Originally brewed in Britain during the 17th century, the term “mild” originally referred to beers that were un-aged and thus less bitter. Generally low gravity and sitting around 3% abv, they were sometimes served mixed with aged beers to improve their flavor. As the 19th century dawned and Lagers and IPA’s began to become more popular, Mild beers changed to suit the times; most notably during the 40’s and 50’s, with much higher hop content providing adrier flavour that was different than the original Mild but better suitedto public tastes. However, with the explosion of micro-breweries around the world the style is experiencing a revitalization, although “mild’ is becoming something of a misnomer. Although flavors are similar to the old recipes, brewing practices have changed considerably, and so “mild” now tends more to mean “unhopped.”

The Gladstone Mild is a dark mahogany that verges on black, with a quickly disappearing, off-white head. Wide ranging malt characters of chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit dominate aroma, with extremely mild floral hop character, if any at all.