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Interesting. Did the high heat baking soda neutralization create the licorice flavor, or remove it?
Feedback on English Dark Mild Recipe?
- Thread starter rhys333
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Interesting. Did the high heat baking soda neutralization create the licorice flavor, or remove it?
It changed the licorice into something close, but not the same. Hard to describe. I think piloncillo and raw cane sugar is basically the same, so we are probably talking about the same flavour. Your plan with the windsor sounds good. I have done same type of recipes with other yeasts, about 25-30 ibus, 1.04ish og and moderate late addition plus using only noble hops (goldings ftw!) = marvelous bitter.
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Drew a gravity sample today. FG is 1.004 which is 90% attenuation on London ale yeast!
First reaction: WTF? That's at least 20% over-attenuation.
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18 hours on gas. Here's what the colour looks like with that pound of #2 jaggery invert.
I'm bummed that it fermented out to 90%, as I wanted to assess the mouthfeel on a 3.9% beer with invert. Kveik yeast used on a previous batch may be the culprit. Anyways, it's a full-bodied beer at ~5% abv and 1.004 FG, which says something.
No British character to speak of at this point, so I don't know what the invert is providing besides colour. I'll check again in a week or so after its had a chance to mature in the keg.
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It's been a couple months, but here's how the #2 invert looks in that basic golden promise ale. It definitely imparts colour and even a little flavor to the beer. Hopped a little heavier, it could make a decent bitter (recall it over-attenuated). I'll be doing this again with Windsor as I'm determined to see how well this works in a higher bodied lower abv beer.
Looks fantastic.... !
I agree!
Northern_Brewer
British - apparently some US company stole my name
Bubbles are too big, and CAMRA would never let you serve a pint that short...
Of course! That's what I meant.
DuncB
Well-Known Member
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Funny you mention bubbles. I get that when foce carbing on keg. My bottle conditioned beers have smaller bubbles and denser foam.
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And thanks guys. Now I know what to expect from homemade invert made this way, I'll do the following on my next batch:
- Same inversion process (water+jaggery+acid, heat, b.soda at end). Extend cook time 30 - 45 min to obtain invert #3.
- Add 5 - 10% UK C60 or C80.
- Get the abv down below 4%
Northern_Brewer
British - apparently some US company stole my name
Of course, lined glasses are a different matter, but there was no sign of a line on the original photo, and even if it was lined, that pour would be short in almost any lined glass I know.
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I'll have some updated observations to share soon regarding the DIY invert sugar preparation I documented in previous posts. I ended up using a half pound of my #1(ish) invert in a wheat saison, of all things. It turned out to be a really good beer, but in a brew like this there's nowhere for flaws to hide. I observed some things about the sugar and acid to baking soda ratios. It could be that less baking soda is needed...
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I’m giving dark mild another go, aiming for a full-bodied beer at 3.8% ABV and 23 IBUs. My focus is on hitting specific flavor notes, but I’m taking a non-traditional route with this one. The plan is to go with all-late hopping, omitting invert sugar, and I’m going with Windsor yeast for the low attenuation. Fingers crossed!
NO RULES DARK MILD 3.8% ABV 24 IBU
78% Superior pale malt
11.5% C75
8.5% Torrified Wheat
2% Black patent
3oz EKG @ 10 (5 gallon batch)
Windsor yeast
NO RULES DARK MILD 3.8% ABV 24 IBU
78% Superior pale malt
11.5% C75
8.5% Torrified Wheat
2% Black patent
3oz EKG @ 10 (5 gallon batch)
Windsor yeast
An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure about the late EKGs. I don't think I've ever tasted a hoppy mild. All the rest looks good but I'd put the bittering charge in at the beginning.
On the other hand, you might just be inventing a new style "mild IPA" or something. Let us know how it turns out. As you say, there are no rules.
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Thanks, I'll be sure to report back. I'm loading up on the late EKG just to see what happens. I think it brings a mild enough flavor that i'll probably get away with it.
An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
My own house mild was the result of a misunderstanding. I'd have to look up the malt bill, but I had intended using a particular English hop at the beginning of the boil, but they didn't smell quite right and my only other open packet of hops was Harlequin.
Here's the misunderstanding. I had thought that any old hop, used early in the boil, at relatively low IBUs, in a malt dominant beer would make little difference. In fact it made a world of difference and is unlike any other mild I've ever made and suits my taste perfectly.
Sometimes the best results are unplanned.
Here's the misunderstanding. I had thought that any old hop, used early in the boil, at relatively low IBUs, in a malt dominant beer would make little difference. In fact it made a world of difference and is unlike any other mild I've ever made and suits my taste perfectly.
Sometimes the best results are unplanned.
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I've never tried harlequin, but it sounds great. I could see the stonefruit flavors working well.
