Fancy a pint of mild?

Traditional beer styles such as the 'Mild' have made a major comeback. Jon Howard from the Campaign for Real Ale has created a guide to one of the UK's most historic beer styles in the run up to National Mild Month. He reports.

Not so long ago, Mild beers were an endangered style of real ale; consumers were put off by the misconceptions tagged to the word 'Mild', and as a consequence brewers were not producing them. For what was once recognised as the most popular beer style in the UK up until the 1950's, things were not going well.

However, at a time when the nation is enduring a torrid recession - one reason why over 5 pubs shut across the UK per day – the craft brewing industry is enjoying more than healthy growth, with a 20% increase in the number of breweries starting up production in the last 2 years alone. Couple this with research showing a sharp increase in the number of drinkers trying real ale for the first time, and it becomes apparent why traditional beer styles such as the 'Mild' have made an emphatic return.

In total, there are currently over 200 Milds available in the UK, which is twice the number available to the consumer at the turn of the 21st century. While there are many misconceptions still apparent when it comes to Mild beers – many find the name unappealing, others think they'll lack any taste – it is clear to see the style is undergoing a resurgence when counting the number of pubs now serving a Mild on hand pump at the bar.

Although there is such a thing as a 'light Mild', Mild beers are generally dark in colour and have a malty, often roasted flavour. This is due to brewers conventionally using a generous amount of malts, both pale and dark, to get that classic red-brown colour typically associated with the Mild. Alcohol content for a standard Mild is usually fairly low, at around 3%-5% ABV, but again this is only a general point. Some strong Milds can be as high as 6% ABV and beyond!

The best thing about Mild beers is their refreshing taste and surprising amount of flavour packed into what is conventionally a low alcohol product. Many Mild beers pair extremely well with various meats, puddings and pates, and wouldn't look out of place at a barbeque.

In the past few years Mild beers have rubber-stamped their return with crowning glory in CAMRA's Champion Beer of Britain competition, held each year at the Great British Beer Festival, Earls Court, London, in August. Last year, Rudgate brewery's Ruby Mild, weighing in at 4.4% ABV, took the overall prize due to its 'rich, fruity character', a victory that, as renowned beer writer Roger Protz proclaimed at the time, would further invigorate the Mild beer style. Only two years earlier, Hobsons brewery ran away with the same coveted prize with their excellent Mild, packing the beer with flavour at a mere 3.2% ABV.

As CAMRA gears up for its month of campaigning in May to champion the Mild beer style and encourage more licensees to stock Mild beers, there are already many licensees across the UK who have a hand pump devoted to permanently dispensing tasty Milds.

One such pub is CAMRA's National Pub of the Year winner for the last two years, the Kelham Island Tavern, Sheffield. Another example is the renowned Wellington pub in Birmingham, a pub revered for its quality and choice. As licensee Nigel Barker notes, increasing consumer interest in Mild beers has meant a permanent demand at the award-winning outlet.

He said: 'We have an all year round demand for mild and usually stock Black Country Pig on the Wall on a regular basis plus guest Milds. During May we do our best to promote Mild Month and have had as many as 6 guest Milds on at any one time! Not only do they appeal to the older drinker but there is much interest from younger drinkers as well.'

When National Mild Month begins on May 1st 2010, CAMRA's 200+ branches will yet again be descending upon local pubs and breweries, conducting Mild beer trails, tasting sessions, meet the brewer evenings and other initiatives to encourage more consumers to give this historical beer style a try.

So why not get involved yourself in May by trying a local Mild and joining CAMRA in celebrating one of the UK's most historic beer styles? With misconceptions surrounding the style slowly being broken down, you may discover it's one of the most tasty, refreshing drinks you can find in a pub!

To find out more information about CAMRA's National Mild Month, please visit www.camra.org.uk/mild. To prepare for the Month, CAMRA are offering licensees free promotional packs including pump clips to help consumers identify Milds at point of sale.

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• 26 Nov 2009 - CAMRA announces National Pub of the Year finalists
• 16 Nov 2009 - CAMRA backs celebrity London pub