Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Smooth and mild, this English Dark Mild goes down easy. Light toast is paired with notes of caramel, berries and subtle raisin. Combined with a creamy nitro pour; this sessionable ale might be lower in abv but it’s big in flavour.

Crush the Maris Otter and specialty grains to a coarse consistency. Heat 3.0 gallons of water to about 165°F (74°C) to account for grain temperature and target mash at 152°F (67°C).

Crush and Heat

Dough in: add crushed grains to the heated water, stir thoroughly to eliminate dry clumps and reach a stable mash temperature of 152°F (67°C). Hold mash at 152°F for 60 minutes to develop a balanced body and fermentability that suits a dark mild (gives light toast, caramel and some dextrin body).

Optional mash steps: if you prefer a drier, more attenuated beer, step to 156°F (69°C) for the last 10 minutes; for a slightly sweeter finish stay at 152°F for full 60 minutes.

After mash rests, raise temperature to 168°F (76°C) for mash-out for 10 minutes to stop conversion and ease lautering.

Sparge with ~2.5–3.5 gallons of water at ~170°F (77°C) until you collect approximately 6.0–6.5 gallons of wort in the kettle (adjust volumes for equipment losses).

Bring the wort to a vigorous boil. Begin a 60-minute boil once boiling starts. Boil length preserves English character and gently reduces oxygen before fermentation.

Bittering hop addition: add 0.5 oz East Kent Goldings at 60 minutes remaining in the boil.

At 15 minutes remaining, add 0.25 oz East Kent Goldings for flavor and aroma, plus 0.5 tsp Irish moss (or Whirlfloc) to help clarity.

At flameout, turn off heat and allow the hop particles to settle a few minutes, then chill wort rapidly using an immersion or plate chiller to yeast-pitching temperature (65–68°F / 18–20°C).

Top up kettle with additional water if you fell short of target pre-boil or post-boil volume; account for this in gravity calculations.

Transfer chilled wort to a sanitized fermenter, leaving as much hop/trub behind as practical to avoid excessive off-flavors. Aerate wort vigorously (shake, splatter between sanitized vessels, or use sterile oxygen) to provide oxygen for yeast propagation.

Pitch the English ale yeast at 65–68°F (18–20°C). If using dry yeast, rehydrate per manufacturer instructions for best performance. Expected original gravity (OG) should be ~1.036–1.040 (sessionable, lower ABV).

Ferment at 65–68°F (18–20°C) for 7–10 days, allowing a healthy, moderate fermentation. After the most active fermentation subsides (usually 3–5 days), optionally raise temperature by 2–3°F for a couple days to finish attenuation and clean up any diacetyl.

When primary fermentation is complete and gravity is stable for 2–3 days (final gravity around 1.010–1.014 depending on mash profile), cold-crash the fermenter to near 35–40°F (2–4°C) for 24–48 hours to settle yeast and help clarity.

If bottling: prepare priming sugar by dissolving 3.5 oz (100 g) dextrose in 1 cup (240 ml) of boiling water, cool, and gently mix into the sanitized bottling bucket. Rack beer onto priming solution, avoiding aeration, then bottle and cap. Condition bottles at 68°F (20°C) for 10–14 days, then cold condition for a few days before serving. Nitro-like mouthfeel from bottles is limited; consider using a nitro widget or kegging for best results.

If kegging: transfer beer to a sanitized keg. For a nitro-style pour, force-carbonate gently with CO2 to a low CO2 volume (0.8–1.2 volumes CO2) at serving temperature, then use a stout gas blend (70% N2 / 30% CO2) at 30–40 psi and a stout faucet or restrictor plate to push nitrogen into solution and create the creamy cascade. Alternatively, use a nitro widget in bottles or cans at packaging to approximate the effect.

Carbonation and nitro serving tips: serve at 38–42°F (3–6°C). If using keg + nitro, purge keg with gas, set stout gas/regulator to recommended pressure for your system, and dispense through a stout faucet to achieve the classic creamy head and smooth mouthfeel.

Add small gypsum and Epsom salt amounts to the mash or strike water to accentuate malt backbone and hop expression in a light way. Use lactic acid a few drops at a time to bring mash pH to 5.2–5.5 if necessary. These are optional and should be used only if you test water and want to tweak minerality.

Maris Otter pale ale malt

British light crystal malt (40L)

Medium crystal malt (80L)

CaraMunich I (60–80L)

Brown malt (or best for dark mild color)

Roasted barley (for color; use small amount)

Water (mash and sparge combined)

East Kent Goldings hops (whole or pellets)

East Kent Goldings hops (aroma/flavor)

Irish moss (or Whirlfloc)

Priming sugar (dextrose) for bottling

Water (to top up kettle during boil as needed)

English ale yeast (dry) — e.g., Wyeast 1098/ White Labs WLP002 equivalent or Safale S-04

Nitrogen/CO2 stout gas (for nitro dispensing) or a nitro widget (optional)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate)

Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)

Lactic acid (to adjust mash pH)

Nitro English Dark Mild

Make Nitro English Dark Mild Recipe in just 168h . Smooth and mild, this English Dark Mild goes down easy. Light toast is paired with notes of caramel, berries and subtle raisin. Combined with a creamy nitro pour; this sessionable ale might be lower in abv but it’s big in flavour.

Nitro English Dark Mild

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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