Mill Street Tankhouse Ale - Mill Street Brew Pub

northyorksammy

Ontario (Canada)

2.88/5  rDev -23.8%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

I did find some flavour in this brew, but had to ignore the metalic undercurrent. The flavour that needs to be brought out is a malty balance. Had it 2.5 years later on cask and it was better, with a light body, light carbonation. C-hop and no balance. The cask is the review score. The bottles' quality is getting watered down, and with Mill Street beers in general, beginning in 2009, I was getting stomach aches likely owing to chemicals being used.

Serving type: cask

01-25-2004 03:11:15 | More by northyorksammy

BuckeyeNation

Iowa

3.95/5  rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

Coppery orange with sunny Sunkist edges. A standard pour has created three full fingers of foam that is midway between cream and ecru. And a fine looking lid it is. An abundance of attractive lace helps secure the higher score.

The nose is at least as malty as it is hoppy, which is a characteristic that doesn't thrill me when it comes to beer of this style. Those of you who crave balance will love it. Toasted malt come through, as does a whiff of hops that I would have been hard-pressed to have identified as Cascade.

Balance, balance and more balance. An Englishman might think that Tankhouse Ale is on the hoppy side. An American (this one) begs to differ. Nevertheless, just like MS Coffee Porter, MSTA is clearly well-brewed, drinkable beer. Maybe all those hoppy APAs have spoiled me.

There's plenty of barley onboard, with a flavor profile that tastes like a mixture of pale and toasted/caramel. Munich is probably in there somewhere. The hops provide some amount of grapefruitiness; but again, the classic Cascade flavor isn't that evident.

In the end, I've been won over by Tankhouse Ale's sheer competence. It's good solo and would probably sneak up to great alongside a big, juicy burger and fries. I'm sure it would be a standby if I frequented Mill Street Brew Pub. The mouthfeel is exceptional. Very few 5.2% ales are this lush and creamilicious.

Every one of my favorite APAs are dominated by hops. The fact that Mill Street Tankhouse Ale isn't and still manages to impress is a testament to the skill of its brewers. Thanks to biegaman for yet another quality Canadian brew.

Serving type: bottle

04-15-2009 13:14:41 | More by BuckeyeNation

Phyl21ca

Quebec (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Bottle: Poured a copper color ale with a huge off-white foamy head with pretty good retention. Aroma of floral hops mix with some bitter hops. Taste is dominated by bitter hops with some floral aspect also present. Wow, I’m glad there are more and more Canadian breweries that are brewing heavier hops beers then in the past.

Serving type: bottle

06-13-2005 14:23:59 | More by Phyl21ca

Gueuzedude

Arizona

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Pours a brilliantly clear, deep, dark amber color. It is topped by a frothy light tan colored head, which creates a pretty densely packed, almost creamy head, but its only about one finger thick. The aroma has a light hoppy spiciness to it which is quite nice. Underneath this is some crystal malt notes that carry both a bit of caramel and a bit of toasted malt notes.

The taste of this beer is hop dominated as well, but not in the way a pale ale might be. It is lightly spicy, with a touch of herbal grassiness to it and even has a touch of sweet citrus to it, but just a touch. The beer has a nice malty sweet backdrop to it as well, which perfectly accentuates the hop notes, but does not quit reach their level. Notes of caramel, some toffee and ample caramelized malt notes are here. The beer only has a light bitterness to it, but it is quite solid and contributes to the overall hoppy sense of this beer.

This beer is quite nice, no flavors jump out at you, but sometimes (actually many times), you don't want that in a beer. This has been solidly put together, and it is a great beer to just drink and enjoy. I would have to say that I wish this where a tad drier, it would make it easily quaffable and the crystal malt notes might not be quite as high.

Serving type: bottle

02-25-2006 00:07:59 | More by Gueuzedude

TheManiacalOne

Rhode Island

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Acquired via trade from biegaman, so a big “Thank you” goes out to him. Poured from a 341ml bottle into a US tumbler pint glass.

A: The beer is a bright reddish brown color with a thin off-white head that fades slowly and leaves a thick lace on the glass.

S: The aroma is of smoky caramelized malt, tea, brown sugar and some hops.

T: The taste is very malty, with flavors of caramel, brown sugar and a touch of fruit. The hops character is mild, but provides a good balance. The after-taste is bready and slightly sweet.

