Never had a Mild, but brewed one today

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StunnedMonkey

StunnedMonkey

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As so:
--------------------------------
Size: 6 gal
Efficiency: 73.58%

Original Gravity: 1.036 (1.030 - 1.038)
Color: 18.15 (12.0 - 25.0)
Alcohol: 3.52% (2.8% - 4.5%)
Bitterness: 23.9 (10.0 - 25.0)

Ingredients:
7.0 lb Maris Otter
8 oz Crystal Malt 60°L
6 oz Crystal Malt 120°L
4 oz Pale Chocolate
2 oz American Black Patent
1 Tbls 5.2 pH Stabilizer - added during mash

1.5 oz Goldings (5.4%) - added during boil, boiled 55.0 min
1.0 Whirlfloc Tablet (Irish moss) - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
1.0 ea White Labs WLP002 English Ale

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.2
------------------------------------------

This isn't my recipe, but rather Jamil's...though I hopped it to the upper end of the style (23.9 for mine) where Jamil called for 17. I hit his OG (1.036) exactly.

Not sure what to expect, as I've never had a Mild of any kind, homebrewed or commercial. If nothing else I'll be able to pound this batch down pretty fast at 3.5% ABV.
 
Sounds okay.
Why did you up the hops? I'm sure Jamil thought it was balanced at 17.
What temperature are you mashing at?
When do you plan on hopping it?

I've been drinking commercial milds for over 25 years.
 
I've brewed this one several times. The key is proper carbonation and serving temperature. This will taste thin and harsh if carbonated the usual 1.5-2.5 volumes and served out of a regular fridge. At 1-1.5 volumes and at 50+F it is malty goodness!

GT
 
Orfy said:
Sounds okay.
Why did you up the hops? I'm sure Jamil thought it was balanced at 17.
What temperature are you mashing at?
When do you plan on hopping it?

I've been drinking commercial milds for over 25 years.
Click to expand...

Mashed right at 154. I upped the hops just because I wanted to, knowing my tastes. :) I was careful not to actually hop it out of style or anything. The upper end of the style is 25, but I was also near the top with gravity at 1.036 (with 1.038 being the top per BeerTools). Yeah, Jamil would probably chastise me for hopping his beer that way, but I'm not gonna send any to him. And I won't hold it against his recipe if it's not balanced. It'll be my own fault.

Got Trub? said:
I've brewed this one several times. The key is proper carbonation and serving temperature. This will taste thin and harsh if carbonated the usual 1.5-2.5 volumes and served out of a regular fridge. At 1-1.5 volumes and at 50+F it is malty goodness.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointers there. I've got a dual regulator in my kegerator (for 5 kegs) so I'll be sure to dial one back for this beer. Fifty is a bit warmer than I'd normally keep it, but I suppose I'll just be conscious of letting it warm a bit after pouring.
 
I hope you enjoy it and get a chance to taste commercial Mild some day.
It almost became extinct here and is still a rarity sometimes.

I had 4 pints yesterday.
 
Orfy said:
I hope you enjoy it and get a chance to taste commercial Mild some day.
It almost became extinct here and is still a rarity sometimes.

I had 4 pints yesterday.
Click to expand...

Four pints. See, this is why I brewed it. So I can drink four pints and not be, uh, too impaired. :drunk:

I'm not sure if there are any commercial examples around here (NE Indiana)...I've never seen one. But if I run into any I'll definitely try one. Unfortunately though I'll have no basis for comparing my own attempt to a proper Mild.
 
I'm drinking a mild right now! It's Jamil's recipe, also!

I made a batch last November, and forgot all about this last bottle. It's still great, though. My ingredients are the same as yours, but I did it in a 5.25 gallon batch. I ended up with 26 IBUs with one ounce of EKG at 60, and .50 ounce at 10 minutes. My OG was 1.041.
 
I have a mild on tap right now. Never had one before but figured what the heck. It is one of my favorites I have brewed so far. I pull a pint then let it set and warm up for a bit before drinking. Very nice flavor and easy to drink. I think it will turn in to a regular here. :rockin:



SD
 
I converted two craftbrew haters (both female) with a Mild. I keep the IBUs near the low end. I figure I want a Bitter, I'll make one.
 
I brewed this recently, but my efficiency bumped it up to 4.5% alcohol content. It's very good brew. It reminds me of a Porter, but with a less roasted taste.
 
