Millstream Schild Brau Amber - Millstream Brewing Company

goodbyeohio

Oregon

1.8/5  rDev -49.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 1.5

thanks mark

very clear amber color.. perfect image of whats on the other side of the glass doesnt say much for body or density, although its a nice color. no head remains after 30 seconds post-pour. fizzy inside the glass though..

smells musty and wet.. overripe, almost rotten berries. sweet malts.

first thing about the taste i notice is metallic tartness. tangy. tin foily. tastes like old beer, but its not. a rye like spiciness and lots of carbonation covers up some of this rank flavor, but not much. finishes hot.. not like a big abv hot, more like alcohol separation. i am having the misfortune of experiencing every one of these off flavors, one by one.

looks good, and thats about it. avoid.

Serving type: bottle

09-13-2005 12:49:24 | More by goodbyeohio

brewcrew76

Wisconsin

2.23/5  rDev -37.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2

Thanks to hero27 for this one from the BA fantasy baseball league.

A - Pours a clear amber with very little white head that is gone in seconds.

S - Heavy nutty and biscuit aroma with some vegetal scent mixed in.

T - Tastes like stale beer, which I typically seem to taste in beers with a good deal of biscuit. Very nutty and biscuit flavor with some caramel. I get a little DMS also.

M - Very highly carbonated making me burp after each sip.

D - Too many flavors I did not like to try again.

Serving type: bottle

11-13-2006 03:49:16 | More by brewcrew76

ForWhatAlesYou

Minnesota

2.45/5  rDev -31.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

On tap at the Lindstrom Municipal Bar in downtown Lindstrom, MN. Poured into a Copperhook "bullet".

Note: Sometimes I review these beers and then see other reviews and wonder what other people were tasting or if it was just a bad taste at the place I tried it.

A: Off brown amber in color with an ample white foam

S: A little caramel and biscuit. Interesting.

T: Like a generic amber beer with a fair amount of cardboard dissolved into it. A little sourness.

M: Decent viscosity but papery texture is off putting.

D: I would try this one again in Iowa, but never again any where else.

Serving type: on-tap

08-26-2011 16:28:06 | More by ForWhatAlesYou

OldFrothingSlosh

Pennsylvania

2.7/5  rDev -24.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Dull deep-amber in color with a semi-lasting layer of rocky off-white head. Sparse glass lacing. Aromas are sorta tough to discern. Roasted malts, some sweetness, and a dash of fruity hops. Flavor also is subdued. Nothing memorable. Some caramel sweetness that only briefly steps aside to let any sort of brisk bittering hops to see the spotlight. Odd undertow of a sourness that I get later on, and it lasts well into the aftertaste. Thin and not overly drinkable. Perhaps I got a bad bottle?

Serving type: bottle

08-05-2004 18:36:03 | More by OldFrothingSlosh

Gusler

Arizona

2.73/5  rDev -23.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

On the pour, the beer is a translucent deep copper color on the pour with the head minimal in size and frothy in texture, the color an off white with the resultant lace a fine sheet. The nose is malt, sweet; hints of caramel or maple syrup more like it, with the front is sweet and fair in malt; the top skeletally thin. Finish middling in carbonation and the minimal hops spiciness does little to help this beer.

Serving type: bottle

12-02-2002 15:34:15 | More by Gusler

hardy008

Minnesota

2.84/5  rDev -20.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75

Pours dark amber with an off white head with decent retention and lacing. Smells like light caramel malt, with some hops for balance.

Tastes like light caramel malt with grassy hops. There is a decent balance between hops and malt sweetness, but nothing extraordinary.

Medium bodied with light carbonation. Not bad, but nothing to get excited about either. I will pass on this one in the future.

