Stuster
Big mash up
- Joined
- 16/4/05
- Messages
- 5,216
- Reaction score
- 72
Looking this week at a lower gravity English style, Mild. It's a style I drank a lot of at one stage in my life, a very flavourful session beer. It's BJCP style 11A.
Links
Jamil's podcast
An excellent old thread on mild
Roger Protz article
OzCraftbrewer article (including kit/extract/AG recipes)
So what are your experiences with this style? Grains? Hops? Which yeast to use? Any dry yeast that will work with this style? Can this style be done by partial mashers? Kits and bits? Any commercial examples that you can recommend that are available in Australia?
Tell us all you know so we can make great beer. :chug:
Links
Jamil's podcast
An excellent old thread on mild
Roger Protz article
OzCraftbrewer article (including kit/extract/AG recipes)
So what are your experiences with this style? Grains? Hops? Which yeast to use? Any dry yeast that will work with this style? Can this style be done by partial mashers? Kits and bits? Any commercial examples that you can recommend that are available in Australia?
Tell us all you know so we can make great beer. :chug:
11A. Mild
Aroma: Low to moderate malt aroma, and may have some fruitiness. The malt expression can take on a wide range of character, which can include caramelly, grainy, toasted, nutty, chocolate, or lightly roasted. Little to no hop aroma. Very low to no diacetyl.
Appearance: Copper to dark brown or mahogany color. A few paler examples (medium amber to light brown) exist. Generally clear, although is traditionally unfiltered. Low to moderate off-white to tan head. Retention may be poor due to low carbonation, adjunct use and low gravity.
Flavor: Generally a malty beer, although may have a very wide range of malt- and yeast-based flavors (e.g., malty, sweet, caramel, toffee, toast, nutty, chocolate, coffee, roast, vinous, fruit, licorice, molasses, plum, raisin). Can finish sweet or dry. Versions with darker malts may have a dry, roasted finish. Low to moderate bitterness, enough to provide some balance but not enough to overpower the malt. Fruity esters moderate to none. Diacetyl and hop flavor low to none.
Mouthfeel: Light to medium body. Generally low to medium-low carbonation. Roast-based versions may have a light astringency. Sweeter versions may seem to have a rather full mouthfeel for the gravity.
Overall Impression: A light-flavored, malt-accented beer that is readily suited to drinking in quantity. Refreshing, yet flavorful. Some versions may seem like lower gravity brown porters.
History: May have evolved as one of the elements of early porters. In modern terms, the name "mild" refers to the relative lack of hop bitterness (i.e. less hoppy than a pale ale, and not so strong). Originally, the "mildness" may have referred to the fact that this beer was young and did not yet have the moderate sourness that aged batches had. Somewhat rare in England, good versions may still be found in the Midlands around Birmingham.
Comments: Most are low-gravity session beers, although some versions may be made in the stronger (4%+) range for export, festivals, seasonal and/or special occasions. Generally served on cask; session-strength bottled versions don't often travel well. A wide range of interpretations are possible.
Ingredients: Pale English base malts (often fairly dextrinous), crystal and darker malts should comprise the grist. May use sugar adjuncts. English hop varieties would be most suitable, though their character is muted. Characterful English ale yeast.
Vital Statistics:
OG FG IBUs SRM ABV
1.030 - 1.038 1.008 - 1.013 10 - 25 12 - 25 2.8 - 4.5%
Most have an ABV of 3.1 - 3.8%
Commercial Examples: Moorhouse Black Cat, Highgate Mild, Brain's Dark, Banks's Mild, Coach House Gunpowder Strong Mild, Gale's Festival Mild, Woodforde's Norfolk Nog, Goose Island PMD Mild