Mill Street Schleimhammer Roggenbier

This beer had been stuck in the back of my fridge since it was released back in June of this year. I was a bit hesitant to try it. I thought I had previously tried it but been scared off, however after a bit of personal research could not pinpoint when that might have been. I felt it time to clear out the old and make room for the new releases from Dieu Du Ciel as well as the Autumn and Halloween LCBO releases. This beer needs to be examined!

Pouring a hazy copper, this effervescent beer pours with a good head (initially) which fades into a thin version of its former self – a thin covering and moderate lacing of the glass. The aroma was so subtle on this brew I ended up inadvertently putting my nose into the head, twice. I have minimal experience with rye beer but this incarnation was moderate in hop profile and high in malt and esters. Clove and pepper stand out as well as banana – these are presented on a backdrop of a strong caramel malt character. With a thin-moderate mouth-feel this beer was very smooth and easy drinking. There were a few candied fruit subtleties in the aroma and flavour as well as a mildly syrupy flavour and mouth-feel. Would I drink this beer again? Yes. Would I buy it again? I think so!

The Garden Party – Fruit Beer

The lagers were done and second up was fruit beer. Like in the last post I have taken liberties in this category (with #2) but it was a matter of fit it in here or duplicate a raspberry beer.

‘Fruit’ Beers

1. KLB Raspberry Wheat Beer – Toronto, ON – 4.5% abv – can

Though also a wheat beer I think I can get away with this beer in this category without anyone crying ‘foul!’. This light bodied ale smells and tastes of sweet raspberry candy. My personal guess is that they don’t use fresh raspberries, but perhaps a concentrated raspberry syrup instead. Regardless, this beer is quite pleasant and refreshing on a hot afternoon.

2. Great Lakes Green Tea Ale – Toronto, ON – 4.2% abv – bottle

This is the non-fruit offender and is not technically a fruit beer. This beer is light bodied with a very slight bitterness. Flavours detected are biscuity malts, light grassiness, sweet grains as well as very faint hints of green tea. If I were not told this was a green tea ale I would have a hard time naming it as such.
*BREWERY FRESH!

3. Mill Street Lemon Tea Beer – Toronto, ON – 5% abv – can

This beer pours golden-amber and has a significant haze on it. The name correctly identifies the major flavours found in this brew: lemon and tea. Both of which provide a bitterness that allows the hop presence to be slightly diminished without compromising on flavour balance. I contemplated going down to the Mill St brewpub shop to grab this beer as part of my ‘fresh from the brewery’ mantra but I don’t think it was brewed and canned there so it was purchased at the LCBO.

Food pairing: Watermelon, Mint & Feta Cheese salad
Pairing fruit with fruit beer initially seemed sensible but also required something to make it ‘pop’. Since the beers do not have strong, complex flavour profiles feta cheese was a perfect choice. It did not interfere with the flavours of the beer, and on the contrary the inherent salty flavour profile complimented the refreshing tastes of the other ingredients in the salad (watermelon & mint) and also made the beers seem more refreshing in contrast.

My winner: This was also a hard category to choose a winner but for the opposite reason of the lager category: I don’t really care too much for any of them. I will give my vote to the KLB Raspberry Wheat. I didn’t love it but it wasn’t as not good as I thought.
Tasters poll winner: This came as a surprise to me but there was a tie between the KLB Raspberry Wheat and the Mill St Lemon Tea Beer.

Next up: Pale Ales…