Brewery Review: Millstream Brewery - Amana, IA

Ironically, this was my first visit to the brewery after living in the QC the last 5 years (and working at GRB for the last year). So it was long over due. Jen and I joined Joe Wietlispach an Rick Harris for an all day tour of the breweries in Des Moine, and everything in between, including a preliminary stop at John's Grocery in Iowa City. I've always heard great things about Millstream, especially their Oktoberfest party. And their recent win in the stout category at the Great American Beer Festival for their Back Road Stout. Anyway, these were the beers I tried:



Windmill Wheat - Pale yellow color, dense white foam head. High carbonation. Yeasty aroma and a lot of wheat...even doughy. Taste is spicy and a lot more flavor than light American lager (as it was compared to). Creamy smooth. Dry finish.
77/100
Johns Generations White Ale - Lot more haze. Foamy white head. More wheat in the flavor. Spicy and clove phenols in the aroma. Banana emerges more in the flavor. Smooth texture.
85/100

Schild Brau Amber - Medium copper color. Very clear. Faint kilned amber malt aroma head is well statured atop high carbonated look. Sweet and biscuity. Some graininess in the aftertaste.

84/100

Iowa Pale Ale - Definitely unfiltered and cloudy. Copper colored with a lesser head than the others. Tropical pine hop bill.. cascade for sure. Flavor is dry but pairs well with the base malt. Grain husk. Some grassiness in the aftertaste finishing dry. Carbonation complements the dryness in the finish very well. Smooth and refreshing.

89/100
Schokolade Bock - Bock colored...rustic red with a tint of brown. Wet lacing and a lesser head. Aroma is carameled and chocolaty. Taste erupts with a bittersweet chocolate while caramel takes a fore-hold. Dry with again, a grain flavor.
84/100

Back Road Stout - Wet lacing, beige cream colored head. Definitely turbid and milky black. Aroma is roasted and chocolaty. Flavor is of roasted barley, and black patton. Crisp burnt finish, but a mild malt bill to maintain very drinkable. Alcohol falls in at 6.5%. Bubbly texture.

88/100

Weizen Bock - Brewmasters reserve. Extremely hazy, orange amber. Off white cream color head. Entire lacing. Aroma is of wheat and kilned amber. Mildly biscuity. Rich and subtle hint of pears. Alcohol is high, but mouthfeel is crisp and dry. Almost viney, but still quite tasty.

87/100

The brewery is located at the end of the Amana "town" near a bubbling brook and a old fashion dam. Follow the signs, you'll find it. My first thought was, "Wow, that's rather a small establishment, I was expecting something so much larger." But inevitably I'm grateful for that because what they have currently is a cozy little building with a huge front patio, a deck (beer garden) and seating for at least a crowd of 50. We were there in December, but I could tell this place would be covered in hop vines in summer. There are turn-table benches out front, along with numerous other varieties of seating. The building takes on a rustic western look with weathered grey wood. Upon entry I was greeted by Tom, one of the owners who happily poured samples for us throughout our stay. Defined, this is their tasting room, which took on the appearance of more of a gift shop, yet with still the aged, rustic wood look to it. Inside were shelves and walls full of shwag (shirts, glasses, mugs) and other Germanic related gift ware along with sixpack and bomber sized bottles on display and for purchase. Planked floorboards and a tap system literally popping out of the cash register table gave a very unique look. Quite a variety and number of taps, including several soft drinks. Within, built into the far wall was a window that enabled customers a full side angle view of their bottling line, a massive contraption based primarily off a conveyor belt. There is even another room (aside for the two bathrooms around the corner from the entrance) which maintains a basic seating area complete with several metal patio sets as well as a massive flat screen TV. Each wall in this room has a hand touch from both owners, Teresa and Tom as well as the brewer, Chris. It's within this room that customers and publicans get a full frontal of the 24 bbl brewhouse as well as a peak at a couple of the brite tanks to the far right. (Definitely a plus, giving the brewhouse a face to the public). Ultimately, the brewery/tasting room took on a very cozy atmosphere, one that I have yet to encounter elsewhere. Its creaky floorboards and weathered paneling crossed with a modern dose of machinery just feet away really exemplified a great environment.

Overall the beers were good, especially the stout and pale. However I did notice a prominent graininess/grain husk to most of the beer.
Check them out:
http://www.millstreambrewing.com/


Brewery Review: 46/50

Dark Night Belgian-Style Rye Ale

Tasted following a 3 x mile workout on Monday Morning, enjoyed with kefir/homemade apple sauce pancakes. Got this bottle from the Iowa City Brew Festival.

Appearance: The pour looked extremely syrupy as there was no splash or swirl as it hit the glass, however there was a delay before a huge carbonation erupted, then to fuel an enormous beige head that almost spilled over the top of the glass. Retention went on for several minutes at well over 2". Lacing is dry and entire, so to cover everything in it's path.

Aroma: Smells similar to the Pipers Scotch Style ale I just tried, which is accompanied with smokey peat malt. The rye is pretty substantial alongside deep caramel. There is even a little of mustiness from the Belgian yeast.

