British Golden Ale Miraculix Best - Classic English Ale

[balrog]

Thanks for the..... Kind words?

Absolutely intended to be kind; I cannot in good conscience make this recipe with the wrong hops!

 

[DBhomebrew]

FWIW, a batch with Saaz is proving to be perfectly enjoyable.

 

[Miraculix]

FWIW, a batch with Saaz is proving to be perfectly enjoyable.

Been there done that, I wholeheartedly agree!

Also Mittelfrüh is an excellent choice, as is Perle and probably a whole lot more.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

It wouldn't be "inauthentic" either, as Brittish brewers judging by old brewing records regularly spiced things up with the odd continental hop....

 

[Miraculix]

It wouldn't be "inauthentic" either, as Brittish brewers judging by old brewing records regularly spiced things up with the odd continental hop....

I think it was more about prices and availability, but they surely used off shore hops. Also American ones.

 

[balrog]

FWIW, a batch with Saaz is proving to be perfectly enjoyable.

Been there done that, I wholeheartedly agree!

Also Mittelfrüh is an excellent choice, as is Perle and probably a whole lot more.

Sehr interessant.

I have both Saaz and MIttelfruh.

Hmmmm.

 

[Miraculix]

Sehr interessant.

I have both Saaz and MIttelfruh.

Hmmmm.

Saaz is a bit rougher and mittelfrüh is a bit more delicate. Both highly enjoyable!

 

[balrog]

I wonder what Balrog just made...

I'm calling it the Mittelfruh Miraculix.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

It wouldn't be "inauthentic" either, as Brittish brewers judging by old brewing records regularly spiced things up with the odd continental hop....

That was one of the things I discovered reading through Ron Pattinson's Vintage book. Never knew this. Strisselspalt (1918 Courage Double Stout), Spalt (1885 Young XP), Styrian (1939 Barclay Perkins IPA; 1939 Maclay SA), Saaz (1933 Lee's Bitter; 1868 Tetley XX), Hallertauer (1920 Fuller's XX Mild; 1909 Maclay Pl 60/-).

The other one that really surprised me was North American Cluster from Canada and the U.S.. It's everywhere in these recipes, even though even then (1863 Farmer' Almanac) North American hops weren't universally esteemed:

...The hops from Canada and the States, in the opinion of the best judges, still exhibit the disagreeable flavour which renders them quite unsuitable for fine qualities of ales....

 

[Shenanigans]

That was one of the things I discovered reading through Ron Pattinson's Vintage book. Never knew this. Strisselspalt (1918 Courage Double Stout), Spalt (1885 Young XP), Styrian (1939 Barclay Perkins IPA; 1939 Maclay SA), Saaz (1933 Lee's Bitter; 1868 Tetley XX), Hallertauer (1920 Fuller's XX Mild; 1909 Maclay Pl 60/-).

The other one that really surprised me was North American Cluster from Canada and the U.S.. It's everywhere in these recipes, even though even then (1863 Farmer' Almanac) North American hops weren't universally esteemed:

It's over 10 years ago but I think I remember reading something similar in "For the love of hops by Stan Hieronymus" that American hops were used in England back then but not everyone was convinced about them as they had some kind of abbrasive twang compared to British nobel hops.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

It's over 10 years ago but I think I remember reading something similar in "For the love of hops by Stan Hieronymus" that American hops were used in England back then but not everyone was convinced about them as they had some kind of abbrasive twang compared to British nobel hops.

It's not "catty," is it?

 

[Miraculix]

That was one of the things I discovered reading through Ron Pattinson's Vintage book. Never knew this. Strisselspalt (1918 Courage Double Stout), Spalt (1885 Young XP), Styrian (1939 Barclay Perkins IPA; 1939 Maclay SA), Saaz (1933 Lee's Bitter; 1868 Tetley XX), Hallertauer (1920 Fuller's XX Mild; 1909 Maclay Pl 60/-).

The other one that really surprised me was North American Cluster from Canada and the U.S.. It's everywhere in these recipes, even though even then (1863 Farmer' Almanac) North American hops weren't universally esteemed:

If i remember correctly, most of the times the non-English hops were historically used for bittering additions, while reserving the flavour additions for more traditional English or maybe German hops.

 

[Shenanigans]

It's not "catty," is it?

It's been a long time I need to read it again to see the exact term he used.
It might have been just a harsher bitterness.

 

[kmarkstevens]

I am especially sensitive to "cat whiz" aka "catty" aka comes across as very skunked. I can't stand most American hops, especially the C family, as these usually manifest to my palate as dank, skunked, cat whiz.

It's a meme with my LHBS regular crew, and while I take a sip of all beers, I can't do more than that for most of the American IPA's.

 

[Miraculix]

I am especially sensitive to "cat whiz" aka "catty" aka comes across as very skunked. I can't stand most American hops, especially the C family, as these usually manifest to my palate as dank, skunked, cat whiz.

It's a meme with my LHBS regular crew, and while I take a sip of all beers, I can't do more than that for most of the American IPA's.