DuncB
Well-Known Member
Latest mild.
The milds I've had in the UK were not full bodied. They were also not thin, but definitely not full bodied. They were also not hoppy so yours is kind of a new invention that sounds pretty tasty to me.
Google “American mild”. It’s been a US homebrew thing for probably 15 years at least.
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Thanks, Miraculix! I hear you on the hopping rate. I'm currently in Canada, so getting my hands on authentic milds is a bit tricky. That said, I’ve had dark milds in West Yorkshire, where I’m originally from, and they were definitely fuller-bodied than you’d expect from a typical 3.5% ABV beer. The beer I’m trying to replicate is no longer available, but I’m going off a description my relative provided. I started this journey after they tasted an amber ale I brewed with 15% C75 and told me it reminded them of their favorite dark mild from over 40 years ago.
I may have used the wrong term when I said "full-bodied." Maybe "smooth and creamy" would be a better way to describe it. I’m not sure if I can fully capture it, but I’m definitely giving it a shot!
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looks tasty, Dunc! Are you able to share the recipe?
An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
http://www.mildmonth.com/2015/03/an-american-mild.html
I wonder if that is representative.
Interesting take. American milds seem not too distant from English milds. There were a few pale milds, but many were dark: 20+ SRM. Gales of Horndean did both a light mild and a dark mild. Low hopping levels, low alcohol malt forward. But some were coloured with brewers caramel or dark brewing sugar rather than dark malts. The mid-20th century mild, I think was brewed for a purpose- to rehydrate miners and steel workers after a long hot shift. Served cool rather than cold and swilled down by the gallon. Historical milds were much stronger and brews Like Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild at 6% (nor reduced, I think) would be an example of the tail ends of that style. Mild basically died out as heavy industry and hard, manual work died out. It also had a bad reputation as some publicans, it's alleged, would throw the dregs and slops into the mild barrel. I hope that is apocryphal.
An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
You're taking your life in your hands, there, @rhys333 . @DuncB 's going to tell you to temper your malt bill with equal parts Aurora and Shepherd's Delight, with a healthy dose of Redback and optional Supernova. Give it a bit of colour with some Eclipse and chuck in an ounce of Tangerine Dream at the start of the boil.
I love N.Z. ingredients.
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An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
At 4½% abv, it's tending towards the stronger end. The colour's about right. Mild should have a decent head, but shouldn't be unduly fizzy. This one's been in the bottle a year and is the last of it's batch. Still tastes ok, but was better when it was younger.
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Brewing the above recipe today, with the addition of this one secret ingredient...
Ha! I know it!!!
It is malt!!!!
I agree with the above poster, you clearly are adding malt to the beer.
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It's a top secret malt!
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Holy chit. 30 minutes ago I received a message from the former head brewer at the UK brewery in question. I know how they brewed their dark mild and apparently I was completely wrong. Except... no invert sugar!
An Ankoù
Well-Known Member
It's malt, Jim, but not as we know it. My first though was rye malt, but it looks more like oats.
Whatever's in that small pail it's definitely not like malted oats I've used, including GNO.
Just look like barley malt of some kind to me...
Cheers!
Just look like barley malt of some kind to me...
Cheers!
Looks good to me. I’d ditch the flaked barley and use 89% base malt. If the beer isn’t sweet enough or feels too light, use more Crystal Malt.
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I need time to defrost before catching up. I just completed brew day in unexpected weather conditions. Yesterday was calm and sunny. Today, I was treated to extreme high winds, snow, and -20 degrees C (-4 F). On the upside, it didn't take long to chill the wort. 
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DuncB
Well-Known Member
Brown or Amber malt is my guess.
So, you're going to share a recipe soon, from a former head brewer of a UK brewery, right?
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Lion Dark Mild, brewed in Blackburn, Lancashire. He mentions it was quite a while ago and is relying on memory. The grist was mild ale malt with about 10% flaked maize (corn), and brewer's caramel for color adjustment. He doesn’t recall using black malt. The original gravity was around 1.032, and the beer ended up just over 3% ABV. The hops were low-alpha Fuggles and Goldings (around 2%), with an estimated 1 oz per gallon. The house yeast, which had been used for decades but is sadly no longer available, was key to the beer’s distinctive character.
Anecdotally, my family member who enjoyed Lion Mild in the 1960s, drank an amber ale of mine with about 13% C75 in the grist and noted that it tasted like Lion Mild. This suggests to me that deep caramel, toffee, or burnt sugar flavors were likely present, possibly coming from the brewer's caramel.
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Nope. It's melanoidin malt. I added it because my amber ale mentioned above had a small amount of melanoidin along with the C75. I know it doesn't belong, but my goal is to replicate the flavor profile that led to the mild ale comparison, even if I'm using a different approach to get there.
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