Loving lager

Wondered why I've been quiet this last week? No, I didn't think you had. But I'm going to tell you anyway. Volume IX of my Mini Book Series has been occupying most of my time. "Trips! (South)" it's called. A guide to the beeriest spots in southern Germany.

While I was at it, I thought I may as well smarten up the brewery section. I originally assembled the book before christmas and didn't do much in the way of extra research. I've been putting that right this week. Which has meant looking up some stuff on RateBeer. Guess what I noticed?

Now, I don't usually pay much attention to how others mark beers. But something struck me when looking at the really good Franconian breweries. My own scores were way out of whack with those on RateBeer. Mine were much, much higher.

Closer inspection revealed a depressing fact. Virtually no average strength lager got a decent score. Not even the heart-stoppingly good ones. And those good ones only scored marginally higher than not very good ones.

Why does no-one else love lager the way I do?

Checking out Mild and Brown Ale styles

Given all the recipes I've been posting for Mild and Brown Ale, I thought I'd best check out how the experts describe them.

First off, Ratebeer:

Mild Ale
Slightly malty, no hop flavor or aroma. Medium to dark brown in color with very little head or carbonation. Mild refers to lack of any hop flavor or aroma. Serve with traditional pub fare.

Brown Ale
Color ranges from reddish-brown to dark brown. Lower in alcohol than porter, medium to full body flavor. Appropriate foods are apple pie, pork with brown sauce, beef vegetable soup and cheddar.

This is what BeerAdvocate has to say:

Dark Mild Ale
The quintessential British session beer, like its name suggests, a Mild is known for its low level of hops character. Alcohol content is traditionally very low. Grainy to toasty malts might be present, but expect some body from the high dextrins produced in brewing. Low carbonation with a near still, bubbly head. Colors can range from gold to dark brown. Traditionally a draft beer made popular in London and the Midlands of England.


English Brown Ale
Spawned from the Mild Ale, Brown Ales tend to be maltier and sweeter on the palate, with a fuller body. Color can range from reddish brown to dark brown. Some versions will lean towards fruity esters, while others tend to be drier with nutty characters. All seem to have a low hop aroma and bitterness.

And finally, the most pretigious of all, the BJCP:

Dark Mild Ale
Overall Impression: A light-flavored, malt-accented beer that is readily suited to drinking in quantity. Refreshing, yet flavorful. Some versions may seem like lower gravity brown porters.

History: May have evolved as one of the elements of early porters. In modern terms, the name “mild” refers to the relative lack of hop bitterness (i.e., less hoppy than a pale ale, and not so strong). Originally, the “mildness” may have referred to the fact that this beer was young and did not yet have the moderate sourness that aged batches had. Somewhat rare in England, good versions may still be found in the Midlands around Birmingham.


Southern English Brown Ale
History: English brown ales are generally split into sub-styles along geographic lines. Southern English (or “London-style”) brown ales are darker, sweeter, and lower gravity than their Northern cousins. Developed as a bottled product in the early 20th century out of a reaction against vinous vatted porter and often unpalatable mild. Well suited to London’s water supply.

Ingredients: English pale ale malt as a base with a healthy proportion of darker caramel malts and often some roasted (black) malt and wheat malt. Moderate to high carbonate water would appropriately balance the dark malt acidity. English hop varieties are most authentic, though with low flavor and bitterness almost any type could be used.

Do you think these descriptions match what we're seeing in the recipes? I'd appreciate your comments.

I will say one thing. BeerAdvocate says of Dark Mild: "Alcohol content is traditionally very low". I like that one. Like "IPA is strong". When exactly does the "Traditional" period cover? For Dark Mild, it's post WW II. For IPA, it seems to be 1830.

World's best brewer

You might expect that the recipients of a best brewer award would need to own a kettle or two. But that's not how things work at RateBeer. This year they've given the top award to Struise.

I could argue that it's ridiculous to call a company "the best brewer in the world" when they own no brewery. But I'm not so churlish. I'm just pleased Westvleteren weren't winners. After RateBeer announced Westvleteren 12 was the best beer in the world a couple of years back, its availability plummeted. Then the price soared. I used to be able to get it relatively easily and at a decent price. Will those days ever return? I fear not.

Struise is another matter. Availability is already crap. They basically brew for the US and Scandinavian geek market. So that's where most of their beer goes. Not that it worries me. Apart from Aardmonnik, I don't get that excited about their beers.

If this next statement sounds selfish, it's because it is. Picking Struise as the world's best will have no impact on me personally. So I think it's great. I hope they do the same next year and the year after. And the year after that. Then the availability of beers I do really care about won't be impacted.

Well done RateBeer! And keep up the good work.