Review – Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Named after the old tankhouse in Toronto’s famous distillery district where the brewery was1 located, Mill Street Brewery‘s Tankhouse Ale is one of the brewery’s year-round offerings. If they had to choose, many people would consider it the brewery’s flagship beer.
An award winner2, Brewmaster Joel Manning developed the recipe over 20 years ago and it remains his favourite, listed as in an LCBO interview as the beer he would choose if he could only drink one beer ever again.
It is an American-style pale ale, using five types of malts and plenty of Cascade hops, in true APA fassion.
1Main production has since moved to Scarborough. The brewpub still exists in the distillery district location.
2Golden Taps Award, Toronto’s Best Beer: 2004 through 2007 consecutively.
Date: December 11th, 2011
Served At: Home
Served From: Bottle
Served In: Mill Street Tankhouse Ale
Serving Size: 341 mL
Serving Temperature: 13°C
Apearance
The beer pours a rich copper colour. Overhead lighting produces highlights of burnt orange and lowlights of rust red, which round out the colour quite nicely. The beer is crystal clear in clarity.
A light, cream coloured head tops the brew, made of moderately tight bubbles. One and a half fingers. Head dissipates fairly quickly but lacing lingers quite a while longer (though it was absent in the later half of the beer). Small bubbles steadily rising from bottom of glass to meet the cap hint at a nice level of carbonation.
Aroma
Grapefruit notes, slightly metallic, from the Cascade are first noticed on the nose. A malt aroma is also present, slightly biscuity and toasty.
Taste
Bold, tart grapefruit flavor up front from the Cascades. Malt flavours (slightly roasted) evolve subtly but become more pronounced as the initial hop flavour disapates. Nice bitter finish.
Mouthfeel
Medium bodied mouth feel. Moderately tingly due to carbonation.
Overall
A nicely balanced, nicely flavoured APA which would session well, though can be enjoyed as a sipper as well.