Two flights of beer, one palate-cleansing quesadilla. Welcome to Nat and Ten's guide to the offerings at The Mill Street Brew Pub in the Distillery District of Toronto.
First: pop into the gift shop as you enter, and sample some of the four main brews. We opted for the Stock Ale and Coffee Porter, having consumed the Organic Lager at home the night before. (Verdicts: Stock Ale is a bit lacklustre, and is beaten by the Organic. The Coffee Porter, however, is delicious! Likely best in smallish glasses in the middle of winter - rich, heavy, but not cloying. A grand brew.)
Next: Head into the brewpub and snag a small high-table beside the beer vats. Consider getting a Fruit Beer and Ginger Beer respectively, but instead order said tasting flights and Mexican-themed snack. Ask for water, then wonder throughout rest of visit why it didn't arrive.
I ordered the 4 Seasons beer sampler, N. went for the Baron's Picks. Four small glasses on each (one of which was on both of our lists), so seven beers in total.
Raspberry Fruit Beer
Server and tasting notes say: It's tart, not sweet. The tasting notes say the pale beer allows 'the wonderful flavour and colour of the fruit to dominate the taste, look and aroma'.
We say: Has a honeyed-amber colour and candied apple smell. First bite of fruit blows you away, then it settles to a more beer-dominated taste. Fruit is sour and tarty, and actually does taste like fruit as opposed to fruit-flavouring. A good pint to share with friends as a novelty. "Visit fruit beer town, but it's not a place to live."
Belgian Wit (with a slice of orange)
They say: Soft texture and colour, fruity flavours from coriander, orange peel and a special yeast.
We say: Hazy wheat colour (or, according to N., 'pee'). Smells kind of sweet. N. gets hints of guest soap. Zingy taste to start, dwindling to minimal aftertaste. N. now tastes soap, and deems this not good. This beer is all up-front, like an ageing woman in a low cut top, it's giving too much away with nothing to follow. "Bathe in it, maybe. Don't drink it."
* Did not finish tasting glass.
India Pale Ale
They say: Copper brew with roasted note and strong hop bitterness.
We say: Golden amber colour, tastes like pot pouri. It has more body than Stella though, so that's a good sign. It's a beer for beer's sake. Drink it if it's free, but don't go our of your way. "Myeah?"
Pilsner Lager
They say: German-style lager, deep golden hue with malty nose. First tastes sweet with dry, hoppy bitter finish.
We say: Looks and smells like a beer that is comfortable with being beer. This is not dressing in florals, although it has slight hints of that in its background. An easy-drinking beer, likely a barbecue crowd-pleaser. Can take anywhere - "the dressy t-shirt of beers" according to N. I see it as the immigrant of beers. It has some fruitiness in its background, perhaps the trace of an accent, but is happily ensconced in BeerVille.
Thumbs up.
Helles Bock
They say: Pale, strong German lager has a frothy white head which gives way to sweet malty flavour with hints of currants and oranges.
We say: Look and smells like straight-up beer, but not nearly as pungent as the VBs of the world. Tasty, with a tangy aftertaste. I like it: It's more like a beer with wheat-beer notes as opposed to liquid bread dough. "It's friends with wheat beer, but it hasn't moved in with it, and quite happily so."
N.'s less of a fan. It's not a girlie beer at all. "It's not Gucci," she says.
E.S.B. (Extra Special Bitter)
They say: This copper coloured ale has a malty body with hints of chocolate and black currants.
We say: Yum! Dark amber beer with a solid body and dark-ish aftertaste. I smell dark honey, N. smells 'a buffet of non-sweet desserts. Cinnamony, caramelly pastry.' Sadly, beer has gone flat while tasting other brews. Has a burnt toffee aftertaste. "A mealy Christmas Day beer."
Cobblestone Stout
They say: Traditional Irish style stout with creamy pour, roasted malt favour and hint of roasted walnuts and chocolate.
We say: Looks dark and rich. Smells like caramelly stout with coffee to me. N. just gets chemicals. New carpet, perhaps? Doesn't smell as rustic and country as it looks.
Soft to start, followed by an avalanche of texture. A bit watery after food (hello quesadilla!), so could definitely do with a bit more up-front. N. is not a huge fan, but then again, she's not a fan of stouts. "Definitely a destination beer. One doesn't land here accidentally"
Sadly, was undone by the fact we tried the Coffee Porter on the way into the restaurant. The Coffee Porter is the suave adults that this beer likely one day wants to become.
The verdict?
Winner of the day, by consensus, was the E.S.B. That was a bit if a surprise choice, but a well earned win all-round. The Coffee Porter, had it been on our tasting flight trays, would have also been a solid contender.
