English Mild

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Pdeezy

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I've been all about the hops lately, and I would like a change of pace. I would normally think of going towards a stout, or porter, but summer is around the corner, and this style intrigues me.

Only one problem: I don't think I've ever had one.

Anyone know of a beer that is fairly representative of the style that I can get my hands on in the Dallas, TX area?
 
Newcastle is a pretty good English Mild. they are generally low ABV beers, easy drinking and a nice toasty caramel flavour to them with very mild hops profile
 
Newcastle is a pretty good English Mild. they are generally low ABV beers, easy drinking and a nice toasty caramel flavour to them with very mild hops profile

This would be good advice EXCEPT for the fact the newcastle is not a mild.
 
This would be good advice EXCEPT for the fact the newcastle is not a mild.

True dat. Although it's the closest thing I can find in beer-poor S AR/N LA. Except for the one I made of course.

The thing about milds is they are pretty rare. Most breweries don't brew one. I'm not sure why because it's one of my favorite styles. I'd just go ahead and brew one to try it.
 
This would be good advice EXCEPT for the fact the newcastle is not a mild.

So...suggestions?

Or do I just need to crank out my own.

I have some EKG laying around that I need to use. I just wanted to taste what I was making first.
 
I've been drinking a lot of commercial milds lately. These are the one's I've been trying according to my untappd account.

1845
Brewery: Fuller, Smith & Turner (Fullers beers)
Style: English Strong Ale
ABV: 6.3%

Triple XB (XXXB)
Brewery: Batemans Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 4.5%

Old Bobby ale
Brewery: Baltika Breweries
Style: American Brown Ale
ABV: 4.5%

Ruddles County
Brewery: Greene King
Style: English Mild Ale
ABV: 4.7%


Old Speckled Hen
Brewery: Morland Brewery
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 5.2%


Celtic (Hibernian) Ale
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
Style: Irish Red Ale
ABV: 5.4%

London Pride
Brewery: Fuller, Smith & Turner (Fullers beers)
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%

Scottish Ale
Brewery: Belhaven Brewery
Style: Scottish Ale
ABV: 3.9%

Winter Welcome 2011-2012
Brewery: Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster)
Style: Winter Ale
ABV: 6%

Smithwick's
Brewery: Guinness Ltd.
Style: Irish Red Ale
ABV: 4.5%

Breath of the Dragon English Bitter
Brewery: Dragonmead Microbrewery
Style: English Bitter
ABV: 4.5%

Sir Williams's Extra Special Bittrr
Brewery: Dragonmead Microbrewery
Style: English Bitter
ABV: 5%

ESB (Extra Special Bitter)
Brewery: Fuller, Smith & Turner (Fuller's)
Style: Extra Special/Strong Bitter
ABV: 5.9%

Riggwelter
Brewery: Black Sheep
Style: English Brown Ale
ABV: 5.9%

Hobgoblin
Brewery: Wychwood Brewery
Style: English Brown Ale
ABV: 5.2%

Dark Mild
Brewery: Cains
Style: English Mild Ale
ABV: 3.2%

Pub Ale
Brewery: Boddington's Brewery (ABInBev)
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 4.7%

Ghettoblaster
Brewery: Motor City Brewing Works
Style: English Ale
ABV: 4.2%

Bass Pale Ale
Brewery: Bass Brewers (ABInBev)
Style: English Pale Ale
ABV: 5%

Some are categorized other than milds, or bitters, but some of the designations through history have been kind strange at times. But these are all similar in gravities and grainbills no matter what they call them.
You should be able to find a few...
 
You are correct, it is a Brown Ale, I've only had it once at a pub and I just assumed it was an english mild. I don't think I've actually had one in that case, is it similar to an english brown just lighter?
 
Or do I just need to crank out my own.

If that's what you want these links should help.


I've been pouring through the history of them on Shut up about Barclay Perkins /

Many of the recipes are available on line at http://www.hopandgrain.com/recipes.aspx

There's also a book called 'The Real Ale Almanc" which lists the ingredients and other info for hundreds of british beers. Many of these have been converetd into useable recipes at this site: http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5022

Alll of this stuff is in metric, but you can convert it easily.

