American brewed Dark Milds

Bottling dumbs down beer with a vengeance.Not to say that bottled beer can't be good but please don't judge our native beers by what reaches you in bottles. Or cans for that matter.Or kegs which are just big bottles.

 

Yards Brawler is presently on cask at The Industry in Philadelphia:

http://www.phillytapfinder.com/beer/yards-brawler-cask/

It has been a looong time since I was lucky to find Brawler on cask. Maybe it was at the Yards tasting room?

Cheers!

 

Or casks which are just big cans. (mainly kidding)

 

Would like to try some. I haven't had or seen any. Is it similar to English Bitter or ESB?

 

@bubseymour, have you been following this thread: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/english-dark-mild.469139/

Cheers!

 

I have been to Forest and Main twice and I liked their beers for sure, but it's been a couple years since I was there last. For better or worse, I don't go out of my way for beer any more and Ambler isn't in my typical travels, but if I really want a good English mild I might have make an exception. First world problems....

 

I am in the same situation. I have only been to Forest & Main a handful of times since it is not very close. If I lived in Ambler I could see myself going there a lot!! I love English style beers on cask and I am also a BIG fan of Belgian (Saison) Ales.

Cheers to Forest & Main!!

 

English Dark Milds are similar since their is commonality of ingredients:

• English Pale Malt as the base malt
• English Ale yeast strain(s)
• English specialty (crystal) malts

Needless to say but Dark Milds are 'lighter' from an ABV perspective but they typically drink 'bigger' due to the character that the various specialty malts bring to the table.

Cheers!

 

Dark mild is peculiar in that it's familiar yet different from anything you've had. Close to black in colour it's often nutty with grass cuttings in the finish. A tad sweet and very smooth. That said I've had plenty of wildly differing examples. Bottled versions are usually fizzed up and don't have any of the afforementioned qualities.

 

I could be talking crap but from memory* they're slightly higher on the ABV scale than your average bitter. Circa 4%?... Marquis?

* I say from memory because they're near impossible to find around this time of the year. Round my way at least.

 

There is an old saying of there is an exception to every rule but for your consideration:

· Banks's Mild: 3.5%

· Cain's Dark Mild: 3.2%

· Highgate Dark Mild: 3.4%

· Brain’s Dark: 3,5%

· Moorhouse Black Cat: 3,4%

· Theakston Traditional Mild: 3.5%

Cheers!

 

They are usually sub 4%, so similar to ordinary bitter

There's always exceptions though - Sarah Hughes is one of the most famous/best and is 6% , my favourite scottish one is Dark Munro which is 4%, adnams is over 4 etc . But Harveys is 3% I think, GK mild is that low (an actual decent beer from GK too) , holts, bathams are also low 3s

and the ones Jack mentioned ^

 

There is that old saying again!!

Cheers!

 

Holy Mountain has one called Helmsman. It rotates in and out though. I thought it was pretty good.

 

I just remembered Long Trail Harvest, which is labeled a brown ale but it might be similar enough to a dark mild to scratch the itch. It's on the darker side of the brown spectrum, 4.4% ABV, light to moderate grassy hops, and full flavor (nutty, cocoa, barley). I think it's a really good beer and I make a point to grab some when it comes out. It's a fall seasonal and there could still be some lingering on shelves.

 

I'm not sure if they make it out your way, but Rhinegeist Uncle is a solid keg-only option.

 

Yep, and herein lies the problem. I'm not sure I've ever had a mild in the bottle though to speak to how it would fare. I don't think it's a style that will ever catch on in the US unfortunately. Unless it has lots of hops in it...which kind of sounds disgusting to me. And most bitters I've had that were overly hopped (usually dry hopped in the cask) ruin the beer for me, and dumb down the nuances.

I'd rather not see a mild at all than see one on nitro (I'm not entirely against nitro either, in specific situations it's ok, but in this case...I'm all set).

Hmm, this one, while it's a beer I enjoy, screamed English brown ale to me. No way near an English dark mild. Maybe I'll have to revisit it again soon (if there's any left, hopefully not too old either) and see if it compares. I drank a lot of this year's past, I want to say it used to be 3.6% ABV, and then one year it jumped to 4.4%...I could be wrong though. If it was 3.6% it tasted the same to me, and was more sessionable (a true session beer at <4%).

Czech dark lagers, while lagers, are reminiscent of English dark milds to me. Perhaps less fruitiness/nuttiness to it though. I'd have to have them side by side to note the differences, both are more subtle styles. ABV is definitely higher too, typically around 5%.

 

Along with: "All I'm sayin's all", and "whole 'nuther".

 

I have never heard that 'old saying' before*. I will have to add that to my vernacular.

Cheers!

* Maybe I was sick that day!?!