Chugging Dark Mild

[SiHoltye]

Hello,

Brewed this mild yesterday with a view for a dark mild brew for chugging . Pitching at 6pm, down to 1.015 now!!! Advantages of 2 pack of dried yeast

Ingredients
23L@66% efficiency, 2.5hr mash, 90min boil, liquor = mild
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.12 kg Maris Otter (5.9 EBC) Grain 80.06 %
0.39 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (120.0 EBC) Grain 9.97 %
0.19 kg Black (Patent) Malt (1160.0 EBC) Grain 4.99 %
30.00 gm Challenger [6.00 %] (90 min) Hops 21.1 IBU
11.00 gm Challenger [6.00 %] (10 min) Hops 2.6 IBU
0.19 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (2.0 EBC) Sugar 4.99 %
2 Pkgs Windsor Yeast (Lallemand #-) Yeast-Ale

Beer Profile
Measured Original Gravity: 1.036 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.008 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.34 %
Bitterness: 23.8 IBU Calories: 340 cal/l
Est Color: 45.1 EBC Color: Color

[OldSpeckledBadger]

That's an interesting idea - challenger in a mild. Sounds good.

[WishboneBrewery]

I rather like the sound of that too, any reason for the 2 1/2 hour mash?

[SiHoltye]

Challenger 'cos didn't have any fuggles (thought I did), 2½hrs cos I got dragged to T#sco unexpectedly

[Matt]

Nice nice nice Si.

I'm supping a corny of mild at the mo. Mild is just the ticket for a wintry night.

[Chunk1234]

What was the reason for adding white sugar? Was that to thin the body out a bit?

[SiHoltye]

That's the effect it'll have I guess, but rather 2 reasons. 1 - it'll help get down to a respectable FG given I'm using a not particularly attenuative yeast, 2 - it was in the clone recipe I loosely followed and have seen it in other clone recipes of commercial milds.

[SiHoltye]

1.014 for 48hrs so aux finings in tonight, kegging with Isinglass on Friday. Considering whether to reuse the slurry in a best bitter but put off by the low attenuation (62%) during a successful ferment. Tastes really good from the sample though. Super supper at 3%ABV. Reckon on a notts 90pale 7crystal 3wheat all strisslespalt brew on friday. New hop for me.

[GARYSMIFF]

Ah the old "take me shopping ploy" hope you managed to blag a can of syrup or a bag of sugar or even a bag of flaked rice?

[The Mighty Badger]

Sounds very good and is similar to something I have just made; it sounds like you've had a bit more success though.

What mash temperature did you go for? I ran at 68oC and after 10 days am only down to 1.016 (with Nottingham from an SG of 1.036 that's not very good or very strong )

[SiHoltye]

Started the mash at 68°C after 2½hrs imagine it was around 62-63°C. Crucially I think, I pitched 2 packets of Windsor and it roared (in a temperature controlled way) down to 1.015 in 24hrs. After 'double bagging' my last 4 brews anticipated strain based attenuation has been achieved in 4 days - no more Theory is based on 1% of brewlength is the amount of good thickish yeast medium you want to pitch. I've found 2 packs (22g) in 200mls of water to look like that to me. Am keen after Chrimbo to starter up liquid yeasts to this level before pitching. Previously I've had not particularly strong ferments with liquids so want next to consider more closely pitching a suitable amount of yeast in the first place.

[SiHoltye]

Considering whether to reuse the slurry in a best bitter but put off by the low attenuation (62%) during a successful ferment.

Cancel that thought, I don't think it's good to reuse yeast after finings have been used.

[Bionicmunky]

I also did a Mild last weekend, went a bit wrong though as my new boiler ran a bit hot.

was supposed to be 54L @ 1035, got 42@ 1.047 (lots of things went wrong)

Anyhew, I rehydrated 3x S04 in 300ml of water for an hour and pitched (at this point it was yeast monster trying to crawl out of the 1L jug).

1.012 in 36 hours @ 20c (nom nom nom)

[The Mighty Badger]

Thanks for the details and your thoughts on yeast amounts.

Reckon I'll give the double pack method a try, but on this last brew I think I may have mashed to high with designed OG being too low = a large proportion of dextrins and unfermentables and not enough maltose to give a respectable amount of alcohol. Still you live and learn - into the Cornie / bottles it'll go and we'll see what happens.

I think I might steal you recipe for the next attempt...

[SiHoltye]

Drinking now and it's a nice unpresuming dark mild. Not way out in any direction, surprisingly mouthfilling for a low gravity but then it did end at 1.014. Perhaps a lower mash temp may have brought that FG down a tadge but for an under 3% beer it carries itself really well Windsor does add something too, a bready yeasty Englishness (crap description), not fruity IMO but with it's own character. A more rounded breadyness than S04, without any tartness. Nice It's not sparkly clear but then at the colour it is you need a 60 watt bulb behind it to see through it anyway Normal drinking it looks just like a dark mild - you wouldn't question it's clarity unless you were looking on purpose.