Serving type: bottle

01-12-2013 04:54:01 | More by hardy008

KarlHungus

Minnesota

2.9/5  rDev -19%
look: 2 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

This beer pours a cloudy orange-amber color. The head is one inch in height, and recedes quickly into minimal lacing. The aroma is of caramel malt with a fairly strong sourness to it. It smells more like a Berliner Weisse than a Vienna Lager. It's not a bad aroma. On the contrary it is actually quite pleasant. It just isn't what a Vienna Lager should smell like. The taste is a lot less sour then the aroma, but there is still a faint hint of sourness in the background. Up front there there are some nice caramel notes with some light floral hops. I think I would like it a bit better if the sourness were a little stronger. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with low carbonation for the style. Overall, I'm not sure if something is off or if the brewer really did intend on this beer beings slightly sour. Either way I can't see myself drinking this one again.

Serving type: bottle

04-16-2012 00:12:26 | More by KarlHungus

Beerandraiderfan

Nevada

2.93/5  rDev -18.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a good amber color, with good clarity, minimal head, this looks the part of a Vienna Lager. Aroma was lacking that vienna malt sweetness to look for in this style. Wasn't bad put off bad, but was just, meh.

Taste, smooth and the malt content seems to be just right, thin enough, yet chewy. Would have liked to have seen just a little more hop zest, 20-30 ibu, instead of what tastes like 10-15. But its probably more in the tradition of a good Vienna or oktoberfest. Plenty of that nutty caramel thing going on in the mouthfeel, but it just is too middle of the road for me.

Serving type: bottle

05-10-2011 16:48:53 | More by Beerandraiderfan

Erdinger2003

Iowa

2.95/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

First appearance the head is 1/2 inch and has spots of lacing left behind after dissapating into a small layer of head with a nice lacing. The color is a dark brown to light gold.

Smell has dark roasted flavor to it with sweet nuttiness. I notice the lager yeast as a sour flavor coupled with malty tones.

Taste has coffee roasted with nuttiness and a slight smokiness .

The mouthfeel is almost watery and medium bodied with little carbonation.

Nice to try, but not worth a second try.

Serving type: bottle

05-14-2006 06:55:34 | More by Erdinger2003

beachbum1975

Ohio

2.95/5  rDev -17.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 2.5

Everything thing about this beer was caramel. It poured a cloudy, rich caramel or dark copper with a surprisingly dark tan head that evaporated leaving no lacing or head. It smelled of caramelized malts, faint apples and possibly strawberries. After getting past a wave of almost buttery toasted malts and caramel, the taste reminded me of a light-bodied saison – strange, isn’t it?

To be honest, I was surprised to read this was a Märzen…

Like the other beers I tried from Millstream Brewing Co., I am glad I tried it, but don’t exactly feel the need to fly to Iowa to get more.

Thanks to Mynie for the trade!

Serving type: bottle

10-10-2006 02:30:32 | More by beachbum1975

hero27

Iowa

3.03/5  rDev -15.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle.

Clear bronze, with a finger-thick off-white head. Caramel malt aroma.
The flavors are fairly subtle, and lacks any bold flavor whatsoever. The toffee & caramel flavors come out alright, but the hops are lacking and so is the body. Not bad, but nothing worth tracking down either. If this had more "punch" to it, it would certainly improve by leaps and bounds.

Serving type: bottle

05-01-2006 06:02:03 | More by hero27

Bighuge

Minnesota

3.05/5  rDev -14.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Clear copper. Thin beige head. Spotty lace. Aroma is fairly light. Toasted malts and a little biscuit. Body is close to full. There's a good amount of carbonation. Taste is kind of forgettable. Not a lot going on. Some of your basic caramel and toasted notes, light as they may be. And also some sweet sugary kinds of traits. But all in all, it's not doing anything for me. Average...at best.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2006 03:29:22 | More by Bighuge

beveragecaptain

New Jersey

3.08/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 4

12 ounce bottle. Pours out a dark brown color with a small head. Weak toasted malt aroma. The flavor is nutty malt with some candy sweetness. Grain flavor comes in at the finish. This beer is much too watery. The malt flavor is too weak. I did not detect the sourness that other reviewers have mentioned. There is nothing bad about this beer except that it's boring.

