“Twenty years earlier, this would’ve been twice as strong, but World War I devastated British beer,” says Mike Karnowski, cofounder and brewer at Zebulon Artisan Ales. “Government regulations, taxes, and ingredient shortages had all taken their toll. Mild took much of the blow and ended up as, basically, ‘the cheapest beer on tap.’”
He adds: “This would be a silly choice for a two-ounce pour in a flight. This is a beer to be consumed in large amounts. It would be typical to have five to six pints over the course of an evening, playing darts or cards with friends at the pub.
“No one was overthinking mild ale—it was basically a cheap amber ale with some caramel notes and a touch of hops. The ingredients were simple: mild ale malt, some dark invert sugar syrup for flavor, and just enough hops to balance it all out.”
For more from Karnowski on making invert syrups at home or in the brewery, see Zebulon’s Mike Karnowski Shares Four Ways to Make Invert Sugar.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.033
FG: 1.005
IBUs: 25
ABV: 3.7%