Here’s an all-grain recipe for a session beer using Briess Ashburne® Mild Malt. This unique base/specialty malt gets its name from the traditional English Mild Ale beer style. Amanda Baltazar penned an interesting article about this style in 2011, The Magic of Mild, for All About Beer. It’s a good read.

Some home brewers may be less familiar with Ashburne Mild Malt than other malts we produce at Briess. But once you try it, I think you’ll want to add it to your malt tool box. It has a really nice, interesting flavor—slightly malty, sweet with a subtle toasty flavor. It’s slightly darker with a higher dextrin level than Briess Pale Ale Malt, and lends a higher residual maltiness/mouthfeel to the finished beer. At 5.3º Lovibond and DP 65, this 2-row malt might take a bit longer to convert due to lower enzymes.

Some brewers use it as a base malt, others as a high percentage specialty malt. Typical uses are in Mild Ale, Brown Ale, Belgian Ale and Barley Wine. But as you can see from this recipe, its flavor is well suited for a wide variety of styles. Here, clover honey lightens the body and contributes subtle floral notes to this malty red lager.

For Brew Your Own magazine subscribers, turn to page 97 to tear our the Briess/White Labs recipe card. Or visit the Briess recipe database for a printer-friendly version. Sorry,  Ashburne Mild Malt isn’t available as extract (yet), so pull on your all-grain boots to make this quaffable brew.

Crimson and Clover Lager

  • Type: Lager
  • Style: Red Lager
  • Batch Size: 5 gallons
  • Recipe Type: All grain
  • Recipe Contributed By: Briess Technical Services Team

Ingredients

  • 7 lbs—Briess Ashburne® Mild Malt
  • 1.5 lbs—Briess Caramel Malt 60L
  • 1.5 lbs—Honey (preferably clover)—4 days after start of fermentation
  • 0.5 oz—Mount Hood Hops (5% AA)—60 minute boil
  • 0.5 oz—Mount Hood Hops (5% AA)—20 minute boil
  • 2 vials—WLP840 American Lager Yeast

Procedures

  1. Mash grains at 150-152ºF for 60 minutes
  2. Heat to 170ºF
  3. Lauter
  4. Boil with bittering hops for 40 minutes
  5. Add second hop addition, boil for 20 minutes
  6. Cool to 60ºF, oxygenate wort
  7. Pitch 1.5 vials of WLP840 American Lager Yeast

Fermentation

  • Primary Fermentation: 2 weeks at 50-55ºF; 4 days into primary: Dissolve honey in 2 cups of warm water, gently stir into fermenter
  • Secondary Fermentation: 2-4 weeks
  • Fermentation Notes: Force carbonate or bottle condition with 1/4 vial WLP840 American Lager Yeast

Stats

  • Original Gravity: 1.041ºPlato (before honey), 1.051ºPlato (after honey)
  • Final Gravity: 1.010ºPlato
  • ABW: 4.3%
  • ABV: 5.5%
  • IBU: 14
  • Color: 20ºLovibomd