A Mild and Lazy Ale!

I want to try a mild, but I gots no UK hops!

How does look? I'm going for a session ale, maybe with a few fewer calories than the heavy stuff I usually make......
Beersmith show this at 173 calories, and ~3.9% abv

What do you think?

11 gal batch:

Prepare Water (16.47 gal total)
Amount Item Type
1.10 oz Burton Water Salts (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.20 tsp STAR Ph Buffer (Mash 1.0 hours) Misc

-- Prepare Ingredients for Mash
Amount Item Type
15 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain

2 min Mash Ingredients
Mash In: Add 5.12 gal of water at 177.5 F
60 min - Hold mash at 154.0 F for 60 min
-- Sparge with 11.36 gal of 168.0 F water.
-- Add water to achieve boil volume of 13.69 gal
-- Estimated Pre-boil Gravity is: 1.033 SG with all grains/extracts added
Boil for 60 min Boil Ingredients
Boil Amount Item Type
60 min 0.50 oz Galena [10.40 %] (60 min) Hops
30 min 0.50 oz Galena [10.40 %] (30 min) Hops
10 min 1.00 oz Vanguard [5.50 %] (10 min) Hops
10 min 0.55 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc

-- Cool wort to fermentation temperature
-- Add water (as needed) to achieve volume of 11.00 gal
-- Siphon wort to primary fermenter and aerate wort.
-- Add Ingredients to Fermenter
Amount Item Type
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

11/28/2008 Measure Original Gravity: ________ (Estimate: 1.038 SG)
11/28/2008 Measure Batch Volume: ________ (Estimate: 11.00 gal)

The grain bill seems OK, but I would rather leave out all aroma/flavour hops and shoot for 19 IBU with the bittering addition if you can't get English hops. Vanguard seems especially alien if you're looking for en English Mild. I don't see a point in adding Burton salts to a Mild either, although it probably won't harm.

Ditch the 30 and 10 min hops and i just made a mild similar to yours with a one big diff, and for 11 gallons i used a lb of biscuit malt. It is brilliant and is on tap now.

I also used about 3oz of black patent and a lb of cyrstal 120

I took Jamil's recipe and after my third batch with a few changes to each was able to make a great mild.

Thanks for the feedback.

I think I'll have to spring for some goldings ( $4.50/oz from my lhbs )

How does look now?:

Prepare Water (16.47 gal total)
Amount Item Type
1.10 oz Burton Water Salts (Mash 60.0 min) Misc
2.20 tsp STAR Ph Buffer (Mash 1.0 hours) Misc

-- Prepare Ingredients for Mash
Amount Item Type
14 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (3.0 SRM) Grain
1 lbs Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain
1 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain
8.0 oz Chocolate Malt (450.0 SRM) Grain

2 min Mash Ingredients
Mash In: Add 5.12 gal of water at 177.5 F
60 min - Hold mash at 154.0 F for 60 min
-- Sparge with 11.36 gal of 168.0 F water.
-- Add water to achieve boil volume of 13.69 gal
-- Estimated Pre-boil Gravity is: 1.033 SG with all grains/extracts added
Boil for 60 min Boil Ingredients
Boil Amount Item Type
60 min 2.00 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min) Hops
10 min 0.55 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min) Misc

-- Cool wort to fermentation temperature
-- Add water (as needed) to achieve volume of 11.00 gal
-- Siphon wort to primary fermenter and aerate wort.
-- Add Ingredients to Fermenter
Amount Item Type
1 Pkgs Nottingham Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

11/28/2008 Measure Original Gravity: ________ (Estimate: 1.038 SG)
11/28/2008 Measure Batch Volume: ________ (Estimate: 11.00 gal)

Mild's don't have much of a hop flavour to them, so I don't think it'd be that important.

Goldings would be great and that is what I use in my mild, however, you could use an American hop variant if that is all you can get. Such as Willamette which is related to Fuggle. I just recently started using it. In the bitter I brewed I find it has a fruity (like currants, blackberrys...) kind of character. Sort of flowery too. Might be nice and subtle anyway.

Willamette is a fine choice for Mild. As the others say, omit flavor/aroma additions. Many UK breweries use the same recipe for Mild and Bitter; they just drop the flavor/aroma hops, reduce the bittering charge slightly, and add a dark grain. If you do choose a non-English hops variety for this, choose one with low cohumulone levels; some strongly-flavored US hops will have a flavor impact no matter how long you boil them.

As for your grist, if you've got the biscuit malt on hand, it's a fine addition. If you don't already have it, save the dosh and just toast some of your pale malt in the oven. Toast at 350F until the starchy innards start to turn a nice, tan parchment color; about that time, the barleycorns will start to crack like popcorn.

Were I you, I'd also choose a less-attenuative yeast. While I loves me some Notty, I think it ferments a bit too dry for the style. S-04 or Windsor for my Milds from now on.

Cheers!

Bob

Reverend JC said:

Ditch the 30 and 10 min hops and i just made a mild similar to yours with a one big diff, and for 11 gallons i used a lb of biscuit malt. It is brilliant and is on tap now.

I also used about 3oz of black patent and a lb of cyrstal 120

I took Jamil's recipe and after my third batch with a few changes to each was able to make a great mild.

Click to expand...

Wow, you used 120 in a mild? And a full pound? Wasn't it too raisiny?

In my mild I don't use any crystal malt, instead I use 4 oz black patent malt and 6 oz roasted barley. The roasted barley isn't fermentable so it leaves a warm residual sweetness and great aroma. I've been using 1 oz Fuggle as a bittering hop. This is a five gallon recipe. Willamette should work great too.

Teacher said:

Wow, you used 120 in a mild? And a full pound? Wasn't it too raisiny?

Click to expand...

I brew 11 gallons at a time.