Beer Styles

What is a dark mild? A dark, light ale with low alcohol and low bitterness. Mild here doesn't mean weak, but mild in the sense of not very bitter, originally in contrast to the heavily hopped beers that needed long aging. Typical flavors include toast, caramel, nut, and a touch of chocolate, with a soft body.

Hydes in Salford, in business since 1863, offers a light mild alongside its dark one; J. W. Lees has carried a dark mild called Brewer's Dark since 2005. Thwaites's Nutty Black, according to the brewery, comes in at 3.3 percent in cask and is considered a typical example of a light representative of the style.

The difference from bitter is simple: bitter is paler, copper to amber in color, noticeably more hoppy and a touch stronger. Best bitter is the standard beer of the English pub, spicy with a dry finish. Mild, by contrast, is darker and sweeter, with less hop character.

What sets mild apart from stout and porter is strength: an Irish stout, per BJCP, runs 3.8 to 5 percent alcohol and brings even darker, coffee-like roasted notes. Dark mild stays lighter and sweeter.

The newest line in the Northwest is hazy IPA. It's cloudy, heavily hopped, and gets its character from fruit aromas rather than bitterness. Cloudwater was named one of the world's ten best breweries by the review site RateBeer in both 2017 and 2018, making it the only British brewery to make that list.