Serving type: bottle

09-28-2005 04:47:22 | More by beveragecaptain

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -14%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Hallertau hops and a most decent lager. Quaffable and satisfying. A medium yellow colour, minimum white head. Neutral aroma, medium mouthfeel. Decent beer all around,I could have one or two. Nothing edgy or really tasty though. Appropriate carbonation.

Serving type: bottle

02-22-2009 02:38:10 | More by northyorksammy

maxpower

Missouri

3.1/5  rDev -13.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

12 oz bottle pours a clear dark orange-copper color, nice white foamy head that leaves some lacing in my glass. Has a light flowery and malty caramel aromas, sweet and roasty malts flavors, finishes clean and sweet, medium body, a little thin and semi-watery mouthfeel, an average amber.

Serving type: bottle

03-12-2006 20:36:34 | More by maxpower

bditty187

Nebraska

3.18/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear bronze-amber hue, served with a modest off-white head of a finger in height, it faded to half that size, a loose cap hung together well. No lace was produced. The nose is realty lacking in potency, hard whiffs induce only a trace of toasty-caramel malts and I am making an assumption about that. The palate is decent, toasty malts with a well-balanced addition of hops for a crisp bitterness that cuts the toasty malts just long enough to allow for a caramel note in the finish. There is an odd mineral twang but it is tolerable. This is a solid amber lager. Medium in body, natural carbonation, this allows for an easy drinking beverage. I could session with this but I might get bored after a couple. It is worth drinking if in Iowa, you need not seek it out unless you want a beer from all fifty states. It is a decent beverage and probably the easiest to find from this brewery.

Serving type: bottle

02-09-2004 21:04:40 | More by bditty187

hopsaplenty

Virginia

3.18/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown bottle, Feb notched on the label.

Glistening caramelized amber. Short, crackling khaki colored head that quickly vanishes leaving only a few stray bubbles. Vibrant carbonation streams pepper the surface with gunshot-like action. The surface moves like smoke across the water. Sweet, glazed apple aromas rise from the glass, but do not drift too far. The taste is slightly sweet with some of the same glazed appley notes present in the aroma. The malt is modestly roasted, with a slightly bittering edge. The hop finish is spicy, but not overly so and it lingers just a brief moment. Medium body with a slightly slick mouthfeel, there is ample but not excessive carbonation. Drinkable, but the malt profile could have been beefed up just a bit to give it a bigger mouthfeel.

Serving type: bottle

06-21-2006 01:25:26 | More by hopsaplenty

jbphoto88

Texas

3.18/5  rDev -11.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

On tap at the cedar rapids airport (it's nice to see craft beer on tap in such a small airport.) Supper clear copper colored beer with a slightly fluffed, off white head. There is some sudsy stickiness but it dissipates quickly and ends up as a thin coating across the top of the brew.

Smell is almost non-existent. There is a mild sweetness but not much of anything else, although it is pleasant.

The taste is of muted grains and has a light coppery metallic flavor which is reinforced by a delicate bitterness. That description is better then it really deserves because this beer is not just mild it's a borderline ghost. If it wasn't for the carbonation I doubt it would have any taste.

The mouthfeel is not very refreshing and is kind of rough. I do like the carbonation because it redeems this brew from being almost undrinkable. This one could use more of everything, more hops, grain, nose, flavor, you name it. One word can describe it... boring. It's a girlfriend beer.

Serving type: on-tap

08-08-2009 02:35:42 | More by jbphoto88

PhantomVodoo

Ohio

3.2/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Light tan head sits atop this copper brew.
Aroma of caramel malt dominates. Notes of fruit, earthiness, and floral.

Taste shows mostly sweet, nutty caramel flavor. A bit fruity and floral. Some crispness, but definitely sweet overall. Sweetness lingers on the palate at the finish and almost seems artificial. Not bad, but something seems off in this beer.

