Dark mild anyone?

Well you could go for a Dog in addition to the Cat - Elgood's Black Dog which is 3.6%.

If you want something even lower in alcohol then Bateman's DM is 3%.

Gales Festival Mild - a superb award-winning beer but presently at grave risk of being no more.

I'd order some while you can.

John B

I've supped Festival Mild. I like Festival Mild. It does, on the other hand, push the boundaries of a mild ale. (I found it more like an old ale.) As long as you don't mind throwing the "not too high in alcohol" part out the window (Festival Mild is 4.8% ABV), it would be an excellent choice.

Sarah hughes dark mild ? [Ignoring strength requirement ;-) ]

My 2c. Cheers - Neil

Church End Gravediggers. Surely the best dark mild currently available!

From another CR!

Cannon Royall Fruiterer's Mild Enville Chainmakers Hook Norton Dark

Brett...22/1/06 9:12 PM

This came from a suggestion that there should be a low alcohol beer available at the function. i.e. Some people cannot take too much alcohol for medical reasons; others want to drink more, but stay more sober - it's a musical gathering.

The person in question was telling me that they'd given up on the idea of drinking alcohol free beer after tasting Kaliber (often the only thing ever offered in pubs) !! But... that a friend had introduced him to an alcohol free ale brewed by Harveys brewery (E Sussex is that) and that it was for an alcohol free product simply fantastic !

Anyway the Black Cat went down very well on a previous occasion. I'll tell you how I got on later. The list will include about 7 casks + the ubiquitous Guinness and lager - any suggestions (ducking quickly)

Thanks to everyone for suggestions - Andy, Brett, Christine, Jamie, John and Neil. That's a few good-uns to check out ! So...

Elgood's Black Dog - 3.6% Bateman's DM - 3.0% Gales Festival Mild - ? 4.8% ABV Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild - 6.0%! Cannon Royall Fruiterer's Mild - 3.7% Enville Chainmakers - ? Hook Norton Dark - ?

I also spotted Timothy Taylor¹s Golden Best - 3.5% from one of the links Batemans Dark Mild - 3.0%. Brains Dark - 3.5% Cains Dark Mild 3.2% Hobsons Mild - 3.2%

Hook Norton Best Bitter - 3.4% Wye Valley Country Pale Ale 3.2%

Cheers, CR

Same thing.

You could also try Essex brewer Mighty Oak's - Oscar Wilde -Mild.

It's only 3.7% and is very tasty.

Ade

Chris Rockcliffe a écrit :

Dunno if Erdinger Alkoholfrei (blue label) is available in the UK, for that would be a pretty drinkable alcohol-free beer, but it is very much an exception in that field.

Lager ? welll, that would rule out most UK-produced ones... try getting hold of a proper german pils, like Fürstenberg, or Rothaus Pils (aka Rothaus Tannen Zäpfle). Or some Czech stuff, Budweiser Budvar being a pretty obvious contender here.

For such a do, some German lagers are available in 5-litre "party kegs", which often contin unpasteurised beer, and enable you to serve the beer by gravity.

Yes, and that one would be quite interesting, since it's a pale maild, a style even more menaced from extinction than dark mild. A magnificient amber, malt-accented session beer, that one.

Cheers !

Laurent

Oh yes! Has to be my favourite AFB - and perhaps in my top 10 beers of all time. This be the one, as they say. You do get it in bottles at the better true free houses, but I've never seen a draught version.

Christine a écrit :

Indeed, no draught version on either the brewery or tthe products website. They introduced a 33cl longneck bottle some time ago, though, in complement to the usual 50cl "euro" bottle.

Cheers !

Laurent

I've not tried this but a friend did and although I was very much enjoying my fourth pint of Outlaw Golden Egg at the time, I do remember his description being "fizzy milk". To each their own! I happen to think that most Dark Milds have too much taste - overly sweet treacle flavours don't really do it for me. I'd far prefer a nice fruity ale - very refreshing when you get in from the cold!

Andrew Cameron

Belvoir Mild and Rutland Panther are gorgeous. Brewsters Brewery offer Hophead 3.6% ABV in 5 litre minikegs (real ale) , a brew which has converted many a lager drinker.

As for AFB , the person who can produce a good one will become very rich.Alcohol is a vital part of the flavour profile and can't just be removed leaving the beer untouched.

One of my favourites is Coach House Gunpowder - 3.8%. It has roasted malt flavours rather than (or as well as) the usual fruity mild flavours, almost like a lightweight stout.

This is indeed a most splendid drink - far and away the best in the Coach House range.

The best Mild I have had for years was a few years ago. It was the origional Gunpowder Mild brewed to an old Greenhalls recipe by Neil Chantrell. (The Ex-Greenalls brewer) It was superb but after about one year it dropped in quality & when I asked Neil what had happend he told me one of the ingredients was no longer available. He wouldn't tell me what it was in case it became available again. He has been able to improve it since to a very good mild.

I have to admit I'm not generally that keen on most traditional dark milds, finding them a bit boring (a bit embarrassing for a CAMRA apparatchik, I know), so I do particularly like milds that have a bit of extra flavour. The one I've discovered most recently that I like is Enville Nailmaker, we had it on our bar at GBBF one year.