Mild? or is it brown?

[oldjiver]

I am a great fan of mild ale, but as I bottle all of it, it must be brown ale! Just finished brewing today. Recipe...
3kg Maris Otter
100gm crystal
70gm roast barley
80gm black malt
20gm EKG 90 minutes
10gm Fuggles 30 minutes
5gm Fuggles at flame out

15litres hopefully 1050 (not that mild!) :drink: :drink:

 

[zgoda]

I always wondered what's the difference between mild ale and brown ale. It appears it's only packaging.

 

[lambert]

Have a look at the BJCP style guidelines. I'm not sure if the are followed/used in the UK competitions?!. At least it provides a starting for an argument . English Brown Ales are category/section 11.

 

[Mulled]

I am fairly sure i read somewhere that "Mild" originally meant that the beer was lightly hopped, not that it was of low alcohol content. Nowadays of course there are only a couple of examples of the higher gravity Mild ales. I thought Sarah Hughes was one of them (Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild ?) but my information may be a little out of date.

Happy brewing

 

[oldjiver]

I once went into a local pub that had employed an Australian barmaid . I asked "Do you have any mild"? She replied "Well the lagers not very strong!"

 

[TheMumbler]

I am fairly sure i read somewhere that "Mild" originally meant that the beer was lightly hopped, not that it was of low alcohol content. (snip)

I think that mild originally meant unaged and had nothing to do with strength. That is my memory from reading a couple of Martyn Cornell books. I'm fairly sure that stale beer at that point would have meant aged without any negative connotations.

I think most people tend to think of milds as being dark and low strength now. They are usually quite roasty in flavour in my experience. Definitions do change over time and from place to place but my guess is that is the way most people in this country think of them. There are a couple of ruby milds that break this expectation (Sarah Hughes, Rudgate) but I think that they are the exception not the rule. I would expect a brown ale to be stronger (like Newcastle Brown or Sam Smith's nut brown ale) and you don't see them so much on pump in my experience. However I've seen plenty of bottled milds so it isn't a packaging thing to my mind.

As for lambert's suggestion: since oldjiver lives and drinks in England and presumably (given the name) has done for a while, looking to the BJCP guidelines to tell him what an English beer is seems absurd. Unless he is intending to enter this beer a competition which uses those guidelines.

 

[oldjiver]

I am fairly sure i read somewhere that "Mild" originally meant that the beer was lightly hopped, not that it was of low alcohol content. (snip)

I think that mild originally meant unaged and had nothing to do with strength. That is my memory from reading a couple of Martyn Cornell books. I'm fairly sure that stale beer at that point would have meant aged without any negative connotations.

I think most people tend to think of milds as being dark and low strength now. They are usually quite roasty in flavour in my experience. Definitions do change over time and from place to place but my guess is that is the way most people in this country think of them. There are a couple of ruby milds that break this expectation (Sarah Hughes, Rudgate) but I think that they are the exception not the rule. I would expect a brown ale to be stronger (like Newcastle Brown or Sam Smith's nut brown ale) and you don't see them so much on pump in my experience. However I've seen plenty of bottled milds so it isn't a packaging thing to my mind.

As for lambert's suggestion: since oldjiver lives and drinks in England and presumably (given the name) has done for a while, looking to the BJCP guidelines to tell him what an English beer is seems absurd. Unless he is intending to enter this beer a competition which uses those guidelines.

I am always happy to receive any advice Lambert :thumb: And, yes, I am 66 but still learning. I never learned to Jive until I became disabled, as its the only dance where the man stands still and makes the woman do all the work :mrgreen: I just regret that when I worked in Tolly's brewery 45 years ago I never learned more

 

[oldjiver]

the "Mild" is going like a rocket! It finished at 1048, a couple of points down on my expectations. Probably due to me re-setting my grinder too wide and missing cracking a few grains. AS it is getting cold at night now I have put my FV in a water bath with a fish tank heater, I'll turn it off during the day. This is the first time I have used Muntons Premium Gold yeast. I am trying it as a change because my usual Youngs Ale yeast has been giving me surprisingly high FGs from quite low mashing temps. Mind you I have upped my normal 1042 bitter to 1050 now I buy my grain in 25kg sacks.

 

[oldjiver]

Down to 1015, already so the new yeast clearly works!

 

[oldjiver]

Settled at 1012. Had to bottle it quick as the tap nut came off and I nearly had a disaster (in another post). The top inch has cleared already and it looks a gorgeous colour. (I always have one or two clear glass bottles) The muntons yeast had settled into a much firmer layer in the FV than my usual Youngs Ale yeast. Will be interesting to see if I like the flavour with it.
I dont always use a secondary FV. I just add finings to the bucket the day before bottling which clears most of the yeast. Today the brew was almost clear anyway. Finings will give final touch of clarity.

 

[lambert]

As for lambert's suggestion: since oldjiver lives and drinks in England and presumably (given the name) has done for a while, looking to the BJCP guidelines to tell him what an English beer is seems absurd. Unless he is intending to enter this beer a competition which uses those guidelines.

:grin: :grin: As I said in my post above - At least it provides a starting point for an argument. :grin: :grin:

The link I've provided was in the spirit of answering the question implied in the subject...

Hope your beer taste ok - my very first mild is currently undergoing a cold crash and I had a quick taste this afternoon. The body seems thin and I hope that is due to the beer temperature (1.5C). I've used the Mangrove Jack's Newcastle Dark Ale Dry Yeast M03 - planning to pitch a Scottish 80/- on the yeast cake.

l

 

[oldjiver]

As for lambert's suggestion: since oldjiver lives and drinks in England and presumably (given the name) has done for a while, looking to the BJCP guidelines to tell him what an English beer is seems absurd. Unless he is intending to enter this beer a competition which uses those guidelines.

:grin: :grin: As I said in my post above - At least it provides a starting point for an argument. :grin: :grin:

The link I've provided was in the spirit of answering the question implied in the subject...

Hope your beer taste ok - my very first mild is currently undergoing a cold crash and I had a quick taste this afternoon. The body seems thin and I hope that is due to the beer temperature (1.5C). I've used the Mangrove Jack's Newcastle Dark Ale Dry Yeast M03 - planning to pitch a Scottish 80/- on the yeast cake.

l

I have PMd you lambert. Yes the mild looks great its in bottle conditioning now. I'll have a taste in a week or so and post results.

 

[oldjiver]

Tried it today. It is clear and well conditioned, probably due to the warm nights recently. Superb head, more a stout than a mild. I think I was a bit heavy with 150gm of roasted grains + crystal in 15 litres. I think 90gm next time would be enough to flavour a mild without getting that "Guinness" sharpness. Having said that it is lovely to drink. Full of malt flavour with just a touch of background sweetness to offset the bitterness. Should be out of this world in a month.
Talking of "Head", I saw this beermat recently! :mrgreen:

 

[oldjiver]

the "Mild" is going like a rocket! It finished at 1048, a couple of points down on my expectations. Probably due to me re-setting my grinder too wide and missing cracking a few grains. AS it is getting cold at night now I have put my FV in a water bath with a fish tank heater, I'll turn it off during the day. This is the first time I have used Muntons Premium Gold yeast. I am trying it as a change because my usual Youngs Ale yeast has been giving me surprisingly high FGs from quite low mashing temps. Mind you I have upped my normal 1042 bitter to 1050 now I buy my grain in 25kg sacks.

Having thought about crushing gap problems I found this..
Here is the source of the diagram.

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?ti ... on_mashing



Gap makes a bigger difference than I thought?