Other good sources of info:
The British Brewer http://www.britishbrewer.com/ (authentic, tested recipes there too)
http://perfectpint.blogspot.com/2011/02/near-perfect-pint-dark-mild-tasting.html# (recipes and good commentary about them)
 
I've never seen a commercial mild in the US, except for an occasional special at a taproom. Surly had one when I was there, and sometimes smaller brewpubs like at Titletown Brewing Company in Green Bay.

But making your own is great, and because it's a low gravity but flavorful beer, it's cheap to make besides! I did Jamil's recipe the last time, and I loved it.
 
You are correct, it is a Brown Ale, I've only had it once at a pub and I just assumed it was an english mild. I don't think I've actually had one in that case, is it similar to an english brown just lighter?

http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style11.php#1a

My advice? If you like Northern English Brown Ales (Newcastle, SS Nut Brown) and other english beers (bitters et cetera) I'd just go for it and brew it. I made the leap, and was rewarded with an easy drinking, flavourful session ale.
 
You are correct, it is a Brown Ale, I've only had it once at a pub and I just assumed it was an english mild. I don't think I've actually had one in that case, is it similar to an english brown just lighter?

If you read Barclay perkins, you find out some of the designations over history have changed or they've changed them for various reasoning, marketing for instance, taxation purposes, ingredients shortages that result in recipe tweaks. But really the thing to look for is the gravity of the beer and the yeast used, the ingredients. NOT what it might be called.

There are so many categorizations and deriviations under the "names" bitters and milds, that is can be confusing. But really they all are just fairly low gravity, somewhat tannic, flavorful, easy drinking session ales.
 
I brewed one last fall and it was ok, but had practically ZERO hops. The grainy flavor came through full blast and it had a decent sweetness. Low ABV and quick to make.

This spring I made another but changed the hop schedule and it's probably a bit too hoppy to win an award, but I like it. Low ABV and after a week or two more should mellow out and be what I wanted.

My recipe was based on Orfy's Mild Mannered recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/mild-mannered-ale-ag-e-uk-us-52776/

This time I used Marris Otter per his recipe (used regular US 2-Row before) and this time I used Willamette because my EKG was old and didn't smell right. I've been serving a bit too highly carbonated because I forgot to drop my PSI when I got it where I wanted it.

They are good beers for sitting around and quaffing for hours.
 
Oh, and I saved the yeast and plan on fermenting a stout with it. Nottingham made a firm cake on the bottom of the fermenter and the clarity is very good using that yeast.
 
But making your own is great, and because it's a low gravity but flavorful beer, it's cheap to make besides! I did Jamil's recipe the last time, and I loved it.

Just make sure you account for the increased efficiency due to the small grain bill if you're doing all grain. I usually get around 70-75% but when I brewed my first mild I hit 83%. I didn't want to dilute it so it wasn't as "mild" as I wanted it to be. Still great though!
 
... the thing to look for is the gravity of the beer and the yeast used, the ingredients. NOT what it might be called.

There are so many categorizations and deriviations under the "names" bitters and milds, that is can be confusing. But really they all are just fairly low gravity, somewhat tannic, flavorful, easy drinking session ales.

These are two reasons why a lot of the beers you listed above are not milds. Fullers ESB, for instance, could never be considered a mild. Neither could Sam Smith's Winter Warmer. ESB does not equal MILD. Neither does an Irish Red nor an English Brown. Commercial Milds in England traditionally have an ABV around 3%. Browns, bitters, special bitters, best bitters, pale ales, extra special bitters, red ales, brown ales, all have ABV higher than that, sometimes as much as by more than double.

They're hard to find, for sure. I'm lucky where I live that there are lots of craft brews and brewers around who are bucking the trend of simply adding more hops to everything and are actively seeking to resuscitate styles that have lost favor (milds have gone out of fashion in England, too). Dying Vines out of Oakland makes a killer mild. I know that Epic out of Salt Lake makes one, as does Magic Hat (New Hampshire?). They are delicious, though different from their more robust cousins the bitters and pale ales.
 
