Regional Beer Styles ca. 1900 (part two)

This time we're going to look at how these different types of beer were brewed 

Starting with Mild.

"The brewer who wishes nowadays to succeed in his profession must certainly understand how to blend the materials employed and treat the brewing water, manipulating this for the mash-tun in such a way that by the correct method of fermentation and use of the right type of yeast, any class of beer desired may be turned out by him. This subject is too intricate to discuss fully in these pages, but I might say that for luscious mild ales, it is necessary to employ a large percentage of sugar in the copper, and well-cured malts in the mash-tun, in conjunction with a percentage of prepared rice or maize. For dry mild ales, it is usual to employ a fairly large percentage of glucose, also prepared grain, with fairly pale or lightly cured malts. The water used has, naturally, as I have already mentioned, a great deal to do with the palate-fulness, flavour and characters of the beers turned out."
"A Treatise of Practical Brewing and Malting" by Frank Thatcher, The Country Brewers' Gazette, 1905, pages 293 - 294.

For a Mild, then, you needed a shitload of sugar, some darker malts and an adjunct.. But the water was key to the character of the finished beer.

Next its the turn of Porter and Stout.

"The imitation of the London porters and stouts is not a difficult matter, considering that caramel and sugars which yield a luscious flavour are added to the copper. Then also, we have blends of black, crystal, amber and brown malts in addition to the ordinary pale or high-dried malts which are generally used; whereas for stouts produced in Ireland, it is usual to employ high-dried English and Irish malts blended with brown, amber, crystal and black or chocolate malts. In my former book on Brewing I dealt with this subject at great length, but, considering that operations in all breweries van so considerably, I do not now think it advisable to deal with the matter in extenso, but would add that in addition to the mash-tun materials employed, it is equally necessary to give sufficient attention to the blend of hops employed in the copper and cask, and as the type of yeast used, system of fermentation, and many other details affect the quality, flavour and condition of the finished beers produced, I think it somewhat inadvisable to give in these columns any percentages of materials, since they might be somewhat misleading."
"A Treatise of Practical Brewing and Malting" by Frank Thatcher, The Country Brewers' Gazette, 1905, page 294. 

He's right that London Black Beers had more complex malt bills than those brewed elsewhere. In particular, brown malt was a defining feature of London versions. Crystal and amber malts were more optional. With the latter mostly appearing in posh Stouts.