Mill Street Barley Wine (2007-2011) - Mill Street Brew Pub

jbonapar

Ontario (Canada)

3.08/5  rDev -14.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Purchased the 2011 edition 1 year ago.

Poured a copper, clear with a thin head.

Nose is very fruity with a subtle mineral-like aroma. Citrus, pineapple.

Taste...weird. Starts off with a huge belgian yeast flavor, spicey, cloves and then quickly turns into an all out attack of orange and pineapple..too much. Then quickly, a strong hop bitterness takes over and lingers far too long into the next sit. Not as much malt as I was expecting. Very medicinal, i sense a tough of good ol green cough syrup.

I dont like this at all, the tastes just dont work. ITs very odd for the style, The citrus is just far too overpowering and the hops just dont work.

Wow, i'm surprised how bad this is. I'll stick to the American, Belgian and Quebec breweries....

Not a fan,

Serving type: growler

04-07-2012 00:29:36 | More by jbonapar

DaPan

Ontario (Canada)

3.75/5  rDev +3.6%

02-13-2013 12:47:17 | More by DaPan

ericj551

British Columbia (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

02-05-2013 00:39:34 | More by ericj551

schopenhauerale

British Columbia (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

01-06-2013 06:49:17 | More by schopenhauerale

oldp0rt

Quebec (Canada)

2/5  rDev -44.8%

12-27-2012 16:53:04 | More by oldp0rt

Molson2000

Ontario (Canada)

4.25/5  rDev +17.4%

09-18-2012 22:30:40 | More by Molson2000

papat444

Quebec (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

***2009 Vintage (Batch 09-669-673)***

Thanks to TheSevenDuffs for this one.

Poured from a 500ml. swingtop ceramic bottle.

Appearance: Only 1 thick finger of foam above an apple cider colored body. A bit of swirling reveals some lacing.

Smell: Strong caramel, malt, peaches and/or nectarines, specifically the pits.

Taste: Overripe pitted fruit mixed with a sweet touch of caramel, some sugar and a good dose of spiciness.

Mouthfeel: Sweet bite but lacks a lot of fullness in the middle through the end.

Overall: Expected a richer texture for the style and ABV. The taste is good but overall i don't think i'll revisit.

Serving type: bottle

04-23-2012 11:41:02 | More by papat444

bryehn

Ontario (Canada)

3.98/5  rDev +9.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2011 edition purchased in November, served at 45-50 in a wine glass. Listed at 11.5%.

Deep caramel-amber color, almost no head aside from a thin white collar.

Extremely pungent aroma. Sweet caramel, overripe fruits (plum, raisin), alcohol.

So much caramel/toffee taste it’s like sucking on a hard candy, yet I don’t find it too sweet. Very nice, bright berry flavour serves as an accent, along with a light biscuit-like one. The finish is sweet and syrupy at first, then surprisingly bitter with a hint of citrus.

Thick, heavy and full-bodied with very little carbonation. Oily and syrupy on the tongue. Aftertaste is buttery and fruity, with a lingering oiliness.

Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It was smooth, surprisingly drinkable and full of flavour. Have one aging now and will be sure to pick it up again when/if they brew it.

Serving type: bottle

03-16-2012 18:51:40 | More by bryehn

beerhunter13

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

03-05-2012 11:36:00 | More by beerhunter13

tonyf55

Alberta (Canada)

3/5  rDev -17.1%

02-26-2012 16:08:13 | More by tonyf55

Foddz

Ontario (Canada)

3.28/5  rDev -9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

2011 vintage poured into a pint glass

A: Clear, bright caramel with two fingers of creamy head on the pour. Head dies down reasonably fast, leaving some lacing around the rim as it does. The colour reminds me of apple cider.

S: Sweet caramel, brown sugar, with some candied and dried fruit notes. The scent is potent and heady. Hops provide some subtle spiciness - cinnamon and faint floral notes.

T: More caramel, bread, and some earthy tones. Fruit is still present but more subdued than in the nose, prunes and raisins factor more prominently. Hops seem less well balanced on the palate, lacking much of the spicy/floral character from the nose and manifesting as a fairly bland, lingering bitterness. Some lingering alcohol mars the aftertaste as well

M: Nice and smooth at first, before the alcohol and carbonation begin to bite. There's some good substance to the feel. Pleasantly dry, enough to keep the sweet notes from becoming cloying.

O: An interesting brew, and my first experience with barleywine. There's some interesting scents and flavours here, but it presents just a little too unbalanced and harsh on the palate for my preferences. A smoother transition from the warm, sweet malts to the sharp bitterness of the hops would do a world of good for my opinion.

