Dark Mild
Dunham Massey Brewing Company

A 500ml bottle with a BB of Oct 2013, so it's just out of date. Picked up a while back from the York Wine & Beer shop.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. Bottle conditioned. A dark brown colour that appears almost black in the glass. Forms a large head of frothy beige foam that lasts for a few minutes before dissipating. Aroma of dark caramel malt with hints of roasted grain, mild fruitiness, subtle smoke, a twinge of treacle and ale yeast. A slight lactic sourness lurks in the background.

Tastes of mild dark malt with an acidic character and a dry finish. Notes of caramel, fruitiness, light roasted grain, subtle smoke, a hint of molasses, a distinct lactic sourness and faint earthy yeast. Well-attenuated, with a malty acidity upon swallowing. Mouthfeel is thin and watery, with effervescent carbonation and an underwhelming body. Somewhat astringent, followed by an aftertaste of sourness, mild roasted/caramel malt and earthy yeast.

Meh - not all that great. The sourness is a bit too dominant; whether this is the result of age or a mild infection is hard to tell. Looks OKish, but the aroma and flavour leave much to be desired. Some dark malt and smokiness, but overly acidic. Poor body - fizzy and watery. Can't say I enjoyed this much. I might try and review a fresher bottle in the future, but in the meantime I can't really recommend this.

I think (not 105% sure) that this has had a slight make over in advance of CAMRA's Mild in May

Chocolate brown coloured with a slight off white tight head.

Slight smokey notes on the nose with good charring and hints of peat.

Charcoal tastes with a burn't sugar under currant and a hint of the old checkerboard Wilson's mild that I can't quite describe nor pin down.

Spot on Mouthfeel and perfect carb but this was a flawlessly served cask pint.

Bit of a trip down memory lane really recalling Chester's also.

The first beer in a 'Dunham Massey 4' tasting evening held by me, for me in mid-April 2011.

Brown 500ml bottle, best before Aug 2011: this is a bottle conditioned beer.

Deep ruby red in colour, looks darker until you hold it up to a strong light source. An off-white head of tight bubbles sat on top.

The aroma was semi-smokey, burnt malts and roasted barley notes.

The taste wasn't smokey at all, some burnt malt molasses maybe, but nothing to compare with the smell.

I thought it a little thin and light bodied, even for a 3.85ABV Mild and if I'd drank it blindfolded it'd have said it was a light Mild, even with the smoked smells.

The website say's it is "based on the tradional North Western milds of old." Not too sure about that, but it lacked that little bit of something for me.