Let’s brew 1837 Whitbread X!

I love early Mild recipes for a reason. No, not that they’re dead strong. (Though I certainly don’t hold that against them.) It’s that they’re really, really simple.

They’re pretty much all SMASH recipes. Just base malt and hops. That’s it. Which doesn’t leave me a huge amount to talk about.

This recipe comes from Whitbread’s first Ale brewing book. As a Porter brewer, Whitbread had exclusively brewed Beer until 1836. Porter and Stout, if you recall, being types of Brown Beer. All the big London Porter brewers took up Ale brewing in the 1830’s. Possibly in reaction to the 1830 Beer Act, which had seen the establishment of a new class of pubs which sold beer but no spirits. Ale seems to have been very popular in this class of establishment.

It’s not very much like a modern Mild. The OG is way higher. The colour much paler. The attenuation much lower. The hopping much heavier.

Not sure which style-Nazi cubbyhole it could be forced into. Not dark enough for a Scotch Ale or an Old Ale. Not strong enough for a Barley Wine. Maybe some sort of IPA. There are so many of those it must sort of fit the specs for one. Or maybe I can think up my own new IPA substyle. Mild IPA – how about that. Don’t think it’s been done yet.

Not really much more that I can say than that. Oh yes, I remember. Drink Mild!

1837 Whitbread X
mild malt	16.50 lb	100.00%
Goldings 90 mins	2.50 oz
Goldings 30 mins	2.50 oz
OG	1072.6
FG	1033.8
ABV	5.13
Apparent attenuation	53.44%
IBU	59
SRM	7
Mash at	154º F
Sparge at	165º F
Boil time	90 minutes
pitching temp	64º F
Yeast	Wyeast 1099 Whitbread Ale