Now Beer This: A Lost Style Found

Even if you don’t drink beer, you can probably tell me that an IPA is a hoppy beer. If I ask you what a stout is, you would probably say “a dark beer.” I could maybe even ask you about a Hefeweizen and you might tell me, “that’s the sweet one that they put the orange in!” All good answers.

Without being a beer nerd, maybe without even liking beer, there’s enough knowledge out there in the aether that you can tell me some reasonably helpful facts about several beer styles. But there’s one out there that I bet you can’t tell me anything about: the English Mild. And that, my friends, is a pity.

The original use of the term “mild” when referring to beer meant that it was fresh and hadn’t been aged in a barrel very long (which, in those days, really meant that it wasn’t stale and infected). So that term could really refer to any style of beer that was fresh. But towards the end of World War I, the English were serving a low gravity beer referred to as a Mild. Today, we would call this a Session Beer — or in other words, a really good idea if you plan on drinking several.

Milds generally present on the darker side of beer, typically a glowing ruby color. The nose will present with toasty malts, perhaps a hint of roast and minimal-to-no hop aroma. Their flavor is generally toasty, slightly roasty, some caramel… think sweet tea in beer form!

Wait, what? You mean to tell me there’s a beer out there that drinks like sweet tea, isn’t so hoppy it tastes like lawn clippings, and is session strength (4-ish ABV)?!?!

Yes. Yes. That’s exactly what I’m telling you. This is a fantastic style that could fill a huge void for people who don’t really want to drink 8% hop monsters and pass out at the bar.

Sadly, this style didn’t get popular with the rise of craft beer several years ago. That trend went the direction of more alcohol/more hops, which is the exact opposite of what the English Mild is about. However, that sea is changing, and we’re starting to see some good versions — especially in the NC brewery scene. Green Man, Fortnight, Fonta Flora, and AMB all produce an English Mild. Right here in your backyard, Craftboro has an English Mild in their brewing rotation as well.

If you aren’t on this wagon yet, the time to get on is now. Get out there, ask around, and find yourself a nice English Mild to help lubricate a great conversation with friends. You will not regret it. Well, I guess it depends on what you talk about. But you won’t regret the beer, anyway.

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Now Beer This: A Lost Style Found

Even if you don’t drink beer, you can probably tell me that an IPA is a hoppy beer. If I ask you what a stout is, you would probably say “a dark beer.” I could maybe even ask you about a Hefeweizen and you might tell me, “that’s the sweet one that they put the […]

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