Low ABV Dark Mild Beer (With Fuggles!) Tasting - Brew Dudes

Mike challenges his palate the episode with a favorite style and his least favorite hop. Its English Dark Mild with Fuggles hop.
I like low ABV English style beers and I really like dark English beers. I decided to brew a Dark Mild Ale to fill in the low ABV needs at the house. Sometimes I just want an easy to approach beer that isn't going to make be feel the alcohol like most modern IPAs do.
This beer came out a little darker than expect with 7% each of Amber Malt, Carastan and Chocolate malt. However the beer was still very flavor full with notes of milk chocolate and coffee notes.
The Fuggles hops however really showed off their herbal and earthy character that I just don't like that well. I prefer the herbal and floral profile of an EKG hop. Well I tried at least. I'll see how this beer ages a bit as it ages over the next couple weeks.
CHEERS!
#DarkMild #LowABV #brewdudes
Check out our blog:
www.brew-dudes.com/english-da...

[@Homebrew58]

Just an interesting historical note. Mild originally was not a style... it was a description of condition. Mild meaning young. Over time mild began to mean less of everything compared to standard ales. But looking at brewing records from British brewers mild ales (designated with the letter "X"... X, XX, XXX, and XXXX) were definitely pale in color. Why it became dark is not easy to determine but looking at the brew logs from the time you can see the color change happening late in the 19th century. Mild ales were also very aggressively hopped at times. And they were also very often high gravity. The more X's in the description the higher the OG. It was not uncommon to find an XXXX recipe with an OG near 1.090.
Again, nothing more than an interesting bit of trivia.

[@BrewDudes]

Very true. Thanks for the added knowledge. We can't always cover it in a video because we try to keep it brief but still engaging. So thanks for the coverage in the comments! Cheers! -Mike

[@davec4955]

Love Fuggles ! But I am English. The beer looks great 🍻

[@scottbenson4818]

Fugglely and experimentalist, fine words from a fine gentleman. Low abv is a fine thing in my book. I always struggle to get the body I want in these beers. Maybe I just need to accept like John said and it’s going to be what it is. Anyway, fun video. I’ll take it off your hands if you get board with it! Cheers from Uxbridge.

[@BrewDudes]

Uxbridge!!! I think if you just use a heavy hand on the balance between the base malt and the specialties then the body tends to hold up. I mash a little higher to an higher FG in the final beers. Also most of the English strains tend to poop out early if you don't treat them right and that lower attenuation rate tends to come across as more body at times. CHEERS! -Mike

[@paulmcallister4546]

When I first started going to pubs in the 1980's in the Midlands (UK), this was 'the' beer of the area, strongly associated with factory workers quenching their thirst without getting a little too loose! Traditionally very low abv, a little sweeter than say a Bitter or IPA. Its a style thats overdue a revival in my opinion. Good work fella's.

[@pattonmoore]

Looks absolutely great! Slainte!

[@philclifton6813]

Plenty of alternatives to Fuggle and Goldings. Northdown and Bram X work well with dark malts. Challenger, Progress, First Gold all good. Or just use Willamette.

[@helladankseedco.2411]

So do Magnum Hops I found...

[@BestBackingTracks]

That is one good looking beer!

[@BrewDudes]

Thanks. I think a touch lighter would be fine. It looks like a porter on camera and that wasn't my intent. Cheers! -Mike

[@egruber50]

I have a suggestion. Conduct a poll on the blog. Should Mike use Fuggle hops ever again. Yes or No.

[@playingwithdata]

My own iterated mild recipe uses Bramling Cross for mid-late hop additions and Fuggles for the early boil. I find the lighter notes of the Bramling play quite nicely with the Fuggles character being fairly background. Perhaps give that a shot next time you fancy brewing a mild.

[@BrewDudes]

I don't think I've seen Bramling Cross around here for years. But go on you! Cheers! -Mike

[@djup_skogen]

Thanks for the video(s)!
Amber malt has a flavor that, once you know it, you can’t help but recognize it any time it is used. After paying attention to it in my brewing there were a few examples of commercial beer from England where I immediately knew that amber malt was there.
You often talk about the quality of hops available for homebrewers and the sourcing and such. In my experience fuggles can be great and they can be awful. I brewed with them in the US and I couldn’t stand them - the earthy dirty woody thing was unpleasant. I have brewed with them again now in Europe and they are wonderful - orange marmalade herbal in a pleasant way and bright. So I wouldn’t discount fuggles themselves but the sourcing is important. (Similar but opposite experience for some American hops)

[@BrewDudes]

I'd love to get that marmalade thing going but haven't found a decent lot that delivers. But nice to hear it can live up to its potential. Cheers! -Mike

[@ZukaraTheGame]

Woot first! And I have a fuggles stout that I brewed right next to me

[@grahamhawes7089]

Thought John was gonna spit it out when you used the F-word. 😂

[@BrewDudes]

He's such a prude! Cheers! -Mike

[@richardhowarth4230]

Got a two year old kid starting to talk. Found my alternative f word.....oh fuggles

[@BrewDudes]

Indeed. Love it. Cheers! -Mike

[@jamescooper8770]

Fuggles DIPA?

[@krwilson77able]

Don't use solvent as a description lol

[@MrDoolay]

I think he was just describing the qualities of ethanol and how that changes our perception of flavours generally, not the beer itself :)