Help! My Mild recipe turned out like a Bitter.

Hello! Can anyone check over my recipe and tell me where I've gone wrong? It was meant to be a mild ale but after mild carbonation in bottles, tastes like a bitter. Pics of the recipe and some brew notes from my brew log app. I maxi-BIAB. View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1448471827.443117.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1448471849.876389.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1448471868.895836.jpgView attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1448471882.094770.jpg

Milds are a tough style to categorize because there are many different approaches to what is considered a "Mild Ale."

But with that aside, your recipe is too high in OG and IBUs and barely in the correct area for colour, although pale milds do exist. (Mild ale vitals - according to the bjcp- can be found at this link)

Where did you find this recipe?

Also its called double yellow bitter.




*Edit* Wait... was I just trolled?

You used the wrong recipe.

jwalk4 said:

*Edit* Wait... was I just trolled?

Click to expand...

Either that or someone had too many homebrews on brew day.

I feel like a right *******! Any advice on where to change the recipe to make it "milder"? I made up the recipe. It's only my 10th or so brew. I based it on reading various online recipes and information in Mastering Homebrew" by Randy Mosher; which I have found to be greatly informative, however, I am limited by what's available at my local shop. They don't stock mild malt.

I take your point about reducing the IBUs.

You don't need any 'mild malt'

What you want is
a base of plain pale ale malt
a bit of crystal... maybe some 60 and a little 120...
some chocolate malt
some debittered black malt for color

Your recipe is close, if you upped the chocolate malt, added a little debittered black, lowered the IBUs and the gravity.

You probably want to be in the 1.030-39 range, under 25 IBUs, and somewhere around 20-25 SRM

Classically a mild would just have a bittering addition, but make it how you want to drink it unless you are entering a competition.

Thanks Jawbox0! It's partly a case of less is more. I'll bear it in mind, greatly, for my next attempt. Cheers!

IMHO overshooting a Mild and getting a Bitter is not wrong.

Orfy's/Reapers mild is a very popular recipe that I can personally vouch for, and looks like you've got all the ingredients at your local shop:

Reaper's Mild

Edit: and on the bright side, sounds like there's nothing wrong with your palate. You identified that as a bitter no problem!

Thanks for the recipe link and the encouragement, chickypad!