Solid body for an amber lager.
Overall, a decent beer with average drinkability.
Big thanks to AKSmokedPorter for another hard to find Iowa sample!

Serving type: bottle

01-26-2004 01:32:22 | More by PhantomVodoo

richkrull

Wisconsin

3.23/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3

Pretty good beer. I was surprised that it's brewed in Iowa - the label doesn't seem to fit that. Interesting name as well.

Nice amber color, good taste and feel. A little bit of a bitter aftertaste. Almost no head at all when pouring. It's worth a taste.

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2010 02:21:54 | More by richkrull

DesMoinesMike

Iowa

3.23/5  rDev -9.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

I seem to be consistantly disappointed by this brew. It looks good but has kind of an odd, slightly sour smell to it. The taste has some good malt character but that same slightly sour essence detracts from that too much for me to enjoy it. The body is good but the sourness seems to linger. I've had a bottle before that I drained because it was so bad. This would most likely be a good beer if Millstream did better quality control on it. I've haven't had this problem before with their other brews.

Serving type: bottle

10-12-2011 16:14:07 | More by DesMoinesMike

jsprain1

Minnesota

3.25/5  rDev -9.2%
look: 2 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

A- Slightly reddened amber. The head was one and a half fingers, white, at first, but it fell flat very quickly.
S- The aroma is very pleasant. Toasted bread, slightly doughy, with a bit of fruit. It smells very much like Fat Tire. Blindfolded, on aroma, I wouldn't know the difference.
T- Here it loses its punch. Bready, but lighter bread than the aroma made me think. There fruit is there but very mild. A touch of sugar cookie.
M- Very light. The flavors finish quickly, without much lingering flavors. Carb is medium-low.
O- An ok beer but other than the aroma it more or less disappointed me.

Serving type: bottle

01-21-2012 04:11:11 | More by jsprain1

TheQuietMan22

Iowa

3.28/5  rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Appearance: Straight pour into a becker glass. Not the correct beerware, but it will do. The color is a light amber/copper. One finger of white head developed and dissipated almost immediately to leave a spotted lacing and ring around the edge.

Smell: Mostly caramel and toffee, but there is a hint of chocolate to give it a little darker richness.

Taste: Mirrors the aroma and is very straightforward. Caramel, toffee, and a hint of chocolate. There is a subtle hop bitterness at the end of each sip.

Drinkability: Not much complexity, but it is tasty, rich, and very drinkable. As an Iowan I hate to say this, especially since this beer just won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup: when it comes to Vienna style lager, I think Trader Joe's Vienna Style Lager beats Schild Brau. By a hair, though.

Serving type: bottle

03-05-2011 05:36:57 | More by TheQuietMan22

cokes

Wisconsin

3.3/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Nice, deep golden amber. Foamy off white head, shows moderate retention and lacing.
Hardly anything on the nose. Tiny malt sweetness.
Taste is almost as small. Diluted carmel sweetness. Hints of butter. A touch of slightly spicy hops in the finish. Everything here is fine and dandy, but just not enough. Simple and quaffable. But lacks any real character. Those two sentances could label Millstream.
Mouthfeel is creamy yet vacant of substance. Easy to drink.

I am rating this on the heels of several Great Lakes Eliot Ness'....my premier Vienna. This one pales greatly in comparison. Not bad, but well short of stellar.

Serving type: bottle

08-28-2002 00:14:42 | More by cokes

Graham21

Iowa

3.3/5  rDev -7.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Appearance is weak with a faint head; amber in color. the nose is malty and slighty sweet, with brown sugar undertones. Its light in the mouth and easy to drink. very little taste; malt, and a light sweetness. Although this beer isnt that good, because im in college, i consider it my budweiser when im out with my friends at a party. Its easy to drink and it doesnt taste bad.

Serving type: bottle

03-07-2006 05:45:35 | More by Graham21