That's tough man!

But you can always go back to the classic UK ipas.

Speaking of which..... Need to brew one!

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Just brew a pale ale and call it IPA...

 

[Miraculix]

Just brew a pale ale and call it IPA...

Works.

But in my mind, an IPA is stronger and a bit more bitter than a pale ale. At least the historic ones.

I know there are certainly historic examples where this is not the case, but for simple minded people like myself, let's keep things simple.

I've got marris otter, that's all the malt. Then a noble hop, probably only two additions, one bittering, one fifteen minutes.

45 to 50 ibus all noble, 1.06 og.

Safale 04 starter, probably two steps, first step 3g of s04, second step the previous step plus 3g of Nottingham.

This should get the ale done nice and quick!

 

[DBhomebrew]

But in my mind, an IPA is stronger and a bit more bitter than a pale ale. At least the historic ones.

I know there are certainly historic examples where this is not the case, but for simple minded people like myself, let's keep things simple.

A little exercise that put that notion to the test.

 

[balrog]

I think the exotherm has happened.

 

[balrog]

Ok all you folks, it's up to us to save the English Mild.
Apparently.

https://www.insidehook.com/beer/these-craft-beer-styles-dying-can-they-saved

 

[kmarkstevens]

I would send folks on to this link for the Machine House Mild Clone: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/machine-house-mild-clong.697000/

 

[Cheshire Cat]

For me both Mild and Porter are very poor examples of British beers. I have never brew either and they are styles from yester year when male drinkers wore flat caps and bred whippets. Bitter a wonderful beer is struggling to compete with lager and IPA’s. Trends change.

 

[eshea3]

For me both Mild and Porter are very poor examples of British beers. I have never brew either and they are styles from yester year when male drinkers wore flat caps and bred whippets. Bitter a wonderful beer is struggling to compete with lager and IPA’s. Trends change.

Guinness is able to sell a low alcohol dark beer from yester year. It's also a country where male drinkers wore ( and sometimes still wear) flat caps. Hmmm. Must be that nitrogen.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Stout is a great beer brewed all over the world from Africa, West Indies, British Isles, USA, Belgium and Far East. Porter is a poor predecessor and Mild is awful. In the UK Mild was where the slops (leftover beer) went along with cigarette ash.

 

[Miraculix]

Stout is a great beer brewed all over the world from Africa, West Indies, British Isles, USA, Belgium and Far East. Porter is a poor predecessor and Mild is awful. In the UK Mild was where the slops (leftover beer) went along with cigarette ash.

Porter and stout is just a different naming for the same type of beer. What you do not like is a badly brewed stout/badly brewed porter. And I agree on that.

They used to butcher dark mild in the UK with your mentioned "process", that's also true. A well executed dark mild on the other hand is a marvelous beer.

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Each to their own

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Ok all you folks, it's up to us to save the English Mild.

That's perhaps one for the main "English" thread here rather than this one, but it's actually had a modest revival among the cool kids in the UK in recent years. But if it's to be saved in the US, USians *really* need to learn how to serve it. Putting mild on keg and turning up the CO2 to 2.5+vol just completely wrecks it - CO2 is an ingredient and British beer is all about balance, in all the ingredients.

 

[balrog]

That's perhaps one for the main "English" thread here rather than this one, but it's actually had a modest revival among the cool kids in the UK in recent years. But if it's to be saved in the US, USians *really* need to learn how to serve it. Putting mild on keg and turning up the CO2 to 2.5+vol just completely wrecks it - CO2 is an ingredient and British beer is all about balance, in all the ingredients.

Gravity feed from a plastic collapsible pin, eh?

 

[kmarkstevens]

That's perhaps one for the main "English" thread here rather than this one, but it's actually had a modest revival among the cool kids in the UK in recent years. But if it's to be saved in the US, USians *really* need to learn how to serve it. Putting mild on keg and turning up the CO2 to 2.5+vol just completely wrecks it - CO2 is an ingredient and British beer is all about balance, in all the ingredients.

How does Machine House mild rank?

It's one Englishman's take on mild, but I love this stuff. Recipe and hints from the brewer are here. BTW, 11th anniversary today. Have some strong ales on gravity pour that are pretty good, also unveiled a Cascade hopped bitter on cask. Cascade are not my preferred hop, but the cask is nicely bitter.

Since it's the 11th anniversary, also on cask:
Dark Mild 3.7%
Best bitter 4.2%
Cambridge Bitter 3.8%
Stinging Nettle Ale 5.4%
Summer Ale 4.6%
Golden Ale 4.5%

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Gravity feed from a plastic collapsible pin, eh?

Just anything other than jamming it full of high pressure CO2. Even the taprooms of big name US craft brewers don't seem to have sussed that yet, where they don't have the excuse of someone else screwing up the cellarmanship. I presume they have the ability to control gas pressure on a per-line basis.

How does Machine House mild rank?

Well at least they have the huge advantage of serving on cask. Personally it's a touch roasty for my platonic ideal of a mild, but it's still a nice beer.