My mild has become the closest thing to a house ale as I care to call it; I try to have it on tap at all times. My recommendation is to carbonate very lightly (1-1.5 volumes); higher than two volumes and you destroy the delicate flavors.
 
flyangler18 said:
My mild has become the closest thing to a house ale as I care to call it; I try to have it on tap at all times. My recommendation is to carbonate very lightly (1-1.5 volumes); higher than two volumes and you destroy the delicate flavors.
Click to expand...
With the prices of hops these days, this does make a nice house beer.
  • Cheap Ingredients
  • Lots of flavor
  • High Drinkability
  • Lower Alcohol content.
The 3.5% seems a bit low to me. I enjoyed my mishap of making it a 4.5%. Yeah I know it might not be technically a mild, but whatever. It's good.
 
njnear76 said:
I brewed this recently, but my efficiency bumped it up to 4.5% alcohol content. It's very good brew. It reminds me of a Porter, but with a less roasted taste.
Click to expand...

I was going to have the same problem. I normally get around 72% efficiency, but when I took a pre-boil gravity I was already near what my post boil gravity was supposed to be. :eek: Probably the lower brain bill made it easier to get good extraction. So added enough water to the boil to get it down to where I wanted it to start, and I ended up dead on with 1.036 at the finish.
 
StunnedMonkey said:
I was going to have the same problem. I normally get around 72% efficiency, but when I took a pre-boil gravity I was already near what my post boil gravity was supposed to be. :eek: Probably the lower brain bill made it easier to get good extraction. So added enough water to the boil to get it down to where I wanted it to start, and I ended up dead on with 1.036 at the finish.
Click to expand...
Heh. I don't worry about efficiency anymore. I just assume 85% at 6 gallons. The hydrometer is just another thing to clean and my brew day is long enough as it is.

I do a 2 hour mash though to make sure everything converts, but I also jog, shower, shave, and eat breakfast during that time.
 
I brewed Orfy's mild mannered recipe 2 weeks ago specifically for a party we had over the weekend. I expected a few people to try it out of novelty, but only thought it would be me and my core friends drinking it. Needless to say, it was killed in a matter of hours. I served it on nitro, which really gave a nice mouthfeel and appearance.
 
You may want to try mashing higher: 158° for 40 minutes.

Build up the body to fill the void left by the light ABV.
 
flyangler18 said:
You may want to try mashing higher: 158° for 40 minutes.

Build up the body to fill the void left by the light ABV.
Click to expand...

You may be right. I tapped this beer recently and it's a little disappointing, at least to me. It just seems a little too thin and bland.

I mashed at 154 and hit all my gravities (started at 1.036 and finished at 1.010) and the beer is very clean with no off flavors that I can detect, but it just seems to be missing something. Then again I've never had an actual mild so maybe this is how it's supposed to taste. Perhaps I just prefer a more aggressive brew. :eek: It might still be a touch under-carbed though, so I'll turn the co2 up a hair and give it a couple of days.
 
Mild can be deceptively, well, mild. If you're bored by brown ale, if you're used to big, bold, butch beer, Mild will be 'thin' and 'bland'. Looking at what's in your signature, I think there's nothing wrong with your Mild - you need to look within, Grasshopper. ;)

You've got a list of IPAs and Stouts. The only beer that might not be considered "very full-flavored" is the Porter, and if it's a Robust Porter, it's still more full-flavored than the Mild. Mild, compared to those beers, is very delicate. Mild, properly brewed, is all about hints of things which in other, stronger beers are obvious, like roasted grains and hops.

What I'm trying to say is it's hard to appreciate such a light beer, because it will be 'missing something' - it's missing the big butch flavors to which you're used. You may very well prefer a more aggressive brew; I'm certain your beer-appreciation senses are calibrated to more aggressive beers.

And you know what? That's okay! :mug:

Bob
 
NQ3X said:
Mild can be deceptively, well, mild. If you're bored by brown ale, if you're used to big, bold, butch beer, Mild will be 'thin' and 'bland'. Looking at what's in your signature, I think there's nothing wrong with your Mild - you need to look within, Grasshopper. ;)

You've got a list of IPAs and Stouts. The only beer that might not be considered "very full-flavored" is the Porter, and if it's a Robust Porter, it's still more full-flavored than the Mild. Mild, compared to those beers, is very delicate. Mild, properly brewed, is all about hints of things which in other, stronger beers are obvious, like roasted grains and hops.

What I'm trying to say is it's hard to appreciate such a light beer, because it will be 'missing something' - it's missing the big butch flavors to which you're used. You may very well prefer a more aggressive brew; I'm certain your beer-appreciation senses are calibrated to more aggressive beers.

And you know what? That's okay! :mug:

Bob
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure you're correct. I pretty much gravitate to the biggest things...the hottest wings, the strongest coffee, the spiciest Indian dish, etc. I tend to avoid any dish "with a hint of this" or "a suggestion of that". I generally like to be beaten about the palate. :)

I do like the low-alcohol drinkability of it however. But perhaps stepping up to an English Brown next time would be a better compromise for my tastes
 
I'd put a good mild up against a good brown ale any day. It depends on the ingredients and how you brew it.
Sure, it's not a beer you need to chew on but it's not a little beer.

Well mine are any way. I can't comment on the pale southern milds. ;)
 

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