Mill Street Barley Wine

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

’05: Pours a copper color with a slight white head. Aroma is malty, toasty, fruity, and sweet fruity hops. Flavor is malty, caramel, toasty, biscuit, fruity, and a slight bitter hop finish.

With a high alcohol percentage it is a very strong beer, I found it too overwhelming. Although it is a traditional style in Britian, I found it too difficult to finish.

Handsome grey clay bottle with a ceramic flip top. Pours a hazy oarange-tinted gold with a thin white head showing decent retention. Aroma of whole-wheat toast and marzipan (I’m not kidding, the marzipan note is unmistakable!). Toffee, sweet caramel, with the marzipan aroma translating into more of a kirsch-like flavour owing to the alcohol. warming alcoholic finish. Interesting, but a little too sweet for me.

This is a bit of a strong beer for me, it gives me shivvers each time I take a sip. Taste is very unique, I can’t pinpoint it, it’s very sweet, reminds me of porter a bit. Didn’t come int a regular bottle, came in a ceramic 500ml jug, reminiscent of alcohol of the 19th century, with a cap similar to Grolsch

2007 Bottle. Aroma is sweet, malty, with strong notes of apple cider, toffee...and a light hint of black licorice. Flavours reflect the aroma bang on, with a big malty sweetness at first, with a strong/strange apple juice flavour in the middle, a toffee sweetness at the end, and a bit of licorice and hop in the finish. The alcohol is warm and thick on the palate, nice and smooth mouthfeel. I’ve had a handful of barley wines in the past and it seems non of them are very much alike, but that being said, I would have to say that this is least like any of the others. I enjoyed this beer, I can’t help but feel that it isn’t the greatest representation of this style of beer. Goes very good with chocolate.

The 2007 is good - very balanced and hoppy, less alcohol presence, fruity like a VA and well worth a try.

Bottle #98. 2004 Vintage enjoyed at The Only Cafe. The stubby emits a pleasant and inviting strong maltiness before I pour it. Pours viscous, a deep near-clear amber with a soft and delectable carbonation. Let me say I’m no expert on BW’s but this impressed me - taste had sort of the firm attack of a good Tripel coupled with the roundness of an english strong ale - smooth fruity tones. Dense fluffy head Smells of sugar rasins and cake dough. Alcohol does not overpower. Slight settling of solid material (protein?) in this unfiltered brew. Would like to drink again!