Did you go Mild in May?

We’re rapidly approaching the end of May – which draws to a close the only month on the British beer calendar with a designated style. CAMRA have a stated aim to protect traditional varieties of beer – one of the most threatened of which is currently the humble Mild. To publicise the risk this beer faces they introduced a Mild in May campaign – encouraging brewers to produce the style, and punters to drink them, during the current month.

It’s an idea with the best of intentions – one of the reasons that Milds are sliding from view is that many drinkers today see them as old fashioned, and associate them with times gone by. Humble Northerners in the 1950’s drank mild, flat cap in the other hand, down their local. Today things have moved on. I used to be of that persuasion, having had a couple of truly awful Milds a few years ago.

At their worst they can be utterly bland and insipid, dark in colour but devoid of any flavour once the first slightly roasted notes have passed over the tongue. But there are some great Milds out there – proving that subtlety needn’t be at the expense of quality. Highland Dark Munro and Kelburn Dark Moor, for example, both have a lovely toasted malt backbone – and are well worth seeking out.

Beers such as these two give hope to the Mild enthusiasts – but there are also a couple of other reasons to think that a resurgence could be on the cards. Ironically, one is the increased experimentation of modern brewers. As they become more prolific, many turn their hand to recreating historic styles of beer – such as Milds. Rarer versions – such as the Strong Mild (with an ABV of around 6%) – are becoming popular, and dare I say it, fashionable.

One such beer is a collaboration produced by London’s Kernel and Redemption breweries. Their Strong Dark Mild rocks up at 6.1%. It has the big roasty liquorice notes you’d expect from a beefed-up Mild, plus the signature hop edge of the Kernel Brewery. When the alcohol arrives on the finish, the whole thing ends like a chewy strong porter.

CAMRA should be applauded for trying to retain one of the UK’s native beer styles, which although not to everyone’s taste is definitely worthy of saving. As brewers follow their lead and put out more quality traditional Milds, together with the appearance of beers like the Kernel/Redemption offering (also traditional, of course) things might just be looking up. The Government reducing duty on beer under 2.8% can’t hurt, either.* Maybe come May 2012 there will be more Milds to tempt us to rediscover the style…

*Not that it was done with the intention of saving the Mild, of course…