SEYMOUR DARK MILD NO.3 (aka RUBY MILD)

[seymour]

For awhile now, I’ve been craving some more bready, biscuity, toasty, nutty, tart, tea-like, toffee-like, marmalady English Mild ale, but it’s nowhere to be found. Time to make my own again, I guess. This is a third variation on the theme. Not as dark, but just as complex.

SEYMOUR DARK MILD NO.3 aka RUBY MILD
all-grain recipe
brewed 8/25/2013

7 US Gallons = 5.8 Imperial Gallons = 26.5 Litres

FERMENTABLES:
75% = 6 lb = 2.72 kg, American Six-Row Pale Malt
8.5% = .68 lb = 308 g, English Brown Malt 60°L
7% = .56 lb = 254 g, American Crystal Malt 80°L
3% = .24 lb = 109 g, English Pale Chocolate Malt 220°L
3% = .24 lb = 109 g, Steel-Cut Oats
3% = .24 lb = 109 g, Molasses (added to boil)
.5% = .04 lb = 18 g, Toasted Walnuts (milled and mashed along with grains)
Total weight: 8 lbs/3.63 kg

STRUCK grainbed with 3 US gal/2.5 Imp gal/11.4L water ≈ 166°F/74.4°C to reach single-step mash temp. Stirred-in a sprinkle of Calcium Carbonate.

MASHED at 153°F/67°C for 90 minutes

Added a bit of the first-runnings to the molasses, along with a few drops of lemon juice, and gently boiled into a sort-of Dark Invert Syrup. Meanwhile…

SPARGED ≈ 172°F/77.8°C to collect 8.5 US Gal/7.1 Imp Gal/32.2L pre-boil. I filled the mash tun with near-boiling water achieve the correct temperature, let it soak a few minutes, vorlaufed, then drained. I then conducted a second “batch sparge” the same way. The whole process took about 20 minutes.

I moved my keggle to the propane burner, lit the flame, and it took 15 minutes to reach a full boil.

BOILED for 60 minutes, adding my molasses invert syrup and a pinch of gypsum at the beginning.

HOPS:
1 oz = 28.4 g, Fuggles, whole, 5.1% AA, First Wort Hops plus full 60 minutes
.5 oz = 14.2 g, Ahtanum, whole, 4% AA, 30 minutes
1 oz = 28.4 g, Styrian Goldings/Celeia, pellets, 3.2% AA, 5 minutes then steep 60 minutes until cool

We’ve been having a heat-wave for many days, so the ground water is warm. Even with the immersion chiller, it took about an hour to reduce the temperature to my target. Hopefully I got some extra hoppy aromas in the meantime.

YEAST: batch split into two fermenters at 65°F/18.3°C
Batch 1) Dual strain: Windsor (2nd generation, selected for higher attenuation) & Marble/Gales (bottle culture)
Batch 2) Mauri Weiss (thanks, Mick!), because I’ve been wondering what English Mild with Weiss yeast would taste like.

STATS assume 80% mash efficiency and 75% yeast attenuation:
OG: 1032
FG: Batch 1=1005, Batch 2=1009
ABV: Batch 1 = 3.6%, Batch 2 = 3.1%
IBU: 25
COLOUR: 13°SRM/26°EBC



The grist, freshly ground. It already smelled SOOO right.


A close-up of the grist. You can see walnut chunks mixed-in.


My measured hops, molasses, chalk, and gypsum.


Molasses Invert Syrup, at the moment of creation.


Sparging into my First Wort Hops. Mmmmm, Fuggles!


Bringing to a boil...


The instant before a rolling boil.


Chilling. Isn't is amazing how natural sunlight can make a mundane photograph pop?


Hydrometer reading. With temperature correction, I got 1032. Based on the colour at least, this could qualify as a Bitter, huh? See that Marble Dobber bottle in the background? I swiped the yeast for this batch. Hell yeah, I did.


My trademark split batch technique: the smaller one has the weiss yeast.

At every step of the way, it smelled and tasted promising. I'm glad English Mild comes ready so fast.

Cheers!
-Seymour

[Jeltz]

Looking good

[seymour]

Looking good

Thanks, Jeltz. Cheers!

I took a gravity reading of the main batch tonight, right on the money at 1008. I racked-off a gallon to take to my homebrew club meeting on Thursday night. Despite the lack of carbonation, the hydrometer sample tasted classic: biscuity, toasty, caramelly, some definite nutty and tea-like tannins, smooth and well-rounded, with just the right hops balance. I love how quickly English Mild Ale is ready. Of course, this might pass as a standard Bitter too, what do I know?

I didn't check the gravity on the Weiss yeast version, but it looks done. Hopefully I'll have time later this week to bottle both batches. I'll take final measurements and post another update at that time.

