OK, an 'Oaked, Farmhouse Mild Ale'? Hmmm, I dunno. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle-conditioned, 750 mL in the usual Jester King presentation. The label also refers to something that they call 'English pub ale'. Needless to say, that worries me a bit, and coupled with some other equally silly guff on the label, it's not a good start for me. In addition, any source that is quoting this as being in the, 'ENGLISH Dark Mild Ale' style, is offensive to me. Pour is a chocolate brown color with a...
Notes on beers in the style
English Dark Mild Ale
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El Lector
32 oz growler courtesy of Joey as part of a care package from the brewery. Beer pours a very cloudy, chocolate brown color with a very, very modest head. Lace is minimal. In stronger light the beer takes on more orange hues. Does look especially attractive, but having said that a great Mild is seldom a stunning looker, so there is a degree of authenticity about that! Nose is a very nutty affair - noticeably so in fact. Surprising. If this were a blind taste taste I would guess that this was a...
Odd Notion (Summer 08)
12 oz bottle as part of the Magic Hat mixed 12 pack, Harris Teeter, Hilton Head Island, SC, USA. $12.99 for the pack along with #9, Circus Boy and Hocus Pocus. What have we here? An English Dark Mild?? I doubt it, but we'll see. Pour is good revealing a pretty decent head a little lace. Good clarity amongst the light mahoghony body. The aroma gives very little away other than certain maltiness (which is a good thing for the style) but it fails to live up to much. Tastes are relatively...
Twain’s Temperent Temperance Mild Ale
Nice clarity on the 12oz pour with a small head that maintains a ring of lace on the surface and a little on the glass. Good chestnut color. Some real metallic bitterness here, especially in the finish which has a little copper coinage metal in the back. Nice beer, that is a bit edgy, and for me lacks a little sophistication. Also, to me this is simply NOT a mild ale. In my milds (which I think are originals) we would look for more sweetness, a greater malt presence and less bittering from the...
Black Cat
Slightly newer, more up to date label than the one shown on BA. $4.99, O'Reilly's on Hilton Head Island, SC, USA. Dark brown tawny pour with ruby red highlights. Some head and some nice lacing. I am always intrigued by the aroma of beers like this one as the smells are intense, port like and seem to come from a beer maybe three or four times the ABV. I have no idea how the brewers manage to achieve this level of intensity of aroma from a beer that is 3.4% ABV! You could drink this for days on...
Coopers Dark Ale
Without the bottle sediment this pours very much like a decent looking Brown Ale without the red highlights - when the sediment is added it takes on a somewhat unattractive, typical Dubbel appearance. The sediment is very chalky looking. Aroma? Well I get almost nothing (except the obvious "beer" and a little alcohol) Well I'm not sure if this is much like an English Mild, it really drinks more like a low quality Brown Ale, and not a very tasty one at that. Yeasty and dry in the mouth, thin...
Gale’s Festival Mild
I always think of British Milds as being like Porters without the taste or the creaminess. I rarely expect much from Milds, but was pleasantly surprised by this being as drinkable as it was. A nice blackish color with a large, fast receeding head. It was a little too carbonated for my liking but that seemed to fade fast. A nice level of bitterness, but generally unremarkable. Slightly above average on my scale.