Cambridge & District CAMRA

National Mild Month 2004

Once again May is CAMRA's National Mild Month, when the Campaign promotes the beer style Mild. Pub licensees and off-licences are encouraged to stock Mild and persuade beer consumers to give one of Britain's finest styles of beer a try throughout the month.

Mild is essentially the opposite of Bitter: it's low in hops and hence rounder, normally slightly sweeter, and distinctly less bitter on the palate and in aroma than more highly hopped Bitters. Mild is usually (but not always) darker in colour than Bitter, through the use of a higher roast malt or caramel.

Despite the fact that this traditional style of beer, dating back over 400 hundred years, has disappeared from many pubs, there are 132 breweries regularly brewing 152 Mild brands on today's market with almost 30% not using 'Mild' in the product's title.

This trend in naming seems to help sales: beers which have benefitted include Elgood Black Dog, Milton Minotaur, City of Cambridge Jet Black, McMullen Original AK, Brains Dark and Moorhouse's Black Cat.

CAMRA is also celebrating the 'Year of Beer with Food' throughout 2004 and are highlighting different ways that Mild can be enjoyed in different dishes and compliments many foods.

CAMRA is running a Mild in May competition to find out what the beer consumer's favourite Mild is this month. The winning beer with the most amount of votes will be announced at the end of May. One lucky entry will win a mystery prize from the winning brewery. Entries can be emailed to tony.jerome@camra.org.uk, entered on the CAMRA website below or posted to:

-> www.camra.org.uk/mild [alternative link]
contains recipes, lists of regular and occasional Milds and more.
-> Back to Basics series: Mild

Locally

The Branch tries to keep up with the comings and goings in pubs stocking Mild. Here's a list of pubs known to us as of May 2004 as stocking Mild some or all of the time. Also don't forget the many Milds at the 31st Cambridge Beer Festival.

Burwell: Five Bells (Greene King XX Mild)
Cambridge: Cambridge Blue (guest Mild, usually Elgood Black Dog); Free Press (Greene King XX Mild); Green Dragon (Greene King XX Mild); Jenny Wren (Greene King XX Mild); Kingston Arms (guest Mild); Live & Let Live (guest Mild); Pickerel (Theakston Mild); Portland Arms (Greene King XX Mild)
Fulbourn: Six Bells (guest Mild)
Girton: George (guest Mild)
Histon: Red Lion (Milton Minotaur)
Milton: Waggon & Horses (Elgood Black Dog)
Teversham: Rose & Crown (Ansells Mild)
Willingham: Three Tuns (Greene King XX Mild)

Cambridge & District CAMRA : Pub of the Year Archive