[DaveyT]

A mild with a weiss yeast? I'm jealous I didn't have the idea first. Keep us posted on that, certainly.

[seymour]

A mild with a weiss yeast? I'm jealous I didn't have the idea first. Keep us posted on that, certainly.

I know, right? A quick-and-dirty kitchen-sink style to begin with, but add some banana and clove...what's not to like? High hopes.

Of course, come to think of it, we might just be describing some kind of pre-Reinheitsgebot amber German ale or Dunkelweiss, I dunno. Sticke Alt? Who cares as long as it tastes good...

[mozza]

I would love to try something like this... Hmmm... I've got that brewing feeling again

[seymour]

I measured the OG of Batch 2 with Weiss yeast: 1009. I managed to fill ten large English and German bottles.

The hydrometer taste was weird but kinda cool. Similar to the other batch, of course, but with some definite banana esters. That's what I was hoping for with all the extra headspace, the loose cover, and the relatively warm fermentation temperature. With the walnuts and chewy mouthfeel, it really does taste like banana bread. Can't wait to taste it after some bottle conditioning.

[Monkeybrew]

Very interesting looking recipe you've brewed there Seymour.

The colour is looking darker than my Bitter, but you have been inventive in the kitchen with your invert syrup and I don't know how accurate the beer engine software is that I use either.

Loving the walnut addition too

MB

[timothy]

Looks great! Can't wait to taste it. I agree that the ground grains smelled delicious on their own. Looks like you reinvigorated your Mauribrew Weiss yeast while you were at it too, which is also a plus. I've still got the dregs from your previously brewed Mauribrew wheat beer stashed away for a rainy day.

[Uncle Joshua]

That looks amazing.

[seymour]

That looks amazing.

Half of it thanks to your Mauri yeast, thanks again Mick! Did you catch that Timothy has some now too? Make that two North Americans and counting. Spreading the love...

[seymour]

A mild with a weiss yeast? I'm jealous I didn't have the idea first. Keep us posted on that, certainly.

DaveyT, as excited as I was about experimenting with the Marble yeast, it actually attenuated too far for a Mild, leaving it slightly thin and watery. That's okay, we'll call this half-batch an elaborate yeast starter, to build-up a pitchable quantity for my next big beer.

However, the half-batch of Mild fermented with Mauri Weiss, is perfect. I highly recommend it.

[6470zzy]

FERMENTABLES:
75% = 6 lb = 2.72 kg, American Six-Row Pale Malt

Cheers!
-Seymour

I am curious if you choose the 6 Row as you base malt because you wanted its profile and or enzymes or if its just what you had on hand?

Cheers

[DaveyT]

However, the half-batch of Mild fermented with Mauri Weiss, is perfect. I highly recommend it.

Great stuff! I don't want to sound odd, but this website is changing my learning curve immensely. I could've taken ages to try all sorts of yeasts before I gt this info. I dread to think what I'd be doing without all these short cuts. Nice one!

[seymour]

FERMENTABLES:
75% = 6 lb = 2.72 kg, American Six-Row Pale Malt

I am curious if you choose the 6 Row as you base malt because you wanted its profile and or enzymes or if its just what you had on hand?

I do leftover recipes from time to time, but no, this was a conscious choice. I've been reading how many historic English ales (Whitbread, Fullers, lot of big respectable brewers) used American 6 Row over the years, sometimes because of wartime shortages but not only out of necessity. It doesn't have much of a flavour profile, per se, but it has higher protein and nitrogen and haze and more enzymes which make it more equipped to convert unmalted grains and complex malts. All of those things strike me as positive features in a mild at least. American 6 Row seems a little more like your old-timey English Mild Malt than some other common base malts over here. There seems to be growing evidence that the disdain for 6 Row malt is mostly just snobbery, and not based on real brewing science. Like anything, much depends on how you use it. I don't know exactly what I think yet, but it's worth experimenting with, and typically cheaper. It's not as biscuity and nutty and well-rounded as a good UK 2 Row Barley like Maris Otter or Golden Promise or Optic, etc. I tasted a new one of yours called Concerto Pale recently, and it blew my mind. 6 Row does produce tasty beers too, though, I can say that much for sure.

However, the half-batch of Mild fermented with Mauri Weiss, is perfect. I highly recommend it.

Great stuff! I don't want to sound odd, but this website is changing my learning curve immensely. I could've taken ages to try all sorts of yeasts before I gt this info. I dread to think what I'd be doing without all these short cuts. Nice one!

Glad to hear it, that's the whole idea! I'm sure you've made some little discoveries worth sharing, too. If not, you will soon.

Cheers!
-Seymour