Mild Ale help

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dfohio

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I have a problem. I only have 5 pounds of 2-row left. My 200 pounds of grain for the future won't be in for about a month.

So, I figure I'll brew a mild. The problem is I know nothing about mild's besides reading Orfy's recipe.

I already have a nut brown and an oatmeal stout available, so I don't want a beer that resembles that. That is why I have chosen not to use Orfy's mild recipe.

I have pretty much all of the crystal malts, victory, a bunch of carapils which I would like to to get rid of and pounds of hops; just no 2-row.

I figure I could make a pale mild with plenty of victory, c-60, carapils and willamette.

Does anyone have experience with something like this? Or a different idea altogether?
 
A Mild will taste very different from either of the beers you have.

Here's one from the Mild Ale book (c. 1824) that's good:

5 lbs 2 -row
6 lbs carapils (or a mix of carapils and victory)
1.25 lbs C40L

14 AAU at 90 minutes (the recipe calls for 3.33 oz of Golding, but Fuggle would work)

Mash 152F

This is an older, higher ABV Mild, before Milds became session ales in the 1930s.
 
A Mild will taste very different from either of the beers you have.

Here's one from the Mild Ale book (c. 1824) that's good:

5 lbs 2 -row
6 lbs carapils (or a mix of carapils and victory)
1.25 lbs C40L

14 AAU at 90 minutes (the recipe calls for 3.33 oz of Golding, but Fuggle would work)

Mash 152F

This is an older, higher ABV Mild, before Milds became session ales in the 1930s.

surely you mean ounces?!
 
This is what I came up with. I imagine it should work without any roasty flavors from chocolate malt.

Batch Size: 5.50 gal
Boil Size: 7.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.034 SG
Estimated Color: 12.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 16.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
5.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 71.43 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 14.29 %
0.50 lb Victory Malt (25.0 SRM) Grain 7.14 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 20L (20.0 SRM) Grain 3.57 %
0.25 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt -120L (120.0 SRM) Grain 3.57 %
1.25 oz Williamette [3.50 %] (60 min) Hops 16.6 IBU


Mash Schedule: Single Infusion, Medium Body, Batch Sparge 156 F
 
The amount of crystal malt in that recipe seems excessive, to the point of being cloying.

I don't like to exceed a pound of crystal combined in a 5 gallon batch, personally; while Mild can have a hint of sweetness, the amount contributed from 1.5 pounds would be too much to bear, IMO.

Mild is one of my absolute favorite styles - and it's very much in danger of extinction in England.

A Pale Mild would be quite nice - something like 80% pale malt and 20% Victory to around 1.035 and 16 IBUs.
 
See I thought that the crystal was excessive at first but now I'm confused because most recipes I have looked at have at least 1 pound of crystal in them. I'm not afraid to leave crystal completely out, but I do want to be close to style.

Possibly 75% pale, 15% victory, 10% crystal 60 to 1.033 at 16 IBU?
 
Here's one from the Mild Ale book (c. 1824) that's good:

5 lbs 2 -row
6 lbs carapils (or a mix of carapils and victory)
1.25 lbs C40L

14 AAU at 90 minutes (the recipe calls for 3.33 oz of Golding, but Fuggle would work)

Mash 152F

My face when i saw that was like KingBrianI avatar :drunk:
 
See I thought that the crystal was excessive at first but now I'm confused because most recipes I have looked at have at least 1 pound of crystal in them. I'm not afraid to leave crystal completely out, but I do want to be close to style.

Possibly 75% pale, 15% victory, 10% crystal 60 to 1.033 at 16 IBU?

What recipes are you referencing? I can't say that I've ever seen a Mild recipe with that much crystal, so I'm curious.

As far as style, there isn't one for pale mild according to the BJCP as of yet. The only Mild recognized is 11A: Dark Mild i.e Orfy's Mild Mannered Ale and my own March Brown Mild. With that in mind, you're charting new territory of sorts. ;)

I think the recipe you've indicated would make a fine drinking pint!
 
Well, I plan on brewing the 75% pale, 15% victory, and 10% C-60 at 1.033 and 16 IBU. I agree it should be a simple, fine drinking beer.


What recipes are you referencing? I can't say that I've ever seen a Mild recipe with that much crystal, so I'm curious.

Orfy's Mild Mannered lists 1.6 lb, Jamil's dark mild uses 1.25 lb and pale uses 1lb according to beerdujour.com. Most others contained 1 lb but all were dark milds.
 
Check out the last issue of Zymurgy. It has a couple good articles on milds


Also, FYI:

BJCP 1999:

English Ordinary Bitter
Bitter & English Pale Ale


Type: Ale
Category Number: 4A
Original Gravity: 1.030-1.038 SG
Color: 6.0-14.0 SRM
Final Gravity: 1.008-1.013 SG Bitterness: 20.0-40.0 IBU
Carbonation: 0.8-2.1 vols Alcohol by Volume: 3.00-3.80 %
Description: Lightest strength bitter. Originally kegged or casked and served by a hand pump without pressure. Traditionally served only a few days old from a cask and consumed within a day or two.
Profile: Mild form where malty flavor has a slight edge over the bitterness. Slightly dry with high attenuation. Light to medium body (taxed in UK by starting gravity). Gold to golden brown in color. Carbonation higher in bottled versions.
Ingredients: English malt, hops (Fuggles/Goldings) and ale yeast. Hard water with high calcium-sulfate (gypsum) content brings out bitterness.
Examples: Young's Bitter, Samuel Smith's Old Brewery Bitter, Fuller's Cheswick
 
UPDATE:

This beer turned out pretty good. I would definitely brew it again as is, but I think I will make couple changes for fun too.

Notes:
PALE MILD

5lb pale ale malt
1lb victory
2/3lb Crystal 60
Willamette 60min to 16 IBU
Nottingham

SG - 1.034
FG - 1.008
Mashed at 158 for 45 min

Fermented at 65 F

It is crisp with a lot of malt and biscuit up front and finishes dry and slightly fruity.

I would have liked to have it end up at a FG of 1.009 or 1.010 as feel it would be even better if it wasn't as dry. I might change to the whitbread strain next time.

What shocked me was I am getting slight fruitiness from the nottingham at 65. Other beers have always covered this up, but this beer doesn't hide much. It is a nice fruitiness, not over the top like some strains and seems to compliment this beer well.

A great session beer at just over 3%.

Pale_Mild.JPG
 
UPDATE:

This beer turned out pretty good. I would definitely brew it again as is, but I think I will make couple changes for fun too.

Notes:
PALE MILD

5lb pale ale malt
1lb victory
2/3lb Crystal 60
Willamette 60min to 16 IBU
Nottingham

SG - 1.034
FG - 1.008
Mashed at 158 for 45 min

Fermented at 65 F

It is crisp with a lot of malt and biscuit up front and finishes dry and slightly fruity.

I would have liked to have it end up at a FG of 1.009 or 1.010 as feel it would be even better if it wasn't as dry. I might change to the whitbread strain next time.

What shocked me was I am getting slight fruitiness from the nottingham at 65. Other beers have always covered this up, but this beer doesn't hide much. It is a nice fruitiness, not over the top like some strains and seems to compliment this beer well.

A great session beer at just over 3%.

Pale_Mild.JPG

Beautiful beer! :mug:
 
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