[dilluh98]

Cracked open my first pale mild last weekend and I feel like it’s a bit out of sorts. Recipe was 80% MO, 20% C-20, small amount of EKG to get it in the right (low) IBU range, mashed at 158 F. WLP007 @ 67-68 F for two weeks. I’m getting a lot of the fruity esters I’d normally associate with a darker mild and or bitters so I wonder if I fermented this in the low-60s if I’d like it better. The sweetness of C-20 really doesn’t go well with the already fruity ester in my opinion or maybe pale mild isn’t something that really works well? My other thought was that 20% of the C-20 was overkill. Anyone brewed one of these or have opinions? Perhaps just a straight mild with 100% MO? I don’t hate it and it drinks very, very easy with low carbonation and sitting at a petite 3.1% ABV, but I feel like there’s too much sweetness with the malt character and yeast character that’s hard to get past. Good thing it was small batch and there isn’t much of it to drink I suppose.

[BrodyR]

Personally anything more than like 7% Crystal in bitters has bothered me - I agree with you that the Crystal sweetness and English yeast character can be a bit much. I like to ferment low gravity english ales low, do a diacytel rest, and serve on nitro on the warmer side.

I've done 100% MO beers just under 4% and enjoyed it but I usually add some flaked oats or 5% UK crystal.

[dilluh98]

Check.

Yeah, this one was a bit of a brain fart I guess. I saw the recipe "somewhere," wrote it down and then just brewed it without realizing the massive amount of crystal. I've never made a beer with more than 10% crystal before.

Oh well...

Maybe if I just take my favorite ESB recipe (90% MO, 5% C-60, 5% Torrified Wheat) and turn down the IBUs?

[BrodyR]

I have a buddy who's used 25% light crystal and liked it so I suppose it's personal taste.

The 90/5/5 Sounds like a nice recipe to me. I've never personally brewed with it but my LHBS teamed up with a brewpub to have a homebrew smash contest and the winner used 100% mild malt. Served up on their handpump it was pretty nice. May be a nice base malt.

[neddles]

It was a thing for me. Here is a Pale Mild I made over the summer that I felt was fantastic. It is a riff on Michael Dawson's AK47. I'm no expert on "to style" or not but it was a very nice beer to have around. Not sweet, not thin, just right. Would make it again the same way and will probably condition it in my pin next time.

6 gallons
OG-1.037
FG-1.012
ABV 3.3%
IBU-20
SRM-6

92% Warminster Floor Malted MO
7% Baird's Carastan
1% Fawcett Pale Chocolate
Mash @156F, no-sparge

32g EKG @60
10g EKG @10

WY1469 West Yorkshire

[PORTERHAUS]

Cracked open my first pale mild last weekend and I feel like it’s a bit out of sorts. Recipe was 80% MO, 20% C-20, small amount of EKG to get it in the right (low) IBU range, mashed at 158 F. WLP007 @ 67-68 F for two weeks. I’m getting a lot of the fruity esters I’d normally associate with a darker mild and or bitters so I wonder if I fermented this in the low-60s if I’d like it better. The sweetness of C-20 really doesn’t go well with the already fruity ester in my opinion or maybe pale mild isn’t something that really works well? My other thought was that 20% of the C-20 was overkill. Anyone brewed one of these or have opinions? Perhaps just a straight mild with 100% MO? I don’t hate it and it drinks very, very easy with low carbonation and sitting at a petite 3.1% ABV, but I feel like there’s too much sweetness with the malt character and yeast character that’s hard to get past. Good thing it was small batch and there isn’t much of it to drink I suppose.

I think getting a touch of some roast character in there would be a key factor. As well as less crystal. Trying to keep it "Pale" would be the balancing act. Never tried the style but I like the sounds of it. I really love low abv English Style beers.

[dilluh98]

It was a thing for me. Here is a Pale Mild I made over the summer that I felt was fantastic. It is a riff on Michael Dawson's AK47. I'm no expert on "to style" or not but it was a very nice beer to have around. Not sweet, not thin, just right. Would make it again the same way and will probably condition it in my pin next time.

6 gallons
OG-1.037
FG-1.012
ABV 3.3%
IBU-20
SRM-6

92% Warminster Floor Malted MO
7% Baird's Carastan
1% Fawcett Pale Chocolate
Mash @156F, no-sparge

32g EKG @60
10g EKG @10

WY1469 West Yorkshire

I think getting a touch of some roast character in there would be a key factor. As well as less crystal. Trying to keep it "Pale" would be the balancing act. Never tried the style but I like the sounds of it. I really love low abv English Style beers.

I like this idea. Just a touch of pale chocolate to take the edge off the sweetness and lower or drop the crystal all together. I also tend to no sparge my milds as I feel like it lends more body to the brew somehow. Thanks for the opinions - I will probably try this again in the future. A darker mild is on the docket in December first though.

[muzak]

It was a thing for me. Here is a Pale Mild I made over the summer that I felt was fantastic. It is a riff on Michael Dawson's AK47. I'm no expert on "to style" or not but it was a very nice beer to have around. Not sweet, not thin, just right. Would make it again the same way and will probably condition it in my pin next time.

6 gallons
OG-1.037
FG-1.012
ABV 3.3%
IBU-20
SRM-6

92% Warminster Floor Malted MO
7% Baird's Carastan
1% Fawcett Pale Chocolate
Mash @156F, no-sparge

32g EKG @60
10g EKG @10

WY1469 West Yorkshire

This recipe looks delicious.

Have you tried this recipe with different yeasts?

[neddles]

It was a thing for me. Here is a Pale Mild I made over the summer that I felt was fantastic. It is a riff on Michael Dawson's AK47. I'm no expert on "to style" or not but it was a very nice beer to have around. Not sweet, not thin, just right. Would make it again the same way and will probably condition it in my pin next time.

6 gallons
OG-1.037
FG-1.012
ABV 3.3%
IBU-20
SRM-6

92% Warminster Floor Malted MO
7% Baird's Carastan
1% Fawcett Pale Chocolate
Mash @156F, no-sparge

32g EKG @60
10g EKG @10

WY1469 West Yorkshire

This recipe looks delicious.

Have you tried this recipe with different yeasts?

I have not. I really liked what the 1469 layered over that grain bill though. Really pleasant bready and nutty flavors from the yeast and grist together.

[dilluh98]

Well, I think I found another culprit to why I really didn't enjoy this beer. I drank most of these fairly young but I had the last bomber of this sitting around for about 6 weeks post-bottling and it turned into a bottle bomb. Maybe a single incident but perhaps infection was another reason I wasn't liking the flavor much on this one.