Wow that was a lot of info. Thanks everyone, and thanks Revvy for the list.

I will probably brew orfy's mild, with EKG instead of fuggles, and S-04 instead of notty, should that be pretty close to the style? I'll post that question in the Recipe section if I need to.

In the meantime I will keep my eyes peeled for something to quench my curiosity.
 
Magic Hat has a domestic commercially available Mild called "+/-" as part of their Spring variety pack. It's very good.
 
I haven't seen many examples of milds in the US. What I have seen is often way past is the expiration with a generous coating of dust and I've found it's not a beer that ages well especially those in clear bottles. Even in the UK they are getting rare. Sometimes you will will them referred to as "ordinary" which I assume is a mild(at least the alcohol content is right). At a decent pub, there will usually be a brewer - Fullers, Young's, or whatever regional brewer that has some "ordinary" on tap, next to their "special".

I saw Ruddle's on Revy's list. I drank quite a few pints of this while I was there and I'd say it qualifies. We often stopped at a field in the middle of hiking trail that had nothing but a pub (in the middle of nowhere). A couple of pints of Ruddle's and we were back on our way.

I've been thinking about brewing up a mild for my next brew as well. It's an awesome style. They are great with food and you can enjoy several and be on your way.

Brew one up - you won't be disappointed and it's a nice change of pace.
 
As recently as November, Jester King (in Austin) used to brew a mild called Commercial Suicide that you could find in bottles in grocery stores around Austin. They seemed to have stopped making it for some reason though. Too bad since it was one of the few milds I ever saw from a US brewery.
 
Personally, if it has much more than 3% alcohol......it's not a mild. Low gravity/low alcohol/low hops=mild.
 
nestler said:
As recently as November, Jester King (in Austin) used to brew a mild called Commercial Suicide that you could find in bottles in grocery stores around Austin. They seemed to have stopped making it for some reason though. Too bad since it was one of the few milds I ever saw from a US brewery.

The mild that I brewed was the clone kit for commercial suicide that AHB put out around this time last year. It was awesome and I plan on brewing it again soon (with a few tweaks of course). Definitely a good recipe to start off with if your wanting a mild.
 
Pretty Things have just released a pair of Milds based on historic recipes. Funnily enough, both Barclay Perkins beers. The 1945 one is probably what you're looking for.
 
The mild that I brewed was the clone kit for commercial suicide that AHB put out around this time last year. It was awesome and I plan on brewing it again soon (with a few tweaks of course). Definitely a good recipe to start off with if your wanting a mild.

Do you have a recipe for this one? Or does AHB still have it?
 
i just brewed a mild. if your into hops, a mild is perfect since it gives you a good change of pace, satisfies a darker beer craving, but is done really quick.

its not my favorite style, but it was soo cheap and quick.

i did orfy's mild with willamette hops instead of fuggles or ekg or whichever he used
 
Yards in Philadelphia bottles a mild called Brawler... you're not going to find in in Texas unless you can find someone to send one to you.
 
My last batch was a Mild, which I am currently enjoying. Almost no hop character. Just enough bitterness to balance (most of) the malty sweetness. Easy-drinking, smooth, low carbonation, all around decent beer. Nice change of pace.

DSC_2605.jpg
 
My last batch was a Mild, which I am currently enjoying. Almost no hop character. Just enough bitterness to balance (most of) the malty sweetness. Easy-drinking, smooth, low carbonation, all around decent beer. Nice change of pace.

That looks good. You have a recipe?
 
ajbram> that's pretty!

Can you share the recipe?

That looks good. You have a recipe?

