How sweet do you like yer Mild ???

[MAF]

I'm putting together a new recipe for a Mild, and just wondering how sweet your recipes end up?
What kind of % does your Crystal malt end up being, and what kind of IBUs do you go for?

I've read all the books with details, but it's always best to ask the homebrewers, as they have the most relevant knowledge

[dougjlucas]

Currently my dad has only been brewing Milds and my favourite ones have been on the drier side. I find that due to the short maturation time typically employed for milds they can end up being too sweet. As a result I find it best to use a good proven yeast (prepared as a starter) that will help dry the beer slightly. Think my dad uses WL002 in most of his milds.

If its a dark mild your brewing I find that a decent % of black malt again helps dry the beer and again make it more pleasing on the pallet.

Unfortunately I can't provide any OG values as my dad does not take notes (to my great frustration). IBU should be low as its all about the malt. The best mild I've ever brewed was the Batemans Dark Mild recipe in GW's book.

Probably not provided any revolutionary info but as a fan of Mild's wanted to have my say!.

[Kev888]

I'm not an expert on milds but I brew them to fill the 'malty' niche in my range. The grain bills can be quite large as I try for a low attenuation yet I'm not one for them being weak ones (some commercial milds these days seem bland and limp IMHO) - I prefer to think of them as being less bitter rather than less tasty (or less alcoholic). My recipies are around 15% to 20% crystal and the rest pale malt to give an OG of around 1.055 to 1.060, and fuggles and goldings to around 30IBU (mostly from 90mins additions).

I tend to mash warm at say 67-68c and use a low attenuating yeast (say 70% give or take) to end up with around 1.016 to 1.018. This hasn't always worked, a couple of times now, I've used yeasts that have attenuated more than expected and ended up with a rather tasteless and alcoholic result; WLP028 Edinburgh Scottish Ale Yeast is the most reliable one i've used for it, I usually get something like 68%-70% attenuation with that.

I'm not saying this is the ideal, as I've not done that much experimenting with milds, but it seems to produce a malty brew with lots of body which is what I'm aiming for. Probably i should try some tweaks at some point - its not a million miles away from something like the caledonian 80 shilling which I sometimes make instead, so maybe theres a combination of those that would work too.

Cheers
kev

[MAF]

Cheers doug and kev for the info.
I think I'll go with 80% MO, 18% Crystal and 2% Black. Next decision is yeast - I was thinking of S-33 or even Windsor. But I also have WLP028 in stock, and I do remember that makes a decent Mild!