Recommendations for a Mild kit

[Petrovitch]

I recently had a pint of Greene King (don't all spit at once) XX Mild and have since become hooked on milds, so naturally now that I have an FV free I fancy having a go at one. Can anyone recommend a kit they've tried? I prefer darker milds if that makes any difference...

I've had a look on H&G and there are a few generic ones, but two that look good are Brupaks Black Country Mild and Honley Mild - has anyone had any experience of these kits?

Alternatively the local Wilkos have Geordie Mild kits going for a fiver. I've just finished fiddling with a Geordie Bitter kit to make it taste better and reckon I could make a good stab at their mild, but does anyone have any suggestions re LME/DME and hops? I was thinking maybe 500g dark DME + 500g light DME, and boil some hops in some wort for 10 mins to add flavour - maybe Fuggles? And what about dry hopping, would that be a good idea or would it bugger up the profile of the beer, seeing as mild is quite lowly hopped?

Thanks in advance for any advice you guys can furnish me with

[Petrovitch]

Groovy beans thanks DaaB, I may have a go at that then. Hmm just had a thought: Geordie kits are 1.5kg, sooo would it be possible to use two kits -and no extra fermentables- in a 5 gallon brew, making it a 3kg all-malt brew?

Has anyone tried this with any kit?

[Aleman]

GGeordie kits are 1.5kg, sooo would it be possible to use two kits -and no extra fermentables- in a 5 gallon brew, making it a 3kg all-malt brew?

Its one of the best ways to make up these kits, I'm not sure it will be successful with a mild, as you are doubling the hops in effect, and these kits are pretty much all bittering and nothing else.

Personally I'd go for the Brupaks Black Country Mild, but I'm a bit picky about the quality of the beer I make. I'm happy to use the cheap kits as a starter, but the spent wort gets poured away when I'm finished with it.

[Petrovitch]

Just thought i'd dig this one up with another question:

...I'm not sure it will be successful with a mild, as you are doubling the hops in effect, and these kits are pretty much all bittering and nothing else.

If I use two kits is there any way I can reduce the bitterness levels? I have a ~10 litre pan, would boiling have any effect on IBUs? Or what about adding spray malt to try to offset the bitterness with more malt body?

Oh and Brupaks Black Country Mild has been added to the list for my next HBS order

[steve_flack]

I recently had a pint of Greene King (don't all spit at once) XX Mild and have since become hooked on milds,

There's nowt wrong with XX Mild - it's one of the two decent beers they make (the other is Strong Suffolk). Sadly GK seems to make it's best beers hard to find...

[Chill]

Groovy beans thanks DaaB, I may have a go at that then. Hmm just had a thought: Geordie kits are 1.5kg, sooo would it be possible to use two kits -and no extra fermentables- in a 5 gallon brew, making it a 3kg all-malt brew?

Has anyone tried this with any kit?

Hey, this could be my first post, not sure- im more of a reader than a poster but ive got exactly what you mentiond in secondary fermentation at the mo, 2 geordie mild kits boshed together, ive been doing this for a while as wilkos is the only place i can buy home brew stuff from, never tried the mild tho tasted good at barreling and im sure can only get better, half way through supping 2 1.8kg brewbuddy bitter kits together, rocket fuel that stuff if you like your bitters bitter thats the way to go

[Petrovitch]

Cheers for that link DaaB, I HAVE been looking for a cheap source of extract

Sadly GK seems to make it's best beers hard to find...

If you ever venture south to Cambridge swing by the Free Press (http://www.freepresspub.com) they have XX Mild as a regular, and they're a very good pub anyway.

Congrats on first post Chill - did you add anything else to the two kits? What volume did you make it up to?

Cheers for the replies all