M: Crisp and very smooth, medium body, light-to-medium carbonation, clean finish.

D: Tasty, goes down very easily, a little bit filling, good representation of style but also has qualities of a Brown Ale as well. It might not be my first choice, but it’s a very good beer to stick with for while.

Serving type: bottle

05-31-2007 02:35:15 | More by TheManiacalOne

biboergosum

Alberta (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer appears a clear dark reddish copper hue, with two fingers of creamy white head, which leaves a small ring of lace around the glass. It smells of sweet biscuit malt, caramel, and earthy, citrus hops. The taste is zingy lemon zest, bready malt, and grassy, weedy hops. The carbonation is a bit high, the body decently full, and it finishes off-dry, and with some noble hop essence lingering.

Serving type: on-tap

08-12-2009 02:48:56 | More by biboergosum

Viggo

Ontario (Canada)

2.53/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Pours a clear copper/ruby, fizzy white head forms, leaves just as fast, some random spots of lace, almost no retention. Smell is sweet, malty, some citrus and pine hops, weak. Taste is almost all malt, some toffee, crystal malt, bread and grain, tiny bit of floral in the finish, light bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with low to medium carbonation, extremely weak finish. What the hell did they do to this? It used to be a decently hoppy pale ale, now it tastes like they don't even bother adding hops anymore. Very disappointing as this used to be a great session ale.

Serving type: bottle

12-14-2006 23:09:31 | More by Viggo

DrJay

Massachusetts

3.9/5  rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I like this beer a lot more on tap than in the bottle. Overall, it just seems to have a more balanced flavour and aroma profile. The crisp Cascade hop aroma is still present, but there is a light maltiness that peeks through. Toffee and toasted malts are evident in the flavour, but it's still the bitterness that (rightly) dominates. Nice dry finish with some hop bitterness lingering on the palate. Head retention and lacing is much better.

Serving type: on-tap

07-11-2004 13:32:08 | More by DrJay

biegaman

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Varnished red cedar with a deep coppered hue. The beer is brilliantly clear and visibly well carbonated. Giant, boldly defined bubbles resemble a collection of air balloons hovering just above the surface, which is plastered in a foamy encrustation. The whole of the circumference of the glass has become caked in the crusty white stuff.

The aroma is quintessential of many a number of American amber ales. It has a big presence of darkly toasted grains and a healthy dosage of zesty, stinky Cascade hops. There's a drop of pine serum and a good deal of stinky, hemp-like herbals. It's nothing too dynamic, but there's a lot of nice aromatics at hand here.

The same could be said of the flavour; it's nothing mouth-watering but serves its purpose with a respectable performance. There's toasted grains, whole-wheat breads, a touch of caramel and a complimentary cast of bitter grapefruit piths and pungent herbal cones. It's far more reserved than its American counterparts (and unarguably not quite as delectable).

The carbonation is fine and a good dose of sticky, sappy hop bitterness survives. I'm not sure how many IBU's we're sitting at but I think we got off at the right floor - any more would overshadow the flavour and any less would make for a pretty lackluster mouthfeel. The beer is quenching and quite satisfying for a pale ale, even despite the mild disposition.

The issue I have with Tankhouse Ale, and I'm far from the only one, is its inconsistency. Apparently the recipe had to be tweaked when one of the brewery's founders left the company. Whatever the case, the beer has been terribly inconsistent over the years; zestful and generously hoppy at its best, weak and painfully bland at its worst.

I plan to keep rolling the dice. All said and done this is still (sadly) one of the hoppiest examples we have access to in the province of Ontario. Besides, it's not at all a bad beer. I'm fine putting some money down every now and then for a sixer or a pint of Tankhouse and in most cases, I'm content with the purchase.

Serving type: bottle

04-07-2009 21:26:46 | More by biegaman

Derek

British Columbia (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

I keep revisiting this one (on-tap as well), but it has never thrilled me.

A: Light amber, pours with plenty of head, not much retention, but it initially leaves some lace.

S: Floral, slightly citrusy, hints of caramel.

T: Floral & citrusy hops, mild nut bread, hints of burnt caramel. Modest bitterness.

M: Moderate body & carbonation; some residual sweetness.

D: Decent.