Serving type: bottle

02-02-2012 22:39:18 | More by Foddz

WeissBoy

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

01-22-2012 04:34:42 | More by WeissBoy

FirstBrewsoon

Ohio

4/5  rDev +10.5%

01-15-2012 15:21:36 | More by FirstBrewsoon

jrenihan

Ontario (Canada)

3.4/5  rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2010 Vintage (Batch 10-16-20).

Beer is very dark amber, with two-finger widths of off-white head. Retention is very good.

Smell is very big, jumping out at you during the pour. Full of brown sugar, prune, raisin, caramel malt and alcohol.

Taste is very sweet, and the alcohol is strongly present. The fruits from the nose are there, but with the sweetness and the booze the whole thing tastes remarkably like cough syrup. Alcohol is especially present at the finish, along with a bitter flavour that I cannot quite place that is not particularly pleasant.

Light bodied for the style, moderate carbonation.

The nose had me hoping that this would be quite enjoyable, but the taste is pretty underwhelming. No way I will be able to make it through the whole 500ml bottle. Even a standard bottle would be too much of this one for me.

Serving type: bottle

01-07-2012 22:52:57 | More by jrenihan

JohnnyBarman

Ontario (Canada)

3.63/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 edition from the lovely earthenware swing-top bottle. Poured into an over-sized wine glass, and shared with my wife (the giver of this particular Christmas present!)

Pours a clear, caramel colour, looking every inch like a glass of very dark honey. Leaves a decent head for a barleywine - a bit of lacing, and a thin ring survive the pour.

Nose is caramel, booze, a bit of toffee, strawberry, sugar and mild leafy hops.

This was my first barleywine a few years ago (2008 I think) and I couldn't stand it then, but after a few years of palate-strengthening, barleywines have become one of my favorite styles. With this in mind, I have to say I have a much greater respect for what the Mill Street folks have done here. This is an enjoyable barleywine, slightly above average for the style, and worth trying - though at 12 bucks, one should be sufficient. Nice caramel sweetness at the front, a bit of fruit and earth, followed by a leafy hop finish that is dry on the palate. Decent carbonation keeps the dangerous cloying effect at bay. Not as remarkable as some of the other great barleywines I've had recently, but still quite nice. Booze could be checked a little better - were the price a little lower I'd have a bottle to age for next Christmas.

My suggestion to Mill Street - bring down the price a little! If it means offering this in bottled form outside of the earthenware jug, so be it. Or better yet, offer both the stylish jug (for gifts and keepsakes, etc.) and a regular glass bomber for those of us who are looking for some in the cellar without killing our wallets!

Serving type: bottle

12-29-2011 01:35:38 | More by JohnnyBarman

korguy123

Ontario (Canada)

3.55/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

500ml ceramic swing top slightly chilled (out of fridge for 20 minutes)
2011 Vintage into snifter. Alcohol on bottle is 11.5% abv.

The first time I tried this I didn't like it at all. I chose not to review it. Almost two years have passed and I'm willing to give it another try with a better understanding of my palate and the styles.

A- Chill hazed rich amber/caramel pour. Finger width of soapy off white head that quickly disappears leaving a thin ring with thin wisps all across the top. Lacing is spotty, alcohol sticks around for quite a while.

S- Cinnamon, strawberries, light floral and citrus hops. There is a sweet malt and brown sugar note in the back end. Alcohol is slight and medicinal but nowhere would you guess 11.5%

T- Cinnamon and a slight pepper spice. Brown sugar with a floral hop. Sweetness translates but comes after the alcohol warmth. This could warm up more. Possibly almost room temp.

M- Surprisingly thin but it works. Alcohol is warming, carbonation is spot on. Aftertaste is surprisingly quick.

O- Much better experience than I remembered. Palate has definitely changed. Could benefit from a couple years to mellow out the alcohol IMO. Just wish the price was more appealing (almost $12 a bottle)

Serving type: bottle

12-27-2011 18:34:52 | More by korguy123

Kartoffeln

Ontario (Canada)

3.6/5  rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

2011 vintage, fresh.

A: Pours a hazy, coppery russet with a scanty head of fizzy, off-white foam that dissipates to little patches of froth without leaving any lacing.

S: Mild and slightly bready caramel malts with a huge dark fruit character, plenty of plums, black cherries, raisins, and candied figs, and a hint of brown spice combine as a sweet Christmas pudding aroma. Clover honey and buttery toffee aromas throughout.

T: Sweet caramel malts with a molasses character segue into fruity tastes of plums, raisins, and faint black cherries. Bread, mild booziness, and toasted grain notes come through towards the finish along with floral and increasingly resiny, citric hops with an orange zest note.

M: Full-bodied with mild carbonation providing initial crispness, and a smooth, slightly syrupy mouthfeel. The hoppy finish balances the sweet palate well, but the resiny, citric note ends up dominating the finish and linger into a long-lasting aftertaste that clashes with the palate. More fortunately, the alcohol is well-concealed and comes through as pleasantly warm.

