Beer # 511 Chocolate Blossom Chocolate Cherry StoutBrewery: Mil Street Brewery
Type: Wholly-owned Subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Inbev Est.: 2002
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Beer Style: Flavoured Stout
ABV: 6.8% IBU: 15
Format: Aluminium Can Size: 473 ml
I remember when Mill street first opened and they were not much more than a set of fridges pouring samples in a near-empty building in the Distillery District in Toronto. It was at the beginning of the revitalisation of the old Gooderham and Worts Distillery and the project had two tenants at the time: Mill Street, and a coffee shop called Balzac's. Now the distillery area is a tourism destination with the Mill Street Beerhall as a centre point. I love going there still because they have my favourite chocolate shop SOMA the olive oil truffle is outrageous!
Mill Street was an early champion of the craft and organic scene in Ontario, so it was a particular gut-punch when it was purchased by Labatt Canada, which is in turn owned by multi-national conglomerate AB InBev, in 2015. I think I have subconsciously avoided tasting Mill Street since then. I'm pretty sure I did their Tank house Ale and Organic Lager, years ago, before the purchase. But haven't done much since. However, I shall lift this unconscious ban for the holiday season and try one of their newer releases.
Onto our beer...
Pours a dark brown with hints of red. The head is a dark tan with hints of red made up of small bubbles. The aroma is strangely potato chips, chocolate, and cherries. The first sip is dark malty and full of cocoa powder. The beer is very sticky on the lips. The middle is a little sugary. As the beer warms, the cherry becomes more evident feeling like cherry brandy. I was expecting more of a chocolate-covered cherry feel, but it is more chocolate and then cherry. Aeration is a bit of dark chocolate
Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional
Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 5/6 PASS
Re-Order: 5/6 PASS
Experience: 5/6 PASS
Christmas Cheer 5/6 PASS
Final Thoughts:
A good but average offering. I couldn't ever have counted myself as a Mill Street Fan but I did appreciate what they were doing before the buyout. I hope I haven't let my disappointment tinge this tasting, but it is hard not to be sad when I think how far this brewery came just to sell out. I guess we only go into business to make money, so I can't blame them. It is a decent beer and worthy of a spot on the list. Grab one and try it.
Cheers
CJT
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