Mill Street's Autumn Harvest (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Mill Street's Autumn Harvest six-pack (now available at Nova Scotia Liquor Stores as well as in Ontario) contains their Oktoberfest and Nightmare On Elm Street Pumpkin Ale. I appreciate them combining two of their seasonal ales into one six-pack and review both beers below.

Nightmare On Mill Street - Mill St (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

This pumpkin flavoured wheat beer pours a clear chestnut and gold colour with a quick fading head but nice lacing. Lots of pumpkin as well as pumpkin pie spice flavour in the aroma along with some milk chocolate which gets stronger as the beer sits. The taste is quite dark, with sweet roasty and pie crust flavours, a bit of that same milk chocolate from the aroma as well but not much pumpkin or spice. However, there are still some pumpkin pie spice flavours but Nightmare On Mill Street is more like drinking a beer in the vicinity of a baking pumpkin pie than drinking a typical pumpkin ale that would be heavy with those flavours. A tasty beer and a nice Autumn treat but there are other beers that taste more clearly like pumpkin.

Ocktoberfest - Mill St (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.6%

A aroma like crusty dinner rolls, a touch of sweetness and darker earthy roast and underlying dry hop bitterness. A nice robustly malty taste with that same slightly darker touch of earthiness and light roasty glaze with a mild mix of red and dark fruit esters. A balancing moderate dry Euro hops bitterness comes through as well. Mill Street Oktoberfest leaves a moderately bitter umami aftertaste that might remind me of very lightly burnt toast. An orange gold colour in a glass, quite a dark gold. A very fine Oktoberfest beer: tasty, complex yet sessionable and true to the style.

Stone Hammer Premium Light - F & M Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Guelph)

Stone Hammer Premium Light - F and M Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Guelph) 4.2%

Pale gold in a glass with a fluffy head that fades quite quickly but leaves some nice lacing. Lightly hoppy aroma with a fresh smelling malt flavour with lots of grain.

Stone Hammer Premium Light has a pronounced, malty grain flavour that is either lightly nutty or more like a roasted but unsalted sunflower seed flavour that is very appetizing. It has a refreshingly clean finish with that slightly nutty, seed flavour in the aftertaste. As a result it would pair well with any food - it's not going to overpower any flavours but does a good job of whetting your appetite. This Premium Light shows that a light beer doesn't have to be bland - it's a great craft beer alternative to any megabrewery light lager.

Hockley Black and Tan - Hockley Valley Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Orangeville)

Hockley Black and Tan - Hockley Valley Brewing (Canada - Ontario - Orangeville) 4.7%

Very dark bordering on opaque. Very nice full dark malt tones of coffee, smoke, chocolate. Smooth bubbles. Somewhat oakey aroma along with a bitterness and the dark malt. A very solid blend of stout and light ale, almost more food-like than a beer as Hockley Black and Tan sticks to your ribs and satisfies. It could even be served as a desert. Suggested service temperature is between 8 and 10 Celsius and I would heartily recommend waiting for it to warm up to that level if you had been keeping it in the refrigerator, it is absolutely worth the wait. Definitely try this one if you are a fan of either Canadian craft beers or dark beers in general.

Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale (Canada - Ontario - Toronto)

Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 6.0%

Brewed with pineapple juice this Pale Ale would be considered an American Pale Ale so it drinks more like an IPA. It has an extremely hoppy aroma that is chock full of cedar and resin; and the smell of pineapple juice comes through too. The taste is along the same "oh-goody" lines: very hoppy, with cedar and resin tones, though the beer as a whole isn't overly bitter, and the pineapple juice comes through as well. Gold with an amber touch in a glass.

Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale is really neat, the pineapple juice is really obvious in one way but totally blends in at the same time: it is there if you are looking for it but because it mixes so well with the hops that it can go completely unnoticed. It's a wonderful idea to make a really hoppy Pale Ale like this and add pineapple juice, and I very much enjoy this beer. There is some very light sediment at the bottom of the beer which can make the beer quite a bit more bitter and obscure the pineapple if it makes its way into your glass.

Two Canadian Beers that are Red in Title but not in Style

Red Racer Pale Ale (Canada - British Columbia - Surrey) 5.0%

First of all it comes in a really cool can. It has a very sweet malty taste with a hops backer. This American Pale Ale (by style not nationality) has a hoppy citrus aroma and is very nice paired with food although the bitter hops can make spicy foods taste even spicier!

