Banks's Mild Recipe

[George Hawkins]

As a Midlander I feel compelled to brew a batch of one of my local favourites - Banks's Mild.

Does any one have any tried and tested Banks's Mild recipes? I have done a fair amount of research and the recipes out there seem to vary quite a bit!

Thanks in advance.

George.

 

[marshbrewer]

Best packaged Mild available, IMHO. Wish you could still get it in cask. There is recipe in Graham Wheelers BYOBRA but it's for Banks Hanson's Mild, which I'm not sure is the same thing. Keep us updated on your search!

 

[George Hawkins]

Best packaged Mild available, IMHO. Wish you could still get it in cask. There is recipe in Graham Wheelers BYOBRA but it's for Banks Hanson's Mild, which I'm not sure is the same thing. Keep us updated on your search!

I couldn't agree more! I occasionally see it in some of the old fashioned Wolverhampton pubs on smooth pour. Although having said that it has been a good while since I've seen it...

 

[marshbrewer]

I went on a bit of a mission earlier in the year to see which of the mass produced, easily available milds I liked best. Rudgates Ruby Mild was the best I could find, but it was a bit cheaty as it was 4.5abv and not that readily available. Banks Mild was the next best and was much nicer than Thwaites ( these two being the main ones you see in supermarkets). I have since fallen down a rabbit hole of perfecting a house both light and dark mild; I've cracked the dark mild and am getting close with the light. Starting point for the dark mild was a 1950s J D Lee's recipe, and a 1930's Greene King for the light, but there is always room for improvement so Im hoping your search is fruitful!

 

[George Hawkins]

I went on a bit of a mission earlier in the year to see which of the mass produced, easily available milds I liked best. Rudgates Ruby Mild was the best I could find, but it was a bit cheaty as it was 4.5abv and not that readily available. Banks Mild was the next best and was much nicer than Thwaites ( these two being the main ones you see in supermarkets). I have since fallen down a rabbit hole of perfecting a house both light and dark mild; I've cracked the dark mild and am getting close with the light. Starting point for the dark mild was a 1950s J D Lee's recipe, and a 1930's Greene King for the light, but there is always room for improvement so Im hoping your search is fruitful!

That sounds great! Many thanks I will be sure to update the thread with my findings

 

[Jim Brewster]

Will have to get a bottle of this, I like their bitter, nice easy drinking no nonsense beer.

 

[George Hawkins]

Will have to get a bottle of this, I like their bitter, nice easy drinking no nonsense beer.

Do it Jim! Great beer :)

 

[user 18729]

I love Banks’s ales. Sadly don’t think I’ve tried their mild. I can imagine it being quite special out of a cask

 

[George Hawkins]

I love Banks’s ales. Sadly don’t think I’ve tried their mild. I can imagine it being quite special out of a cask

That is a shame! Yes, I think it’s sort of fallen out of fashion. I live local-ish to the brewery and only tend to see it on draft in working men’s club/cricket clubs etc in the local area. The off-licence by me also sells it in the can

 

[terrym]

I went on a bit of a mission earlier in the year to see which of the mass produced, easily available milds I liked best. Rudgates Ruby Mild was the best I could find, but it was a bit cheaty as it was 4.5abv and not that readily available. Banks Mild was the next best and was much nicer than Thwaites ( these two being the main ones you see in supermarkets). I have since fallen down a rabbit hole of perfecting a house both light and dark mild; I've cracked the dark mild and am getting close with the light. Starting point for the dark mild was a 1950s J D Lee's recipe, and a 1930's Greene King for the light, but there is always room for improvement so Im hoping your search is fruitful!

C'mon @jjsh share the recipes you are perfecting
I like dark mild.
I did mod one of your earlier mild recipes from your blog as a partial mash earlier this year and its currently on my 'to do again' list, but am always open to new ideas.

 

[marshbrewer]

I actually quite like Banks Barley Gold as well, although it suffers from pasteurisation and canning in my opinion. The images on their website suggest that it, and mild, are on hand pull in the bar after the brewery tour which is something I need to check out after lockdown ends properly.

