Image description: eleven cans of Lunn’s Mill beer are laid out on a wooden table in an arc. The wooden table is emblazoned with the Lunn’s Mill logo which features a tree stump and the name in decorative font.
Down a twisty country road you’ll see Lunn’s Mill Brewery. Not only brewing great beer, there’s also a 100 seat restaurant serving up delicious food. From their inception in March of 2017, the brewery has gone from a small core lineup of half a dozen beers, to now well over 20 beers produced throughout the year.
Lunn’s Mill has certainly grabbed my attention over the last year or so! With a foundation based on well made, clean traditional styles – the brewery was a hit in their local area in desperate need of a brewery. While I always enjoyed any offering I tried from them, I found myself coming back to the more intense hoppy styles coming from other breweries.
Although I still love to drink hoppy beers, I find myself more and more reaching for those super traditional malt-forward styles from Germany and England. Where I would have normally grabbed a dry-hopped sour, or a rich double IPA – what I’m really craving these days are Vienna Lagers, Extra Special Bitters, and Mild Ales. I want balance and drinkability. One of the kickstarters of this new preference of mine happened during a hockey game.
Last Winter, I was lucky to play a game of pond hockey (#barleywinewinterclassic) in the Valley with a group of beer and wine industry workers and enthusiasts. While the snow banks were filled with tall cans and bottles from various breweries, the talk of the pond was a hogshead cask of Lunn’s Mill Pub Ale. Freshly tapped, perfect temperature, and sporting that cask-conditioned silky texture the style is known for, made it one of the best beers I drank all year. Something about it was so perfect, and so simple, and it really made me take another look at what else Lunn’s Mill was offering. With new excitement for malt-forward styles, I gave a try to the Lager Driver Vienna Lager, a style not hugely common in the brewing scene, although gaining popularity. This beer is rich in dark amber malts, with aromas toasted brown bread and nutty molasses that lead into an uber-smooth mouthfeel that’s full of flavour, but in a refined way. A new(er) release from them late this Summer saw Myld Stallyns English Mild Ale, a very old English ale that’s light on body, but full of lightly toasted amber malt flavours. At only 3.5% ABV, this was one of my favourite “Summer night” sippers, great with pub fare, but complex enough to stand up on it’s own.
Of course, I don’t want you to think that all they do are malty traditional styles, they are a craft brewery in 2020, after all! Next time you’re in the shop, or shopping on our website, be sure to check out our Lunn’s Mill selection here.
What’s your favourite beer from Lunn’s Mill? Be sure to reach out to us if there’s anything you’d like to see on our shelves!
Photo Credit: Lunn’s Mill.