Critique my English Mild

[truanthony]

My next brew will be an English Mild Ale. This will be my first attempt at creating my own recipe based on my reading of the book Designing Great Beers. I'm looking for some feedback before I take the leap.

Thanks.

BIABacus Pre-Release 1.3 RECIPE REPORT
Likkle Brixton - Batch 1

Recipe Overview
Style: English Mild Ale
Original Gravity (OG): 1.036
IBU's (Tinseth): 21
Bitterness to Gravity Ratio: 0.58
ABV%: 3.48

Efficiency into Kettle (EIK): 88.8 %
Efficiency into Fermentor (EIF): 78.5 %

Times and Temperatures
Mash: 90 mins at 65.6 C = 150.1 F
Boil: 90 min
Ferment: 21 days at 18.2 C = 64.8 F

Volumes & Gravities
End of Boil Volume - Ambient (EOBV-A): 15.5 L = 4.09 G @ 1.036
Volume into Fermentor (VIF): 13.7 L = 3.62 G @ 1.036
Volume into Packaging (VIP): 11.9 L = 3.14 G @ 1.009 assuming apparent attenuation of 75 %

The Grain Bill
87% Marris Otter 1846 grams = 4.07 pounds
8.7% Crystal 80L 185 grams = 0.41 pounds
4.3% Black Patent 91 grams = 0.2 pounds

The Hop Bill
11.3 IBU Fuggles Pellets (4%AA) 15.2 grams = 0.537 ounces at 60 mins
8.4 IBU Williamette Pellets (3%AA) 15.1 grams = 0.533 ounces at 60 mins
0.7 IBU Fuggles Pellets (4%AA) 5 grams = 0.177 ounces at 5 mins
0.6 IBU Williamette Pellets (3%AA) 5 grams = 0.175 ounces at 5 mins

Fermentation& Conditioning
Fermention: Burton's Ale Yeast for 21 days at 18.2 C = 64.76 F

 

[Sir-Hops-A-Lot]

Is this a 5G batch?
Here is the recipe for an English mild from Orfy:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f67/mild-mannered-ale-ag-e-uk-us-52776/

I noticed your Maris Otter is 4 # while his is 3 KG (6.7#)
Have you thought of brewing a really popular mild (such as Orfy's) and then just modifying it to your tastes?

 

[truanthony]

This recipe is for a 4G batch (3.5G into fermenter).
I considered making Orfy's mild mannered ale but thought after reading Designing Great Beers I would start with and improve my own recipe it's partly for that reason why I'm only making a 4/3.5G batch.

 

[DavidJP]

I like the fact that you haven't tried to put too many ingredients in there.
I would probably go for more like 10% crystal but i think it should be good and see where you want to go from there. I would probably not do the 5 min hop additions.

this post on a UK site has a list of commercial mild ale grain bills that might be of interest for comparison.

http://www.jimsbeerkit.co.uk/forum/...35&hilit=seymour+dark+mild+grainbills#p591869

 

[truanthony]

Thanks for the feedback and that link. The discussion on that site was really informative.

 

[tagz]

I would suggest mashing higher. Small beers can taste watery; mashing higher will give you more malt presence. Also, be cautious with the black patent, it's powerful stuff. It can lead to astringent/burnt flavors. I would probably increase your crystal to 10% and decrease the BP to 2%. But remember, it's all about personal taste. So experiment and revise.