D: It's tasty enough once it warms up, but it isn't very complex and faces two problems. Firstly, I found that the Nugget hops' resiny, citric aftertaste was unfitting and clashed with the flavour profile instead of complementing it; this may change with their 2012 vintage. What doesn't seem likely to change is the consistently brutal pricetag: it's somewhat justified by the neat stoneware bottle, but as other reviewers have pointed out, you can experience better barleywines for much cheaper. Still, it's a quality brew and worth checking out if your wallet survived Christmas.

Serving type: bottle

12-25-2011 22:31:06 | More by Kartoffeln

bigox420

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.5%

11-28-2011 06:28:10 | More by bigox420

jsnoek

Ontario (Canada)

3.5/5  rDev -3.3%

11-22-2011 03:29:20 | More by jsnoek

RedAleMan

Ontario (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.5%

11-20-2011 21:21:49 | More by RedAleMan

peensteen

Ontario (Canada)

3.65/5  rDev +0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

2011 bottle, 11.5% ABV.

Copper colour, soapy white head, specks of lace. Smell is full of caramel, cherry shows up throughout, toffee, some hop bitterness but its fairly mild, nutty qualities picked up as well. Taste is lightly sweet, caramel and toffee come back, cherry and plum notes, fairly fruity with a light bitterness throughout. Lightly carbonated, full body, syrupy at points, good weight. Overall its a fairly average but still quite serviceable, ABV nowhere to be found, not great but I wouldn't turn it down if offered.

Serving type: bottle

11-08-2011 15:59:16 | More by peensteen

wordemupg

Alberta (Canada)

3.48/5  rDev -3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

500ml swing pop top ceramic bottle poured into tulip 7/7/11

A hazy brownish orange with only a thin film after a angry pour that leaves no lace

S dried plum with some brown sugar, raisin and booze

T not far from the smell but with a boozy brandy caramel flavor and I pick up on earthy hops but I'm not sure why, just a little citrus rind on the finish

M a little syrupy and sticky on the lips, fairly full bodied but the heat's hard to miss

O I expected more form a well aged barley wine but I'd stop well before saying it's bad.

I'd say some aging would mellow it out a bit but its already been 3 years, waaayyy over priced at 14$ a bottle here in Alberta I don't see myself aging another, I'd take a bottle of Alley Kat's Olde Duet and 10$ buck change any day over this one

Serving type: bottle

07-08-2011 05:38:13 | More by wordemupg

dragonofblood

Ontario (Canada)

3.9/5  rDev +7.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

I am sampling a bottle from 2009, marked "Batch No. 09-669-673". It has been aged in my cellar since that time.

Appearance: Pours out a burnt orange colour. A head takes a while to form, eventually forming a soapy, craggy, slightly off white foam that quickly dissipates. Very little lacing.

Smell: Interesting. Molasses, dark fruit (plums I believe), bready malts, a lot of sweet caramel, clove. Very little alcohol, no detectable hops.

Taste: A small honey-like sweetness, a nice spiciness on the finish. Big flavour of molasses, underscored by the aforementioned dark fruits, very little bitterness. The 11% alcohol has either mellowed out to near nonexistence due to aging or was very well hidden by the brewer.

Mouthfeel: Unexpectedly thin. I prefer barley wines to be thicker with a warming stickiness.

Overall: A very nice barley wine from Ontario, but it is a second class citizen compared to the heavyweights of the style.

Serving type: bottle

04-13-2011 04:19:21 | More by dragonofblood

evlu1441

Alberta (Canada)

4/5  rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2010 Batch. I dig the bottle!

pours a hazy dark amber colour. Not much head.

Smell is intense! Alcohol is strong off the bat. It gives way to some dried fruit and nutty notes.

Tastes very nice! Alcohol is very present here, but it goes away quickly. It's quite sweet to start, and followed by some nutty/toffee flavours and some slight bitterness. The aftertaste is sweet and pleasant.

The mouthfeel is heavy with fine carbonation tickling the tongue.

Overall, this is only the second barleywine I've had. I didn't really enjoy the first one, so was a bit hesitant with this one. I'm pleasantly surprised! It's a nice beer.

Serving type: bottle

03-28-2011 02:36:55 | More by evlu1441

fostachild

Ontario (Canada)

3.88/5  rDev +7.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4

2010 batch. nice medium amber colour, not much head at all but a little bubbly lacing which eventually faded completely.

smell was fruity, grapes, wine, little alcohol.

taste was very sweet/fruity but still really nice. also had a slight syrup feel to it. hardly any carbonation but decent drinkability.

Serving type: bottle

12-26-2010 03:56:01 | More by fostachild