Mill Street Barley Wine

Brewed by Mill St. Brewery
Style: Barley Wine
Toronto, Canada

Bottle # 557 courtesy of the venerable Dougshoemaker! Hazy brown pour, with a thin white head.Aromas are strong fruit, vanilla extract, oak, and alcohol. Strong alcohol and prune flavours. Lots of boozey vanilla and wood. Good. Strong warming alcohol finish, medium to full body. Definitely a sipper. Thanks again Doug for this rare treat!

Rerate for 2005 vintage: Wow, this is way better than the 2004 in my opinion. Pours a clear ruby, slightly bubbly, with an average size off-white head. Aroma of caramel malt, fruit, wood and hops. The flavour, right from the first sip was already better than last year’s -- it follows the aroma with a touch more hops and is delicious. You’d never know this was 11%, it’s quite impressive how well it hides the alcohol. Fantastic, great job Mill Street!!

Old rating: 7 - 3 - 7 - 3 - 14: 3.4 Bottle shared with HogTownHarry at Bar Volo -- Vintage 2004, bottle #645. Pours a murky dark yellow with a spare white head. Mild aroma of sweet malt, dark fruit, wood, hops and alcohol. Flavour follows the aroma and is also quite mild but what it lacks in flavour it makes up with in alcohol, you can really taste it but not in an unpleasant way. Body’s a little thin for a Barley Wine. Not one of the better Barley Wines like AleSmith’s or Victory’s but still good and enjoyable.

Bottle (341 ml - 2005 vintage #4617, stubby). In my gift-pack Mill Street glass. Poured deep clear amber-orange with a small beige head. Aroma is redolent of steeped fruits (raisins, plums, currants), alcohol, roast sweet malt, lots of oak and bourbon character as it warms. Taste is very nice - alcohol, but muted, mild resiny hops, orange zest, tons of caramel malt backing it all - needs to mellow and meld, but considering it hasn’t aged yet, this is really nice. This is quite ear-reddening, syrupy, with a medium-long bitter following an oaky/malty start. I’m glad I have a couple of bottles to put away, it should mellow out. * Bottle (341ml - stubby #645 2004 vintage). At Volo, shared with blankboy. Poured murky gold with a thin white head. Aroma of alcohol (white wine) and freshly sanded oak floor, dry grain and mild malt, yeast and dust. Taste - wow! Strong - initial hit of alcohol, dusty yeast and mushrooms, a bit of malt, then bam! - huge hit of bitter alcohol, hops - grain and a hint of vinegar. Quite full-bodied and almost harsh mouthfeel. I liked it, but it’s not one of my favorites - glad I was able to try it though. Original rating 7/3/7/3/15

Stubby bottle #1121. Not a lot of sex appeal in the bottle or label. Pretty light and clear gold liquid. Light head with some large bubbles and light cloud cover. Nut oil aroma, with some alcohol, hops and dark spice. Soft mouth feel with a pillowy finish. Refined BW with noticeable alcohol. A little spiciness.

2004 bottle: Pours a transparent copper orange with a thin-lacing white head. Mild, yet enticing, aroma has some pleasant sweet toasty caramel and green hoppiness. Starts with a nice sweet maltiness but thins toward a warming alcoholic finish. The body just doesn’t live up to what the aroma promised. Too thin for a high gravity beer, which makes the alcohol more apparent.

2004/Bottle 225. Poured a golden color with a thin off-white head. Aroma was thin first sniff seemed to smell like nothing, like water and then sweet sugary malt started to flow. Flavor starts"watery" thin but builds to a big malt with alcohol warmth and a bitter finish. Basically front end is small but developes well.

’04 stubby bottle # 1253. Pours gold with a small head. Aroma is cotton candy and malt. Taste is pineapple, alcohol and some sweet hops. Yeah, this shit’s worth one time. Probably not twice. Hmm, is this my favorite bw from Canada?

(341ml, 2004 vintage, No. 1504) Hazy golden body with small off-white head. Aroma is moderately sweet, molasses, maple, raisin. Taste is moderately sweet, molasses, caramel, maple, some herbal. Some alcohol in the finish. Medium-full body with some syrup, though at times it seems a bit thin. Also, flavor loses its roundedness as it warms.