ALE Spring 2004 No. 313 : Next section

May is Mild Month

As it has done for a number of years now, CAMRA will be promoting Mild throughout May. National Mild Day is on Saturday 8 May. The aim of this campaign is to encourage pub licensees to stock Mild and persuade pub-goers to try one of Britain's finest styles of beer.

What is Mild?

Mild doesn't mean 'weak': it means 'not bitter'. Most Milds are indeed of low gravity, but the most important characteristic of this style is that is has a low hop rate. So it is 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, thanks to the addition of darker malts or caramel to the brew.

This traditional style of beer, dating back over 400 hundred years, has disappeared from many pubs and is in danger of becoming extinct in certain areas of Britain. For the last few years, CAMRA has chosen May in which to focus on promoting Mild, to encourage pub licensees to stock Mild and to persuade pub-goers to give one of Britain's finest styles of beer a try John Norman, CAMRA's Light and Dark Supporters spokesperson, said:

"Mild is one of Britain's finest styles of beer but it can be difficult for the beer drinker to locate pubs that regularly serve it. Unfortunately this means that many discerning beer drinkers never get the opportunity to try the delights of Mild. I would urge all licensees to put on some Mild in May, promote it to the local pub-goers and this will hopefully benefit the pub, the consumer and go some way to saving this wonderful drink from disappearing from British pubs forever!"

Mild with food

Mild can be enjoyed in different dishes and compliments many foods. Tony Jerome, CAMRA's press manager, said:

"Mild is a lovely beer style that compliments a number of meals and is ideal to cook with. It can either be drunk or cooked with a variety of different foods including beef, lamb, pork sausages, black pudding, rabbit and bramley apples!" A selection of recipes which include Mild can be found on the CAMRA web site during Mild Month.

There will be many Milds available at the Cambridge Beer Festival. So go on, try some: your taste buds will love you for it!

ALE Spring 2004 No. 313 : Next section
Cambridge & District CAMRA