A reflection on mild ale ... and recipe.

[colonial]

Living in a country without proper low gravity beers or ales is a pain in the duff.

You'll never find a beer below 4%, let alone 5% here. If you do, it's yellow, watery p***. There is just no market for anything like a mild ale here; Canadians seem to like 5%+ brews regardless of the style - it's a shame. I had the pleasure of trying some lovely milds in the UK, but alas nothing upon my return home.

Anyhow, enough whinging. Here is why homebrewing mild is, IMHO, a great idea:

1. They're flavourful, but light. I can see myself brewing pale milds even in the hottest months of the summer. Refreshing and easy to drink.
2. Great session beers. I love drinking beer, but have to tone it down during the work week. Working hungover has lost its charm - somewhat
3. Most people like milds, I've found. I've had great feedback from a lot of different people with different tastes. Ale drinkers like the fact that they have flavour; lager drinkers like the fact that they're easy-to-get in ya.
4. Practical beers to brew - can handle a shorter mash time (I mashed for 40 minutes at 69 C today and hit my expected gravity spot on), ready faster (even if you're bottling) and don't need heavy carbonation (so, don't need weeks and weeks to get good).

Here is my latest recipe to get some thoughts:

Type: All Grain
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.50 gal
Boil Time: 60 min

Est Original Gravity: 1.038
Est Final Gravity: 1.011
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 3.6%
Bitterness: 20.5 IBU
Est Color: 15.2 SRM (29 ECB)

Ingredients

8.00 lb ESB Malt (Pale Malt)(4.0 SRM) Grain 82.47 %
0.90 lb 120 deg. L - Crystal/Caramel (120.0 SRM) Grain 9.28 %
0.50 lb 60 deg. L - Crystal/Caramel (60.0 SRM) Grain 5.15 %
0.30 lb Biscuit Malt (23.0 SRM) Grain 3.09 %

1.25 oz Goldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (60 min)

1.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)

1 Pkgs London Ale III (Wyeast Labs #1318)

Sorry for the mixed imperial/metric measurements. Comes from a country that is only metric part-time

Thanks for listening.

[clogwog]

I like the look of your recipe.
I've not brewed a Mild before, but have done quite a number of Pale Ales, English and American.
They all tend to come out at between 5 to 6% ABV, and I love them, but it will be nice to have an easier drinking beer also.

[clogwog]

For various reasons, I finally got a brew down today, after a 7 weeks delay.

This is my first attempt at a Mild, inspired by the above recipe. Maybe a little too high in the gravity stakes, more like a Best Bitter, but I can't help my efficiency outcomes. I'll have to mash with less grain next time.

Batch Size: 23.00 L OG: 1.045 SG
Estimated Color: 24.1 EBC Estimated IBU: 22.2 IBU
Mashed at 68ºC for 90 minutes.

3500.00 gm Pale Ale (5.9 EBC) Grain 82.16 %
390.00 gm Crystal Medium (145.0 EBC) Grain 9.15 %
220.00 gm CaraMunich II (120.0 EBC) Grain 5.16 %
150.00 gm Amber Malt (85.0 EBC) Grain 3.52 %
35.00 gm EK Goldings [4.50 %] (60 min) Hops 17.5 IBU
25.00 gm Willamette [4.60 %] (10 min) Hops 4.6 IBU
Starter London ESB Ale (Wyeast Labs #1968)

[Rookie]

Both recipes listed above look good. The main difference I see compared to my mild recipe is that I put in some chocolate malt and get a darker color.

[coatesg]

I'd definitely have some roasted malt in there like chocolate. My mild n(Hoddesdon dark from Ollorson's book) had only pale, wheat, crystal and roast barley - the roast barley wasn't a massive amount (160g or so I think) and while it's a really nice brew, it's just missing the roasty, coffee, chocolate character which I like in a mild.

The 1968/WLP002 yeast is a good candidate for this brew (I used Fullers recultured bottle yeast) - it leaves a nice sweetness to the finish. Windsor is also recommended for dry yeast I think.

[Hogarth]

I did my first mild a couple of weeks ago and it's cracking. The recipe included 175g Crystal, 120g Chocolate and 40g Black and this seems about right ... I got that roasted coffee, tobacco flavour but not too much of it. The Windsor worked very well -- 1036 to 1013 in two days.

It's a great style. I like how the hops have to take the back seat for once.

[Philipek]

Living in a country without proper low gravity beers or ales is a pain in the duff.

You'll never find a beer below 4%, let alone 5% here. If you do, it's yellow, watery p***. There is just no market for anything like a mild ale here; Canadians seem to like 5%+ brews regardless of the style - it's a shame. I had the pleasure of trying some lovely milds in the UK, but alas nothing upon my return home.

Oh, I hear you. I used to buy mild from the supermarket when I lived in the UK. I drank it through the week and got up bright eyed each morning at 6 for work.

I got into homebrewing for this very reason. Carbonation is a bit of a drag out here, too.

I've just brewed a dark mild. I'll have a go with your paler mild at some point.

Thanks.

Phil

[bikedoc]

I've just done a Boddington's mild from Graham Wheeler's book this weekend and combined it with an overnight mash of Imperial Russian Stout so brewed 10gall Boddington and 3gall Russian on Sunday. Only hassles were at the sparging stage - one lot fly sparged while 2nd lot batch sparged at same time, Electrim 25l boiler I found was a simmerstat so needed a quick shift over to H and G 2 element boiler to get the Russian to reduce down to 17lt from 22lt. I also need to drill out the H and G strainer in the copper as it is just too sluggish after a long vol reducing boil
Next brew only one at a time!!
Still 2 brews glugging away and now 500 pints in the Brewery ready for daughters wedding party in June.
4 Shades Stout out of keg with N2 / CO2 mix if just so good.
bikedoc
Cornwall

[mysterio]

Most milds i've tried are even lower than that, around the 1.035 level. Nearly all of them have some roasty malt character from chocolate or black malt. Dark sugars are also somewhat common. And I personally can't handle the 15% crystal, too much for my tastes. Whatever your take on it i'm sure it will turn out great though. It's an easy beer to brew very well but it's quite difficult to brew a truly excellent one. Low gravity beers are what I brew and drink most because you can sink 6 or 7 of them in a night out at the pub. Mostly bitters though. I like a bit of hops.

[Tequilla6]

It's so nice to hear peeps talking about session beers and milds and can concur with the desire for less Alcohol and more flavourful beer. The only one I can get in my village with any regularity is the Elgoods Black dog. So I too will be brewing up plenty of milds between 3%-4% as soon as I get started on my AG career.

Cheers

[colonial]

And I personally can't handle the 15% crystal, too much for my tastes.

I hear ya on this. I have cut down on my use of crystal in the batches that I have made since my first post. Also, I dry hopped my latest mild ale with 5.9% Goldings and it balanced the malt out nicely.

Still working on a house mild that hits all of the things that I'm looking for when I don't want a hoppier beer.