Serving type: bottle

04-21-2007 22:13:36 | More by Derek

OWSLEY069

Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Pours a hazy copper color with an off white head. In the aroma, a bit spicy and a note of cascade hops. In the taste, cascade hops up front, notes of citrus, and just a little spicy. A nice hop bite and a medium bodied mouthfeel, with a small dry hop, with a touch of citrus in the aftertaste. Nice hops and a really nice flavor.

Serving type: bottle

08-23-2012 13:39:26 | More by OWSLEY069

DefenCorps

Oregon

3.45/5  rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottle received as extra in trade with Viggo. Thanks, Eric!

A: Deep copper with a 1-finger thick light tan head.

S: Mild pine hop presence with a definite pineapple component. Hint of sweet caramel.

T: Mildly hoppy with a combination of pine and earthy spiciness. Mild caramel presence with a toasted biscuit component

M: Medium finish, well carbonated

D: Goes down easy but not sure how many i'd drink.

Serving type: bottle

05-24-2008 00:35:56 | More by DefenCorps

tpd975

Florida

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thanks to grub for this one.

A: Pours a nice dark shade of amber. Nice tall off white head that shows some retention and lace.

S: Light grainy malts and sweet caramel can be picked up at the start. It is then quickly overtaken by grassy and citrus hops.

T: Biscuit malt, toffee, and those grassy citric hops I picked up in the aroma.

M: On the lighter side of medium, crisp.

D: Good, not a bad Pale Ale. Nicely hopped.

Serving type: bottle

08-30-2009 12:05:38 | More by tpd975

dgilks

Australia

3.73/5  rDev -1.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Clear dark copper colour with a smooth offwhite head. Poor head retention.

Malty aroma with a distinct grassy hoppiness. A touch of citrus. Interesting.

Moderately malty with some nice caramel tones. Moderately-low bitterness with a dose of resinous, citrus hops. Okay.

Medium body with moderately high carbonation. A little gassy.

A decent APA. A little middle of the road but it ticks most of the necessary boxes.

Serving type: on-tap

10-17-2011 12:40:26 | More by dgilks

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

330ml bottle poured into pint glass aug 12 2009

A clear ruby red, half a glass of light tan head that had good retention and lots of lovely lace

S hops and sweet malts and a pine

T hops with caramel, very little citrus and a fair amount of malt quite nice not what i expected. one of mill streets best a decent ipa or at least thats what it reminds me of

M/D nothing to complain about a nice well rounded beer. good carbonation, thick enough, happy am i

i liked this beer start to finish, nothing crazy good but a nice one worth trying

Serving type: bottle

08-13-2009 01:58:11 | More by wordemupg

Brent

Kentucky

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nothing flashy, but a solid, easy to drink pale ale. Nicely hopped, with a crisp, clean malt body and well moderated hops bittering. A very nice sessionable ale brought to me by a buddy on return from a family visit to Canada. Too bad this isn't regularly available in my neck of the woods, as it would be in the rotation.

Serving type: bottle

01-03-2011 15:12:37 | More by Brent

merlin48

Kentucky

4.13/5  rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Tankhouse pours a crystal clear copper hued body with a three finger beige head that hangs around for the session. Extravagant sticky lacing clings to the glass.

Aroma is dominated by a toasty and nutty caramel maltiness with just a hint of grapefruit hops.

Creamy medium body has an ideal soft carbonation.

Taste is supremely well balanced. Toffee and toasted caramel are countered by a delicate fruity hop presence that seems to be more red apple than citrus. Finishes clean and even.

This is my favorite of the Ontario brews that an old Canadian friend brought by. Simple, but well executed and highly drinkable.

Serving type: bottle

06-27-2010 12:25:45 | More by merlin48

canucklehead

British Columbia (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -4.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

An almost reddy brown ale with a yeasty nose. This is a mid bodied slightly hoppy ale which tastes a little like Sierra Nevada. The finish is nice with the hops and malt coming together in harmony. This example came from Winnipeg though I look forward to another one sent in CBIF. A beer that would be great on tap and offers something for both the neophyte and the expert.

Serving type: bottle

06-11-2007 19:57:33 | More by canucklehead

bobsy

Ontario (Canada)

4.1/5  rDev +8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

On tap at the brewery. Deep amber colour with a small white head. Lovely smell of caramel malts, grapefruit and pine needles. The aroma of caramel is reflected in the body, which also packs a nice level of floral bitterness thanks to the hops. Bready aftertaste with dried fruits. Medium body suits the beer well.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2008 15:10:18 | More by bobsy

spinrsx

Ontario (Canada)

3.53/5  rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Draft

Appearance – Clear copper colour with an average size fizzy off white coloured head. There is an average amount of carbonation visible and there is a decent amount of lacing. The head lasted for 6 minutes before it was gone.

