Homebrew Recipe
Dark Mild
- Method:
- All Grain
- Style:
- Dark Mild
- Boil Time:
- 90 min.
- Batch Size:
- 5 gal.
- Boil Size:
- 6.5 gal.
- Efficiency:
- 65
- Rating:
- Source:
- Brew Your Own
- Source Notes:
- January-February 2020, Vol. 26, No. 1 page 27. This is based on the three-time GABF medal-winning Hold the Reins dark mild from Brink Brewing Company in Cincinnati, Ohio. Brink was named Very Small Brewing Company of the Year at the 2019 GABF, their second time winning this award. Head brewer Kelly Montgomery provided the recipe, which was converted to homebrew scale. He mentioned that the recipe came from his homebrewer days, and has evolved over the years as he's tuned the profile to match his vision of the style. Brink uses a complex grist, but each ingredient is layering flavor and adding a desired effect. The use of flaked barley and oats provides some additional mouthfeel and body, which keeps the beer from seeming too thin. English malts provide rich flavors - Montgomery prefers English maltsters Crisp, Thomas Fawcett, and Simpsons for his grains. This mild is at the top end of the range for alcohol for the style, but doesn't seem overly big. The bitterness level balances the malt nicely, adding a counterpoint to the malt sweetness without overshadowing that aspect. The final gravity sometimes finishes a touch higher, which can also add to the mouthfeel. Hops are East Kent Golding and in only one bittering addition. Simple but classic. Water treatments are minimal; Montgomery uses calcium chloride, which enhances the maltiness of the beer. His supply water is carbon-filtered and treated with lactic acid to reduce the pH. He adds the darker malts after the mash, which he feels helps reduce harshness. He uses the Fuller's yeast strain, fermented on the warmer side. He says that under-pitching slightly helps ester formation, which is welcome in this style (similar to the methods used in making hefeweizen). If you have the ability to cask-condition your beers, this is a great beer to serve on a beer engine.
- Notes:
- This recipe uses reverse osmosis (RO) water. Adjust all brewing water to a pH of 5.5 using phosphoric acid. Add 1 tsp. of calcium chloride to the mash. This is a single infusion mash: Mash in flaked grains, Maris Otter, and brown malts at 154F in 14 qts. water. Hold at this temperature for 60 minutes. Add the remaining crushed crystal and chocolate malts and raise the mash temperature to 168F. Recirculate the wort for 15 minutes before starting to sparge. Sparge slowly in order to collect 6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle. Bring the wort to a boil and boil for 90 minutes, adding hops at the time indicated in the recipe. Chill the wort to 68F, aerate the wort, and pitch the yeast. Ferment at this temperature until complete, or you may want to raise the temperature a few degrees near the end of active fermentation. Rack the beer, prime and bottle (or cask) condition, or keg and force carbonate.
Brew Numbers
| OG | FG | ABV | SRM | IBU |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.043 | 1.014 | 3.8 | 22 | 17 |
Fermentables
| Name | Amount | % Grain Bill |
|---|---|---|
| Pale Ale Malt | 6 lbs. | 65.31 |
| Notes: Maris Otter pale ale malt | ||
| Brown Malt | 1.25 lbs. | 13.61 |
| Notes: UK brown malt | ||
| Flaked Barley | 0.5 lbs. | 5.44 |
| Crystal Malt 45 | 0.5 lbs. | 5.44 |
| Notes: UK crystal malt (50L) | ||
| Flaked Oats | 0.5 lbs. | 5.44 |
| Pale Chocolate Malt | 0.25 lbs. | 2.72 |
| Chocolate Malt | 0.1875 lbs. | 2.04 |
| Notes: 3 oz. | ||
| Total: | 9.19 lbs. | |
Hops
| Name | Amount | Boil Time | Use | AA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Kent Golding | 0.75 oz. | 60 | Boil | 5.5 |
| Notes: 4.2 AAU | ||||
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| East Kent Golding | 0.75 oz. |
Yeast
| Name | Lab | Product |
|---|---|---|
| English Ale | White Labs | WLP002 |
| London English-Style | Lallemand | |
| London ESB | Wyeast | 1968 |
| Pub | Imperial | A09 |
Mash Steps
| Step | Name | Temp | Time | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Single Infusion Mash | 154 | 60 | All Grain |
| Notes: Mash in flaked grains, Maris Otter, and brown malts at 154F and hold 60 minutes. | ||||
| 2 | Specialty Grains | 168 | 15 | All Grain |
| Notes: Add remaining crystal and chocolate malts and raise temperature to 168F, recirculate for 15 minutes. | ||||