It's a tough one, because I have no exact recipe. This was done as a bastardized parti-gyle mild. I made a batch of my molasses porter, and basically after mashing the grains for the porter, I scooped out about 2/3 of the grains after sparging, added 4lb of Canadian 2-row pale malt, and re-mashed. As a result I got some of the colour and roasty-toastiness from the leftover porter grains with a lighter body. I will have to look at my notes when I get home tonight and let you guys know what I did. All I can tell you now is I re-mashed for 1hr at 151F.

Boil was 60 min with 1oz Fuggles at 60, 0.5 oz fuggles at 20 and 0.5 oz fuggles at 5 min.

Cooled to 85F and pitched a moderate starter of S-04 at high krausen. Primary for 4 days, secondary for a week, then primed with 3/4 cup of Demerarra sugar. It was ready to drink abotu a week later and is a very nice little beer.

I'll add some more detailed notes tomorrow.
 
Brewed NB's Mild Ale a few weeks ago with West Yorkshire yeast harvested from an Innkeeper, and its right about the 3 week mark now. I'm not sure if we dropped the ball somewhere, but its seems a little watery at this point. Hopefully some more time in bottle will help. The taste is good, but the mouthfeel is wrong. My mild experience is pretty limited, but its not something I'm in a hurry to brew again.
 
Jester king released a mild for their intro beer but its not on their website anymore. Guess They are not making it anymore. I plan to make a mild in the coming weeks, like you i want a change in pace and having too many IPA's lately and want to try something different this time around
 
My last batch was a Mild, which I am currently enjoying. Almost no hop character. Just enough bitterness to balance (most of) the malty sweetness. Easy-drinking, smooth, low carbonation, all around decent beer. Nice change of pace.

Judging by the amount of head on that thing, it looks like you've overcarbed it. The long list I saw earlier in this thread only had one mild on it (at least that I recall seeing). Fuller's Chiswick Bitter is pretty widely available, it's about 3.5% and fits the bill flavorwise. I had it on tap drawn by a beer engine at cellar temperature and that makes a big difference. I will say that I have done a lot of beer styles and milds/ordinary bitters are extremely challenging, even more so than Light American Lagers. Getting a lot of flavor out of so few ingredients is not an easy task. When serving make sure it isn't overcarbed or too cold.
 
Moorhouse Brewery (UK) brews a mild called "Black Cat" that is a very good example of the style. I have been comparing my attempts to them.
 
Milds (and ordinary bitters) are probably some of my favorite "chill out" beers. There is something awesome about grabbing a refreshing and low-alcohol brew out of the fridge and being able to drink all night with no repercussions. A Mild is definitely on my "to-brew" list.
 
:off:

As recently as November, Jester King (in Austin) used to brew a mild....

Pretty Things have just released a pair of Milds....


Before 8 o'clock last night I had never heard of Pretty Things and before 2 o'clock this afternoon I had never heard of Jester King. Now, having had two beers from each, I am a big, big fan of these brewers. They really know what they're doing and have made some extraordinary products. That 2.5% abv farmhouse ale from Jester King that I had with lunch today (a "spent grain" burger made from the, uhhhh...spent grains... from Death & Taxes black lager made by Moonlight) was perfect. And the bitter I had from Pretty Things alongside the bone marrow with bacon relish last night was spot on.

/:off:
 
Brewed NB's Mild Ale a few weeks ago with West Yorkshire yeast harvested from an Innkeeper, and its right about the 3 week mark now. I'm not sure if we dropped the ball somewhere, but its seems a little watery at this point. Hopefully some more time in bottle will help. The taste is good, but the mouthfeel is wrong. My mild experience is pretty limited, but its not something I'm in a hurry to brew again.

Did the Northern Brewing mild and the AK47. Both seemed thin compared to other similar extract recipes (scottish 60 and an ordinary bitter from Santa Fe homebrewing) that I've done. The NB extract kits all had a half pound or more of sugar - that's a significant portion of the fermentables for such a low gravity beer. I wonder if that's possibly a source of the "thinness"?

The all DME with specialty grains ordinary bitter from SF Homebrewing is the best we've done so far. Very tasty with some recycled Neobrittanea yeast from the NB mild...
 
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