Taste: Rich malt bill of cocoa and caramel. Smokey peat emerges by the midtaste alongside a prominent dark roasted fruit flavor of plums, dates and figs. Some licorice is present as well. Quite a fruitiness under the initial malt bill. Near the end I pick up on a oaked woodiness with subtle tannins as well as the warming alcohol flavor. The finish is a bit dry with some tannic woody dryness. As the beer warms there is even a note of tobacco that develops alongside the licorice and dark fruity esters.

Mouthfeel: Very Chewy. The mouthhfeel is as it looked when I poured it. The texture is slick and very full with almost a gummy feel to it while it is prominently tacky on the lips. The finish, however is relatively dry.
Overall Impression: Wow, that is one of the chewiest and thickest bodied beers I've EVER come across. Very strange, yet enticing for such a change up from the lighter beers I've been reviewing. Complexity is astounding, especially with the Belgian Yeast and the absurd dose of rye. Interesting, and I definitely recommend A bottle (drinking a six-pack, I see, is out of the question).


86/100

Hop2 Double IPA

Thanks to Justen Parris for giving me this beer last week. Tasted following another 10 miler through Davenport. Enjoyed with pita chips made from Great Rivers 483 pale ale yeast and re-used/half mashed red wheat grains that were re-baked and blended into flour. At first I was unimpressed with Millstreams beer selection because in the summer Jen and I had bought a craft pack that ONLY contained different variants of wheat beers. Lets see a change in variety...

Appearance: Strong stick off white head that is incredibly sustained with varying peaks and sticky lacing along the sides of the glass. The beer itself contributes a rubied color with semi clarity and some bubbled carbonation within. Lacing looks Styrofoamy and crystallized from drying out.

Aroma: Strong malt bill with a resinous fruit hop character to accommodate. Some vinous elements to it along with plum, raisin and grape when combined with a toasted biscuity malt that boasts a large profile in the aroma. Subtle herbal undertones and spicing. Pine and woody bittering scent. Quite earthy.

Taste: Huge malt profile at the front making for a necessity in hopage to balance. The sweetness consists of caramel and biscuit malt with a hint of dark fruit by the midtaste where the sweetness meets bitterness. Bitterness is a bit spicy consisting in combination of pine and herbal flavors with earthy elements and some citrus notes. It leaves a rather sweet but dry flavor in the mouth for quite a while. Some grapefruit and orange elements incorporate themselves, but aren't dominating characters in the bittering half of the beer.
Mouthfeel: Large hefty body from the tremendous base malt. Similarly the mouthfeel is cloying in the aftertaste as it leaves a salvinous film to the roof of the mouth. It is also tacky to the lips. Carbonation is medium as it micro fizzes the tongue after a prolonged stagnation in the mouth. Very filling.
Overall Impression: Kind of on the sweeter side of an IPA including a huge body and a big malt profile. I think Millstream could have lightened the load, gone for more barrels without sacrificing the beer by leveling out the malt bill. It was just too big for an IPA.


80/100

Hefe "R" Weizen

Tried at Tim’s place following a College Center lunch after my wheel-thrown pottery class. Served in a fancy snifter glass.

Photo not available

Appearance: Poured a white frothy head, dissolved at a slower rate to leave a fourth of an inch layer of foam, somewhat cloudy but you can still see some of the carbonation bubbles, golden orange color.
Aroma: Definite hints of citrus fruit, along the lines of oranges and lemon. A bit of spice to follow the fruit, probably cloves or coriander and finishes with a sweet aroma of bananas.
Taste: Malty grains first hits the lips with subtle sweetness to it. Followed by the taste of bananas and complemented by the notes of wheat and yeast. Finishes with a light bitterness that could be contributed by orange peel or cloves which quickly leaves the palate. Definitely a malt-forward beer, you don’t get too much bitterness or flavoring from the hops used.
Mouthfeel: On the fuller side of a light body with light carbonation. Leaves hardly an aftertaste. Creamy texture that lingers on the palate.
Overall Impression: Not a very complex beer, but all the flavors seem to complement each other well. Probably better in the summer months, or if you are looking for just something to drink. It is best drunk cold.


81/100

Windmill Wheat

Purchased this with a sampler 12 pack in Bettendorf, IA at the Hy-vee where Jen and I dropped off over 150 bottles and got $11! That money was cycled right back into the beer fund.

Appearance: A sunny straw glow to it with visible micro-bubble carbonation. Mediocre foam filmed head. Turbidity is high but completely uniformed. 
Aroma: Very yeasty with touches of citrus and sourdough bread. There is a rich smell of orange zest at the nose, then finishing in a pungent barn-like smell, typical to the usual wheat. Subtle notes of banana, and other fruit phenols. 
Taste: Citrus enthuses the palate first followed by the yeastiness. I find that this beer has a lot more spicing towards the end. Banana is most apparent here with the accompaniment of cloves. I like that this is a lager because it gives the beer more of a crisp finish that finishes pretty clean aside for some remaining wheat flavors on the palate. Zest and sour-citrus permeate through the interspersed flavors, furthering the complexity. 
Mouthfeel: Thicker but the carbonation helps loosen it up. Medium tackiness. Carbonation incorporates a little prickle on the tongue that is a bit more aggressive than most. But given the circumstances that this is a lager, I can expect it. 
Overall Impression: Definitely unique for what I’m used to. Quite a complex beer, especially as it is a Wheat Lager. Very refreshing and very drinkable.

81/100