 

[ColinDalziel]

I think they rebranded Banks’s Mild a few years ago and it’s now called Banks’s Original. It’s available in pretty much every Bank’s pub I know of. So if you want to try it you know what to look for.

 

[marshbrewer]

C'mon @jjsh share the recipes you are perfecting
I like dark mild.
I did mod one of your earlier mild recipes from your blog as a partial mash earlier this year and its currently on my 'to do again' list, but am always open to new ideas.

To be honest @terrym I haven't developed the dark mild recipe from the one on my blog yet. That's the latest version; I know we chatted about my wanting to eliminate the black malt but as summer approached I haven't brewed it yet.

The light mild is on my brewday thread. If you like a light mild I highly recommend it. It's odd in that it has a gentle dry hop, which is uncommon in a light mild in my experience, but this is something that was in the original Greene King recipe, not something I have added. It's not a beer to drink cold, however, otherwise it's bland. It needs to be at cellar temps - 12°c ish

 

[micklupulo]

I couldn't agree more! I occasionally see it in some of the old fashioned Wolverhampton pubs on smooth pour. Although having said that it has been a good while since I've seen it...

I live in Wolverhampton and whilst I don't drink mild these days am sure two of my locals still sell mild on draught.

 

[AdeDunn]

Best packaged Mild available, IMHO. Wish you could still get it in cask. There is recipe in Graham Wheelers BYOBRA but it's for Banks Hanson's Mild, which I'm not sure is the same thing. Keep us updated on your search!

The original book has both recipes, Banks's Mild (which became Banks's Original) and Hanson's Mild. If I remember correctly, the Banks's Mild (original) recipe is possibly in the section for bitters?

Trying to find my copy at the moment, but it is in there, I promise, as I say, they changed the name of the beer to Bank's Original if you still want to buy some (I live in Wolverhampton. lol). It's very much still available. Their bitter got renamed to something like Amber bitter or something, but that stuff just isn't that nice to be honest, even though I did have a go at cloning it once. Basically though, if it's brewed in Wolverhampton, it's Fuggles and Goldings for hops.... Or just Fuggles. lol

 

[AdeDunn]

Found it, P134 right after Banks's Bitter. For a 23 Litre Batch:-

Target OG 1.036, Target FG 1.009. Target ABV 3.6%. Target Bitterness 25 IBUs. Target Colour 40 EBC.

90 minute mash 66 degrees C.

Pale Malt 3600g
Black Malt 81 g

90 Minute boil.

90 Minutes Fuggles 43g
10 minutes Goldings 14g
10 minutes Irish moss 3g/Protafloc 1/2 tablet (choice, books calls for Irish moss, I use Protafloc myself)

Total Liquor 32 litres
Mash Liquor 9.2 litres

(yeah, again, I work that out myself with software, ya know)

Book makes no mention of alpha acids percentages for the hops, but just adjust to hit the IBUs, I'd mainly adjust the Fuggles those been your bittering hop.

As I said, almost everything out of Wolverhampton is brewed with Fuggles and Goldings, or just Fuggles. Holdens are the same... lol

 

[RichardM]

I've brewed the Banks' Hanson's Mild and can recommended it.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

This looks much the same. Available as an AG kit: Banks's Original Style Recipe Kit | Worcester Hop Shop

 

[George Hawkins]

Awesome! Thanks everyone for your input

 

[Pitbull]

Best packaged Mild available, IMHO. Wish you could still get it in cask. There is recipe in Graham Wheelers BYOBRA but it's for Banks Hanson's Mild, which I'm not sure is the same thing. Keep us updated on your search!

Late to the party but have to agree as a midlander I loved Hansons mild, the difference is Banks's is brewed in Wolverhampton and Hansons was brewed in Dudley but they closed that brewery in 1992. I preferred Hansons as it had a nicer taste, put it down to the water, I do love Banks's original when I can get it in Northumberland