Red Baron Premium Blonde Lager (Canada - Ontario - Waterloo) 4.8%

Pale gold in a glass. Sweet and malty. Light in flavour with a somewhat bitter hops touch in the finish which makes it more refreshing than it otherwise would be. A light malty, hoppy aroma. All in all a nicely crafted lager.

Happy Canada Day!

In honour of Canada Day I review a slew of beers from one of Canada's great breweries, Mill Street in Toronto.

 

Mill Street Brewery Tankhouse Ale (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.2%

This beer has a very visually appealing old-style bottle and logo. The beer itself is a copper colour in a glass. It has a rather hoppy aroma and bitter taste but this is balanced with a sweet rustic red malt flavour, with a roasty tone. It is spicy and has a certain hint of citrus in the hops character. The aftertaste is bitter and hoppy but also appetizingly sweet and malty in a way that reminds me a of bakery fresh brown bread.

Tankhouse Ale seems like an ideal pub or restaurant beer: due to it's hops character it's an exceptionally refreshing beer that would pair well with a wide variety of foods and though it is bitter, it is still a very drinkable beer.

Mill Street Brewery Pilsner (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.2%

Packs a suprisingly sweet punch at first. Has that characteristic dry crisp hops flavour associated with European style pilsners, that same hops flavour is the predominant aroma in the nose of the beer.

The beer is a deep gold in a glass and is a little cloudy - perhaps I served it a little too cold? Unfortunately I only have the one bottle to sample. I like the throwback label.

Nicely bitter, perfect for the style. The sweetness is a little unexpected but it quickly fades behind the hops and bitterness. Just a hint of citrus and floral tones in the finish of the beer with a moderately bitter aftertaste - all in all a very nice pilsner.

Mill Street Brewery's Pilsner is very refreshing and true to the style but with a little twist to keep things interesting while remaining well balanced throughout. I recommend you try this one.

Mill Street Brewery Traditional Ginger (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

A bright clear beer that is a coppery gold colour in a glass. A gingery smell and taste, with a spicy kick if you take a large swig. It is very gingery in a way that tastes like fresh ginger, rather than ginger ale, but is also reminiscent of ginger bread and a little bit like pumpkin pie. I really appreciate the fact that Mill Street used actual ginger puree and no sweetener because ginger beers have been around for a long time and yet most of the modern versions are full of sugar and artificial flavourings. Also it is quite bitter which makes it stand out from other ginger flavoured beers on the market and makes it seem all the more authentic for it.

Mill Street Brewery Stock Ale (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.0%

A richly malty brew, sweet with roasted malt tones also. Something pleasantly creamy about the flavour of the malt that pairs nicely with the bitterness of the hops which is on the tame side of moderate. The sweet slightly roasty aroma is reminiscent of honey with a touch of hoppy bitterness for good measure.

A pleasant well crafted lighter ale. I've liked every beer I've tried from Mill Street Brewing so far, and this one is no exception, from the taste down to the design of each label this is a top tier craft brewery.

Mill Street Brewery Original Organic Lager (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 4.2%

Pale gold in a glass. This beer is sweet, malty and crisp but also springy on the palate. An interesting floral hops character that is reminiscent of a wheat beer. Refreshing and tasty but with a very short lived aftertaste.

This beer is an excellent lager: proof that a lager doesn't have to be bland or uncomplicated to be refreshing. If you are looking for a lager and are into organic foods you can't miss this beer.

Mill Street Brewery Coffee Porter (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 5.5%

With a rich coffee aroma that could kick-start a morning as effectively as a true cuppa joe, this beer certainly lives up its name. This should come as no surprise though since it is brewed with actual coffee! To be honest, I think including actual coffee in a porter borders on cheating since so many brewmasters strive to (and often succeed in) coaxing that coffee flavour out of specially malted barley.

In Mill Street's Coffee Porter though I have to say the merits of their coffee-blending approach is in the drinking: this is a very nice porter, strong flavours of coffee, smoke, a lovely level of sweetness that gives it a pronounced chocolate tone. It is also nutty and has a somewhat bitter aftertaste. The combination of aroma and aftertaste remind of the mix of smells I associate with pubs that are just around a street corner from a major thoroughfare and down a half flight of stairs: the pot of coffee behind the bar, the glass of ale on the table in front of you and the lingering hint of smoke from the night before.

This porter would do just as well as an after dinner desert as it would paired with an omelette at brunch. Also, and as always, I love the throwback style bottles Mill Street uses. All around a great purchase and worth trying more than once.

