1965 H.E. Bravery Mild Ale Recipe

[seymour]

H.E. BRAVERY MILD ALE



from 1965 English book Home Brewing Without Failures

4 Imperial Gallons = 4.8 US Gallons = 18 Litres

FERMENTABLES:
50% = 4 lb = 1.81 kg, Crystal Malt
37% = 3 lb = 1.36 kg, Demerara Sugar
13% = 1 lb = 454 g, Flaked Maize
.2% = "dessertspoonful" = 2 tsp = ¼ oz, Caramel/Molasses "gravy browning"

1 tsp salt, ¼ oz citric acid in fermentor

MASH at 145-150°F/63-66°C

BOIL 50 minutes

HOPS (type unspecified, but they must be low alpha acid percentages)
2 oz = 56.7 g, 50 minutes
3 oz = 85 g, 10 minutes

YEAST: unspecified, but he recommends fermenting at 65-70°F/18-21°C down to 1.005, which means it must be an efficient, high-attenuating strain

TRANSFER to cask/bottles and condition 3 weeks.

STATS:
I have no idea what kind of mash efficiency Bravery got, but using modern ingredients and processes, I predict this could come out nice and dark, but much higher alcohol and bitterness than a typical mild.


An odd, outdated, but intriguing recipe. Has anyone ever brewed any old Bravery recipes? General thoughts?

[crafty john]

I have a book by the H.E Bravery somewhere, i will dig it out and have a look what recipes are in there, I do remember making one of his recipes ages ago, it turned out pretty homebrewish if you know what i mean. mind you that was before I had any decent equipment and very little knowledge.

[seymour]

Cool, I'd love to hear more. The book contains many other recipes for brown ale, stout, lager, "mock-beers", even several meads.

Yeah, I think I know what you mean about "homebrewish" considering that strange, adjuncty recipe. But then, perhaps it's tasty taken for what it is. Lots of unknown variables...

[Hanglow]

That is a lot of sugar.

and 50% crystal malt

I wonder if that recipe was a hangover from rationing as malt rationing continued into the late 50s in the UK, although I imagine that would affect the brewers more than a homebrewer

Would be interesting to taste, not sure I'd want to brew it myself just yet

[simple one]

Why would you even need to mash that? It seems as if the sugar is there in place of the pale malt.

Seems a very odd recipe indeed.

[critch]

a lot of early homebrew recipes where sugar heavy, the cj berry books are the same, they too display an unsettling "homebrew twang" iirc

[Blackaddler]

a lot of early homebrew recipes where sugar heavy, the cj berry books are the same, they too display an unsettling "homebrew twang" iirc

.. and don't forget the hangover...

[crafty john]

Hi Seymour
I thought I would let you know that I have found the book Home Booze by HE Bravery, first published in 1976, the copy I have was printed in 1983. The book covers all types of brewing from wine to AG and everything in between. There are basic AG recipes for Stout, Brown Ale, Bitter, Mild ale, Light Ale, Pale Ale, Liffey Water and lager. Let me know if you would like any of the recipes.

Cheers

[seymour]

Cool, thanks! I'd love to see the all-grain recipe for Mild ale. What is "Liffey Water"?

Do you recall ever brewing anything from this book? If so, remember any details about it?

[Blackaddler]

What is "Liffey Water"?

Slang for Guinness [apparently!].

"A popular myth is that Liffey water is used to brew Guinness but this is not true as Guinness uses water piped from the Wicklow mountains."

[crafty john]

Cool, thanks! I'd love to see the all-grain recipe for Mild ale. What is "Liffey Water"?

Do you recall ever brewing anything from this book? If so, remember any details about it?

According to the book Liffey water means (the little peoples stout) apparently similar to the Guinness of old.

Mild Ale
2kg pale malt
75 gram Crystal
450 gram white sugar
65gram goldings full boil, saving a small handful for the last 10 minutes of the boil.

Mash for 2 1/2 to 3 hours again

I do remember brewing from this book but it was a long time ago and it tasted like homebrew, I can't get my head around the sugar additions, perhaps increase the pale malt and leave the sugar out.

[crafty john]

Cool, thanks! I'd love to see the all-grain recipe for Mild ale. What is "Liffey Water"?

Do you recall ever brewing anything from this book? If so, remember any details about it?

According to the book Liffey water means (the little peoples stout) apparently similar to the Guinness of old.

Mild Ale EDIT LIGHT ALE
2kg pale malt
75 gram Crystal
450 gram white sugar
65gram goldings full boil, saving a small handful for the last 10 minutes of the boil.

Mash for 2 1/2 to 3 hours again

I do remember brewing from this book but it was a long time ago and it tasted like homebrew, I can't get my head around the sugar additions, perhaps increase the pale malt and leave the sugar out.

Sorry mate I was reading the wrong recipe, I gave you the recipe for light ale I am going to have my tea now so i will give you the proper mild ale recipe tomorrow.

[seymour]

Ha! No problem, thanks for the effort. Enjoy your tea.

[crafty john]

Forgot to mention the recipes are for 4 gallons, here is the mild ale recipe.

1.8 kg pale malt
150 gram crystal malt
150 gram black malt
450 gram soft brown sugar
50 gram northern brewer hops
Top fermenting yeast, kind of obvious but there you go.

[crafty john]

Just put the recipe in beer engine, I added the sugar as white as there isn't an option for brown.


H E Bravery Mild Ale
Date:
Gyle Number:
Fermentable Colour lb: oz Grams Ratio
Pale Malt 5 EBC 3 lbs. 15.4 oz 1800 grams 70.6%
Crystal Malt 130 EBC 0 lbs. 5.3 oz 150 grams 5.9%
Black Malt 1300 EBC 0 lbs. 5.3 oz 150 grams 5.9%
Sugar, Household White 0 EBC 0 lbs. 15.8 oz 450 grams 17.6%


Hop Variety Type Alpha Time lb: oz grams Ratio
Northern Brewer Whole 8.2 % 90 mins 0 lbs. 1.8 oz 50 grams 100%


Final Volume: 18 Litres
Original Gravity: 1.035
Final Gravity: 1.005
Alcohol Content: 3.9% ABV
Total Liquor: 24.9 Litres
Mash Liquor: 5.3 Litres
Mash Efficiency: 75 %
Bitterness: 64.280893587471 EBU
Colour: 93 EBC

Make of it what you will I think a bit of adjustment is needed on the hop schedule.