Smell - Malts, caramel, hops, cereal

Taste & Mouth - The beer has an average amount of carbonation and I can taste malts, caramel and some cereal. There is some hop bitterness.. but not as much as I remember tasting when I had it previously from a bottle. There is also a bit of a grassiness. It ends with a malty sweet aftertaste with just a touch of bitterness.

Overall – This one wasn't as good as I remember it being. Perhaps I ran into an older out of date keg. Regardless, it's still one of the better better beers made in Ontario.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2011 18:26:29 | More by spinrsx

johnnnniee

New Hampshire

3.7/5  rDev -2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Picked this up at The Beer Store in Niagara Falls on our recent trip. Pours a clear reddish amber with a huge bubbly off white head that leaves lots of lace as it slowly recedes. Smells of grass, spicy and citrus hops, light caramel, and a slight mineral aroma. Taste is wow different. A bit of nutty chocolate right up front that I wasn't expecting from the aroma. Citrus caramel mineral and grass linger in the finish. Moderate carbonation, medium body. Wow this one is not what I expected. The mineral aroma and taste was a bit of a turn off for me, but the caramel nutty chocolaty was really nice. Good but could be better.

Serving type: bottle

08-14-2009 00:00:57 | More by johnnnniee

grub

Ontario (Canada)

3.68/5  rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

sampled on cask as part of the volo cask days 2006. thanks to ralph and all involved for putting together an awesome fest.

pours a nice golden colour with a small head.

armoa is nice. hoppy, with a bit of pine and grapefruit. nice malty background.

sweet malty base with a nice hop finish. not as hoppy as i expected from the aroma. bready malt with a nice bitterness level.

mouthfeel is good. decent body and good carbonation level for a cask.

drinkability is good, but i felt the hop flavour could have been a little nicer. this was one of my favourites at last year's cask fest so i was excited to have it again. still a great beer, but i think the competition was higher this year.

Serving type: cask

10-22-2006 23:35:12 | More by grub

IronDjinn

Alberta (Canada)

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

Great to see some of the Mill Street line available out here in Alberta finally. Bought a 6 of this stuff, and gladly. The abv. listed on my bottle states 5.2%.

Pours out a deep rustic copper, a fair splash of head initially, which recedes with slight lacing to a very thin skin.

Moderate aroma of puckering citrus hops, the malt seems to have stepped aside for them to reign in the spotlight. As it warms a slight earthy note can be detected, and then some caramel malt creeps out from behind it.

The malt certainly is not stage shy in the flavour, and reveals itself up front in the guise of a burnt toffee character, and the aftertaste also lingers on with this mild burnt flavour. The hops are far more contained in the flavour, appearing up front as well, and gliding pleasantly throughout, to a white grapefruit rind finish.

The mouthfeel is quite carbonated, which actually detracts from enjoying the overall experience and the subtle nuances of this pale ale.

Overall a decently crafted pale ale from out East, it does well as a session ale.

Serving type: bottle

05-09-2007 04:20:21 | More by IronDjinn

rarbring

Sweden

3.58/5  rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An amber clear ale, off-white with good lacing and some curtains.

Smelling citric, lemon, grape-fruit and pine needles.

Tasting of toffee, grape-fruit juice and crushed lemon seed.

Little carbonation, small bubbles, smooth with a medium body, a dry finish.

A good well balanced APA. Nice hop charatcer.

Serving type: on-tap

03-24-2012 17:04:35 | More by rarbring

TheSevenDuffs

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +5.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Finally got around to reviewing this one. Have had it hundreds of times over the years.

Poured in to tulip glass.

A - Medium brown colour with a nice amber glow and half a finger of bubbly white head that quickly disappeared.

S - Bitter citrus hops with some floral notes and a nice sweet caramel malt backbone.

T - A very flavourful and well balanced pale ale. Nice crisp bitter hops up front with some floral and light citrus notes. A nice sweetness from the malts with some caramel flavour balances this one out very well.

Serving type: bottle

11-20-2010 15:38:49 | More by TheSevenDuffs