Mill Street Brewery – Coffee Porter – Beer Review

By Daniel T. | February 2, 2010

Hey guys, we are going to try and mix it up a bit here, and Daniel is kicking our first beer review. I live in the southwest where it is pretty warm all year round, and extremely hot in the Summer. Unfortunately, Daniel doesn’t have the same luck. He lives in Canada…somewhere… where it is pretty much cold year round. That being said, we’d like to keep him around, so to make up for lost time he may start doing beer and wine reviews! Let us know what you think. Like it? Hate it? Speak freely. Now, on to the review. -Tony Casas

The Brewery: Mill Street Brewery

The Beer: Coffee Porter

The Brewers Home: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Situation: Relaxing on the couch

The Story:

Mill Street Brewery was one of Toronto’s first commercial breweries and has been open for over 100 years.  The company does make a few mass produced beers and also satisfies the beer enthusiast with some small-batch craft beers.  They have earned many awards and currently have 13 brews in their inventory.  You can read more about them at http://www.millstreetbrewery.com or follow them on twitter @MillStreetBrew.

 The Bottle:

This slim dark brown bottle is slightly on the small side, holding 341ml(11.5oz).  The bottle design is quite appealing, having an embossed front and back.  The embossing on the front states “MILL STREET BREWERY” in black text and the rear embossing containing a circular logo, initials and a line stating “Quality Brewing”.  There is also some text on the front:

“Beer Brewed with Coffee”

And some on the back:

“Mill Street Porter is a wonderfully sinful blend of Balzac’s own dark roasted coffee, brewed to perfection with a full-bodied traditional porter.  We know you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this delicious and satisfying combination.”

 The Eyes:

The porter is dark with a moderate amount of froth.  The glass is completely opaque and filled with a dark golden-ruby color.  Even holding it up to a light, it barely penetrates the liquid I’m about to enjoy.

 The Nose:

A refreshing aroma comes off this dark porter.  The nose picks up scents of malt and a sweet yet mild coffee tone.  It’s very a pleasing aroma that begs you to drink it and enjoy.

 The Tongue:

As expected, the first sips give a strong taste of coffee with an added sweetness.  The malt flavor also shines through.  The coffee flavor is more akin to something along the lines of espresso or a very strong brewed coffee.

The taste is till refreshing despite it’s fully flavored brew.  The flavor lingers on the palate after swallowing and leaves a pleasant after taste with little to no bitterness.

 The Final Drop:

This is a great beer.  Whether you enjoy a full bodied porter or a beer infused with the flavor of a great coffee you will enjoy this.  This brew will also appeal to those not used to drinking a dark beer since it has a great tasting and refreshing finish.  The Coffee Porter would also make a great pairing for nearly any cigar although I would probably recommend it with a medium or full bodied cigar since the full flavor of the beer may drown out a mild cigar.