 
Mill Street Brewery Ambre de la Chaudiere (Canada - Ontario - Toronto) 7.0%

A brass colour in a glass. A yeasty, floral and citrus aroma. A very yeasty floral explosion of a taste. Spicy but I think it could use a bit more spice to add to the yeast and sherry-like tones. Really nice beer all-in-all with an interesting story on the label to match the interesting flavour. A creamy mouthfeel with a touch of alcohol burn that cause this beer to drink as a fine wine, an exotic sherry or a robust scotch.

Sea Level Brewing at The Port (Canada - Nova Scotia - Port Williams)

Locate in Port Williams, Nova Scotia, The Port gastropub has award-winning decor, great food and even better beer made on location by Sea Level Brewing. All the prices are very affordable, so, if you are in the area I definitely recommend checking pulling into The Port.

Cheers!

Planter's Pale Ale 4.5%

A sweet, slightly caramel and nutty aroma. Tasted much the same but with hoppy and bitter tones as well as strong bread flavours and a slightly bitter, grain finish. Pale gold in a glass.

Raspberry Wheat 4.5%

A tart but sweet, clearly raspberry aroma. Clear and refreshingly watery mouthfeel. Bitter with a raspberry tartness, not very sweet and more than touch of the grain flavour that comes with freshly crafted beer. The raspberry is not very strong due to the fact that Sea Level Brewing is using actual raspberries rather than syrup or concentrate. Gold with a pink tint that makes it look almost grapefruit pink.

Rojo Mojo Red 5.2%

A mild sweet slightly roasty aroma. Roasty, bitter, more than a touch hoppy. Some sherry like fruit tones. A nice red! Amber in a glass.

Blue Heron Extra Special Bitter 5.5%

Brass coloured in a glass. Very hoppy aroma, sprucy and sweet - makes your mouth water if you are a hops fan and perhaps cringe if you tend to shy away from hoppy brews. Not nearly as bitter as implied by the aroma but still plenty of great hops flavour. Although Blue Heron is a dry-hopped beer, Sea Level Brewing uses hops that they grow themselves that are low in bitter oils but still full of flavour: hoppy and green. It still has a bitter, lingering smoky finish. Sweet but not overly and, as a result of its bitterness, pairs well with food as the menu recommends. Even with the pleasant hops flavours this beer brings it is still mild enough that someone who might not like a strongly hoppy and bitter hops flavour can still enjoy this beer while hops fans are still happy.

Port in the Storm Porter 5.5%

Smoky, coffee aroma with a touch of chocolate. A perfect silky head and very dark in a glass. A very smoky dark coffee flavour touches of grain, bitter and a hint of hops. A smooth mouthfeel. A very nice porter.

Barley Days Brewery (Canada - Ontario - Picton)

Located in Prince Edward County, Ontario, Barley Days Brewery makes three beers year round and a number of seasonal beers as well. I had the good fortune to come across a mixed twelve-pack. The bottles themselves are the standard brown bottle and the bottlecaps are plain but the labels are quite handsome. Here's what I thought of four of their fine brews. (Spoiler alert: they were really good!)

Barley Days Loyalist Lager 5.5%

A crystal clear, medium gold in a glass with a malty, slightly roasty aroma. A great fresh hops taste lends some dry spiciness to this malty lager that is also sweet and somewhat roasty despite its light colour. A nicely drinkable lager with quite a bit of character.

Barley Days Harvest Gold Pale Ale 4.8%

A cloudy gold colour in a glass. A pleasant yeast and grain flavour, somewhat sweet, with hints of caramel, and bitter. A similar hops character as other Barley Days beers but distinctly more bitter and a little more sprucey rather than the dry hops character of the Loyalist Lager. All in all a nice beer.

Barley Days Brown Ale 4.5%

An amber brown colour in a glass with a slightly hoppy aroma of molasses. The taste is sweet and somewhat roasty with hints of coffee or chocolate and the aforementioned molasses. The hops flavour is quite pronounced and decidedly fresh tasting, the carbonation is mild and a watery mouthfeel makes this beer very refreshing. All in all this is one of my favourite brown ales.

Barley Days Wind and Sail Dark Ale 5.0%

A dark, porter-esque aroma of smoke and coffee. Strong notes of coffee and chocolate in the taste; quite sweet with some wooden tones from the combination of dark malt and hops. A malty, smoky aftertaste rounds out this very pleasant dark ale. Very dark in a glass: nearly opaque and the colour of darkly stained wood. Certainly worth picking up, another great beer from Barley Days.