Grand River Mill Race Mild

Growler courtesy of matt7215. Pours brown with a mahogany tint and a nice creamy off white head. Smells of roasted nuts, some cherry like hints, touches of earthy malt. Tastes tangy with some chocolate, tea, some cherries, hints of dry malt, some spice, a touch of light bitterness. Full bodied and refreshing.

On tap at Volo, shared with a friend. Nose was very heavy in olives and toast. Flavour followed similary with the addition of smoke. A fairly enjoyable beer.

Tap @ Victory. Soft, sweet, somewhat nutty, with a really strong berry flavour to it. Mild and watery, which is kind of the intention. Very tasty for a mild, although I thought the fruity flavours were a bit much.

Tap at Volo. Deep brown beer topped with a thick creamy tan head. Aroma is light and nutty. A bit of fresh toast and a bit of herbal/woody hops. A lightly hazelnutty flavour, a soft earthy chocolate character and just a hint of moderate bitterness. As it warms, a bit more chocolate comes forward, but it’s not sweet, but is more cocoaish. There is a bit of light plumminess and a whiff of molasses as well. It’s quite appealing and is a tasty brew.

Draught @ beerbistro, Toronto, ON: Ok, this stuff’s a trip, and a reminder towards why I seek so many different beers to try. Perhaps the name wasn’t inviting but I only ordered it because it was the only item on the draught list I hadn’t yet tried. Shocked to find it came deep, dark brown with a very nice off-white head. Heavy sweet molasses aroma alongside roasted malts. The flavour was incredibly well balanced with great bitter hopping, roasted malts, and a good touch of cocoa. Loved it!

Poured out of a 64 oz growler jug, the beer resembles a cola with its almost black colour and light tan head. The head retains well wih some lacing but does not have the best texture or flavour to it. The aroma is not strong but is pleasant with nutty and chocolatey tones to it. Flavour and drinkability are this mild’s real strong point and why I enjoy it so much. It resembles almost a guiness in its delightful abundance of flavours that are present enough to make every sip enjoyable and yet light enough that you could almost wash the whole pint down in one shot if you wanted to. I would call it dangerously drinkable and tasty, but at 3.5 ABV you can actually enjoy a lot of these without regreting it too much.

Tap - Beer Bistro; Copper Brown body with a slight head, hmmm, fairly malt-toffee aroma; similar taste although with slightly plum finish, nothing special although in saying that, kudos for an Ontario brewer

Sampled fresh from a growler purchased at the Brewery on 15/01/08. Deep mahogany body sits under a billowing froth of beige foam. Excellent head retention and minute lacing throughout the drinking experience. The aroma is initially roasted barley and burnt malts. It is also quite toasty and nutty. Just a touch of vanilla extract and mineral. The flavour profile is surprisingly well rounded and full, but that just goes to show you that full flavoured beers don’t have to be high in alcohol. This beer is quite full of sweet burnt malts, toasty barley, quite nutty, with a just enough of a hop presence to create a perfect balance. The finish is dry and lingering. Well done Grand River Brewing!