bready malts and a nice fruity character. Nothing amazing compared to other european Bocks, but still pretty well done.
Probably not something I'd buy again, can't wait to try the maple beer though!
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