THWAITE A MINUTE! (Thwaites Mild)

Member Name: tange

Product:	Thwaites Mild
Date:	09/05/03 (114 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good tasty and visually appealing, A good example of a Mild Ale

Disadvantages: Hard to come by, Milds get a bad press!

As a fully paid up, card carrying member of CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale) I always try to support their campaigns wherever I can. Mostly this involves drinking and talking about beer ~ it's VERY difficult and such a HARDSHIP (not)! May is officially classed as Mild Month and Mild Day is 10th May. We are going out on a trip around a few pubs in Derbyshire sampling this often hard to get hold of style of beer. In honour of this occasion I thought I should tell you about a really good example of a Mild; Thwaites Mild.

I have already given a brief outline of the history of Mild as a style of beer in previous opinions on Milds (e.g. Cains Dark Mild, Batemans Dark Mild and Theakstons Mild), so I won't repeat all that (if you do want to know more leave me a comment and I'll fill you in). Suffice it to say that generally Milds tend to be of a lower alcohol strength and usually a darker colour. They are called "Mild" because they don't contain as many hops and are milder than the "Bitter" style beers. Mild became popular among workers in the Industrial sector ~ they liked an easy to drink, often cheaper beer that was still tasty and of good quality. In recent years Mild has become less popular (it has a bad image amongst younger drinkers) but, with the help of campaigns such as the one by CAMRA, Mild is starting to claw its way back onto the bar!

Daniel Thwaites Brewery is based in Blackburn and has been in operation for over 200 years ~ the company dates from 1807. They use traditional brewing methods to produce a range of permanent and seasonal beers. They supply their products to a number of free trade outlets and some tenanted and managed pubs ~ the majority of these are around the north and midlands, but it is also possible to find Thwaites ales further afield. Some Thwaites beers you may come across include Daniels Hammer (5% ABV ~ a good tasty beer), Lancaster Bomber (4.4% ABV ~ rich dark and flavoursome
) and Good Elf (4.9% ABV ~ a Christmas Seasonal that is well worth a try).

Thwaites Mild weighs in at 3.3% ABV and as such is a pretty standard strength for a Mild. Looks wise, it is a lovely dark colour with a ruby red tinge when held up to the light. It is creamy and rich in consistency, but smooth and light too ~ a real pleasure to drink because it coats your palate nicely as it goes down. There isn't a great deal of aroma present, as is often the case with lower gravity Milds. I detected a faint maltiness but really not an awful lot else. Thwaites Mild is made using Dark Kiln Roasted Malt, along with Fuggles and Goldings hops and English barley ~ this all goes together to produce a Mild that is quite traditional in texture, flavour and colour!

What Thwaites Mild lacks in scent, it makes up for in the texture and flavour department. Taste wise, this Mild is pleasant and comforting. The predominant flavour is that of the nice rich malt ~ there is no bitterness, no harshness. In fact this is what Mild is all about ~ Thwaites have created a beer that is a credit to the Mild style! The finish develops into a very slight bitter taste, but this doesn't actually linger for too long. It is the lovely rich feel in your mouth that remains for just long enough to allow you to go to the bar for another pint!

Thwaites Mild would go really well with a meal and its low alcohol content would make it an ideal session ale. We drank ours in The Barrow Boy ~ a Thwaites Pub located at the bottom end of Chesterfield Market (near the Market Hall and the Pavements Shopping Centre). We have seen it there quite a few times ~ a bonus because Cask Mild is often hard to find. It cost us around the £1.80 a pint mark (not a bad price for a pint of beer in this £2.00 plus world we are living in) and we have always found it to be consistent in quality and flavour.

I thoroughly recommend that you give Mild a try; you may surprise yourself a
nd like it! Thwaites Mild is a good example of an underrated type of beer!

Brewery details:

Daniel Thwaites Brewery
PO Box 50
Star Brewery, Blackburn.
Tel: 01254 686868

http://www.thwaites.co.uk/Thwaites/English/web site_1_3/website/asp/base.asp

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