For the past few months, I've spent my nights apprenticing at a local bakery. Although I could designate nearly a thousand words highlighting the MASSIVE amount of respect and lessons learned from bakers (not to mention, the work ethic that the occupation demands), I'll focus on just a single of many similarities between the worlds of baking and brewing that has continually took shape throughout my training.

"To love bread, you must first love its elements."

This phrase has been uttered several times to me. But upon first hearing, I immediately projected the expression to brewing.

A careful selection of hops, malt, yeast, and water treatment are essential for most traditional styles. However, as our palates stray away from the traditional and continue to explore the unconventional, we start to lose sight of the why we love beer in the first place. Sometimes it's as if we're advocating unconventionality for the sake of being different...

I decided to strip down my approach to brewing.

Nothing permanent. But to pepper-in the brewing of classic styles, at least once a month, would allow me to focus on raw materials and my respect for selecting and understanding them.

So what styles reflect the brewer's love for raw materials?

Sure, I could take the well-traveled path of lagers. However, I opted to focus on a style that, on an American commercial level, is nearly extinct.

The Mild.

Some people refer to it as "barley water". And I'll admit, the name doesn't help its case. Furthermore, in a world of pastry stouts and triple-hopped New England IPAs, the dark mild can be easily, and understandably, overlooked.

But the dark mild conveys details and subtleties that no other beer can. It truly is a style that highlights nuances and sessionability that reflects the expertise of the brewer. And similar to most light lager styles, there is nothing to hide behind.

If you're looking to test the skills of a brewer, ask for a mild.

Here's my test...

RECIPE SPECS:

Batch Size: 5 Gallons into Keg

SRM: (estimated per BeerSmith) 19.3

IBUs: (estimated per BeerSmith) 20

Anticipated OG: 1.040

Anticipated FG: 1.010

Anticipated ABV: 3.9%

Actual OG: 1.040

Actual FG: 1.011

Actual ABV: 3.8%

Grain:

Golden Promise (77%), English Crystal Malt, ºL = 60 (19%), Chocolate Wheat (4%)

Hops: HopShot (1.5 mL) @ 60 minutes, Fuggles (Alpha = 3.8%) (1 oz) @ 15 minutes

Yeast: (Wyeast 1318, LA III) - 0.9 L starter made 2 days prior to brewing at an estimated growth of 200B cells.

Water Profile: 100% Ozarka Natural Spring Water treated with Gypsum 4g, CaCl2 8g, 2g BrewTan B (split equally in brewing liquor and Boil Kettle) for a calculated pH of 5.2

Mash/Sparge Schedule:

Dough-In/Saccharification Rest @ 158ºF (60 minutes) with Mash pH taken at 20 minutes (pH = 5.18)

Mash-Out at 165ºF

Notes:

Recipe was brewed on an electric recirculation system.

90 minute boil performed appropriately with hop additions mentioned above.

Cooled to 67ºF

Whirlpool performed for 15 minutes and subsequently rested for 15 minutes to separate quality wort from trub.

6 Gallons of wort collected into conical fermentor.

67ºF yeast (post-decant) from starter pitched into 67ºF collected wort.

Fermentation kept at 67ºF for 48 hours. Temp then gradually raised to 69ºF for 2 days, then finished at 71ºF for secondary fermentation/maturation.

Once final gravity hit, approximately 10 days after pitching yeast (no activity in bubbler, gravity unchanged x 3 days), beer was then cold-crashed to 40ºF and gelatin was added.

3 days later, the beer was directly transferred (via CO2) to a keg and carbonated to 1.5 volumes CO2, then placed on tap with Guinness gas blend.

Results & Discussion:

Aroma: Subtle baker's chocolate with a delicate impression of sweetness. Albeit minuscule, a pleasant grassiness is noted.

Appearance: Pours beautifully off the nitrogen. Cascade Effect displays an array of ocher shades that form a tawny, tightly-knit capstone atop the beer. Excellent stability, as well.

Flavor: Initial saccharine components are kept in check, elegantly, by a soft bitterness. Midway through, soft esters give an impression of sweetness (reminiscent of pear and dessert apples) but gracefully get eclipsed by a nuttiness from the Fuggles, altogether playing well with the malt character.

Mouthfeel: Round and fluffy. The nitrogen accented the minimal amount of residual sugars, uplifting the body of the beer.

Overall, this beer wowed me from the start. For what it's worth, it's been on tap for a little less than a week–about a gallon remains. It's distinctive qualities and sessionable characteristics have made it a quick and easy favorite.

Future Changes:

Beer Development: A beer being drank too quick is good problem, but I'd like to see how it fares over 6-8 weeks. Out of the gate, I was more than satisfied with the recipe. However, a few flaws may arise with some aging.

Additive Inclusions: The experimenter in me wants to play around with some small accompaniments in the brewing process. I'd likely try to add a small amount of holiday spices into the boil. I've also thought about running the beer through coffee beans during the direct transfer into the keg.

Final Thoughts:

I'd be remiss if I didn't give at least some credit to Orfy's Mild Mannered Ale. During the synthesis of this recipe, I visualized the individual components put forth from this seasoned blueprint and coupled it with my own flavor preferences. What was created is something that I will continue to brew regularly.