CAMRA National Mild Month- May 2010 UK real ale drinkers toast increase in fortunes of once ‘endangered’ beer style

Issued: Friday April 30^th 2010

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, has kicked off celebrations for its National Mild in May campaign with the release of new research showing the increasing profile of the Mild beer style.

In a survey to 500 real ale drinkers spread across the UK, CAMRA found that 64% of drinkers have seen an increase in the number of Mild beers served at pubs and beer festivals over the past 5 years. Similarly, 75% of those surveyed also noted the availability of Mild beers in pubs and brewery shops within a 30 mile radius of their home.

The aim of National Mild Month is to encourage local pubs to stock a Mild throughout the month of May, and to encourage trial of this traditional beer style through initiatives such as ‘try before you buys’, third pint sampling measures, Mild beer and food matching events, and Mild beer tasting sessions.

Once classified as an endangered beer style, there are now over 200 Milds brewed in the UK, more than double the number brewed at the end of the 20^th century. CAMRA’s research shows that even a proportion of real ale drinkers are unaware of this huge amount of variety, with 41% unaware of the fact there are over 200 Mild beers brewed in the UK.

Speaking before the launch of CAMRA’s Mild in May campaign, Duncan Woodhead, CAMRA National Beer Styles Co-ordinator, said:

‘This new research really reinforces the fact that today’s discerning drinkers are helping to bring back traditional beer styles such as the Mild into pubs, and from a broader perspective, as a conventionally less bitter, lower in alcohol alternative to other beers, this wider availability of the Mild is great news for getting more drinkers to try the delights of real ale for the first time.

‘In the last 6 months alone, some of the UK’s leading brewers have reverted back to calling their renowned brands a ‘Mild’, and with the overall growth of the real ale industry coinciding with figures showing 50% of UK drinkers have now tried real ale, there’s a real opportunity for the Mild to return to its former glory, when in the 1950’s it was the nation’s most popular beer style.

In the same survey, CAMRA asked real ale drinkers to name their best loved Milds. The top three most popular from the sample of 500 drinkers were Rudgate brewery’s (of Tockwith, York, North Yorkshire) Ruby Mild, which is CAMRA’s current Champion Beer of Britain, Sarah Hughes brewery’s (of Sedgley, Dudley, West Midlands) Dark Ruby, and West Berkshire brewery’s (of Yattendon, Berkshire) Maggs’ Magnificent Mild.

National Mild Month

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, and Britain’s pubs and brewers, will once again be championing the Mild beer style with a variety of events throughout May to promote this traditional drink.

Mild beers tend to be of a low alcohol by volume, and are usually dark in colour, due to the use of well-roasted malts or barley, and are conventionally less hopped than bitters. Past CAMRA Champion Milds include Beckstones Black Dog Freddy, Hobson's Mild and Oscar Wilde Mild by Mighty Oak.

CAMRA is encouraging all its local branches to get behind the campaign and send out a dominant message as to the importance of the Mild. Past events such as 'Mild Trails' and tasting sessions have been highly successful, and with local brewers signing up to show their support, Mild Month 2009 could prove a pivotal year for this wonderful beer style.

Ruth Tyrrell, CAMRA National Beer Styles Coordinator, said:
‘Milds are at the heart of British brewing heritage, and we are urging all licensees to support the initiative by stocking a mild throughout the month of May, or even organising events such as ‘try before you buys’ and ‘meet the brewer’ sessions. One of the main aims of Mild Month is to show licensees that serving a range of beer styles offers diversity to the consumer, and could prove beneficial to their trade, which is important at the moment when so many pubs are closing.’

National Mild Day will be celebrated on Saturday May 9th and more details of this date will be released on the CAMRA website nearer the time- www.camra.org.uk