critique needed...simple english mild

i want to do a simple english mild ale. ive brewed a few with several malts per grain bill trying to capture everything i wanted it to be but honestly i keep over doing it and it ends up tasting like everything and nothing. so here is my newest one...please critique

5lbs marris otter
1lb crystal 10 or 20
10ox pale chocolate
8oz carapils

hops.

1oz nugget or cascade @ 30minutes
1oz centenial @ 5min
.5oz centenial flame out

mash at 150

english ale yeast.

please let me know. i have had a few "dark" milds at local breweries that were out of this world...tasted like a sweet almost chocolatey tea and had a full body and was either served by mixed gas or they pushed it thru a sparkler to make tiny bubbles...almost stout like.

I brewed a 6-pack of an English Dark Mild, and I used just a smidge (very scientific measurement, I know) of black patent. Really gave it a nice roasty je ne sais quoi. Good call on the carapils.

I know what you mean about the chocolatey tea - I really love the bare malt flavour of low abv beer.

sammytag said:

I brewed a 6-pack of an English Dark Mild, and I used just a smidge (very scientific measurement, I know) of black patent. Really gave it a nice roasty je ne sais quoi. Good call on the carapils.

I know what you mean about the chocolatey tea - I really love the bare malt flavour of low abv beer.

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Orfy's mild is eve simpler--6# 2-row, 1.3# C60, 6 oz pale chocolate. Malty & rich (for 3.7% ABV) with just a hint of roast at bottling time. Can't wait til it's carbed!

I LOVE Jamil's mild-

6 gallon batch

7 lbs British pale ale malt (I used maris otter)
.5 lb crystal 60L
6 oz crystal 120L
.25 pound PALE chocolate malt
2 oz black patent

.85 oz EKG 5% 60 minutes

WLP002 or Wyeast 1968

Mash at 154

OG 1.039
FG 1.011
IBU 17

I'd keep it to a single bittering hop and leave it there. EKG would be great.

And although not 'english' I particularly like Wyeast 1728 - Scottich ale yeast.

I agree with Yopper - get your mash temperature up there to 155 or so.

Alchemist42 said:

I'd keep it to a single bittering hop and leave it there. EKG would be great.

And although not 'english' I particularly like Wyeast 1728 - Scottich ale yeast.

I agree with Yopper - get your mash temperature up there to 155 or so.

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Good note. Maybe bump the Marti's otter to 6.5lbs?

raptorvan said:

Good note. Maybe bump the Marti's otter to 6.5lbs?

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I'll second the increase in mash temp, however I think otherwise the grist looks good. Another idea, however, might be to split your chocolate malt to part chocolate/part kiln coffee malt. I've used that combo in a couple darker roasty english style beers and found it quite agreeable if a nice roasty character is what you're after. (I'd suggest something like a 60/40 chocolate/kiln coffee ratio)

English mild with 1.5 oz late addition centennial hops? Like Alchemist said, I'd just do a single bittering hop addition - preferably Goldings, Fuggles or Willamette.
Why the light crystal? I'd use a slightly smaller amount of darker crystal (preferably English) unless you want to use up some of your existing stock.
Cara-pils? I'd drop it. English milds usually have very little head, and poor head retention, although in Northern England, they may use a sparkler.
See BJCP 2008 Style Guidelines - Category 11.
I like mashing at 150, but you could up that temperature a bit if you want to. I wouldn't go over 155.

-a.

+1 for higher infusion mash temperature of 154-155F

+1 delete centennial hop additions (it is your beer, but if you want mild generally stay away from late hops)

I use Scottish Ale yeast in winter because my house doesn't stay warm enough for English Ale yeasts; works great for mild.

Grain bill looks fine but you could replace cara pils with more base malt; darker crystal malt should be considered; I aim for 19-22 SRM (light brown) in finished mild but that's more personal preference than necessity

Limit bottle or keg carbonation to 1.5-2 volumes CO2; I used 42 gm corn sugar to carbonate my latest 5-gallon batch of mild last month (I used John Palmer's How to Brew directions for priming sugar measurements)

Hope this helps

Before I brew this I have to ask...shouls I add the hops in the beginning or later? Ive done late hopping to try to keep the bitterness down but it always seems to be really bitter...does the early addition mellow out the bite?

I tend to hop my milds by equally dividing hops into 60 and 30 minute boiling additions, aiming for total ibus of 15-22. My most recent batch was based on an American mild and used 0.16 oz whole Zeus for each addition. This calculated out to 15 ibus. I can perceive bitterness but can't taste a specific hop variety.

Hope this helps.

I like to intentionally ferment at 70-72F for the milds, it gives a slightly fruity flavor + aroma just like I remember the Mild's in the UK.

MC