English Mild..

And I also have the Oxford Companion to Beer and Tasting Beer by Randy Mosher which give us a more descriptive history of Milds. Yes, I too would be dismayed as I really have been studying VERY hard for this and I would LOVE to know what I am talking about lol But thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.

 

Grantham is within driving distance I was hoping somewhere closer to the Stamford area though. I might have to shoot the chap an email.

 

Talked me into it!

 

Try doing an online search for "martyn cornell oxford" and take a read at some of the back and forth in the wake of that big book. You'll get an appreciation for the size of the morass.

 

Sorry to go slightly off-topic, but can anyone recommend good (non-nitro) versions of any style of English beer that is available stateside? I would love to try some of these, but I don't know of any British beers you can really get here besides Guinness and Boddingtons. I guess Sam Smith, but are there others? I'd love to find a good beer I can drink many of while watching EPL on Saturday mornings.

 

Fuller's ESB
Fuller's London Pride

 

Thanks for the recommendations. Not sure I've seen those, but they sound familiar, so they may be around.

 

Those would be my recommendations as well, but check the dates. Most of the Fuller's I see sits on the shelves, and is VERY old (upwards of a year).

You can also look for Coniston Bluebird Bitter or Wells Bombardier. Those only come in half pint bottles, so that may be a bit pricey for sessions. And again, age is a concern with these. If you want an English ale that's fresher, I really dig Honker's Ale from Goose Island. I can find it quite fresh at my local (less than two months old) routinely, and the hops really pop in this one when its that fresh.

Keep in mind, none of these beers are remotely close to having them on cask, but for what you're asking, this will do.

 

Fuller's ESB is awesome when conditioned well.

 

Basically none of that is true.

 

I was going to write: "I wouldn't trust the Oxford Companion to Beer on Mild." But I took a look at the article and it isn't bad. A bit sketchy on the 19th century and not quite right with the interwar gravity of Mild. But mostly right.

If you want to know more about the history of the style, there is an excellent book on Mild available from Lulu.

 

Mild or Dark Milds needs to be served on cask to be appreciated. Just amazing complexity for such low ABV --fell in love w/ rudgate dark ruby mild when I was crawling in York a couple of years ago. Canned or bottled versions of this style are essentially a totally different beer.

 

Ok thank you so much! I will look into!

 

Thank you for this as well! I believe my approach to learning is to look at every possible source of any said subject. History or bias can cloud as well as any number of factors.

 

I've heard the author knows his stuff.

 

This might help: http://www.bjcp.org/2008styles/style11.php#1a

I have a bit of a crush on milds: not roasty like a stout nor sweet like a porter can be, huge range of malty flavors, and super-drinkable because it's nearly always sub-4%.

Trouble (for anyone not in the UK) is, like many British styles, it's really hard to find other than on cask.

Judging by the "hads," Moorhouse Black Cat is probably the most available bottled British mild in the US.

 

You're probably better off trying to get good locally-brewed versions of British styles. Especially if they're properly cask conditioned. I know they exist, because I've drunk plenty. But I guess it depends on where you are. Not been to Florida, so I've no idea what the situation is like there.

 

as a certified cicerone myself, i too am dismayed. i try to follow ron pattinson (edit: ah, here's his username: @patto1ro ) and martyn cornell every now and then, since i immensely respect that they use original sources for their published research. i think perhaps the kerfuffle that happened between them and garrett oliver upon the release of the oxford companion a couple years back, has possibly only made the gulf in historicity versus hearsay-as-fact worse. the cicerone program uses the oxford companion as a foundational text.

i tried to supplement my knowledge with the contrary research, and answered the test according to curriculum, even though the accuracy is debated. luckily, not much in the way of milds came up on my iteration of the exam.... :shrug:

 

You can't get into them, because they really don't exist in the US

 

Your thoughts and experience do indeed help. I for one will not shy away and say that for me personally the Cicerone program has taught me a lot and in some way I do admit I have been romantic about it. When colleagues encouraged me to seek out beer as a profession, I ran with it. And working hard and being proud of that has shown as I have shared my little knowledge thus far at a local brewery and just enjoying the world of beer. Thanks again!