Coastal Brew Day Blog

  ESPRESSO STOUT     In the beginning, there was black beer. Dock workers, laborers, and masons all desired a post work beverage that had more to it than the traditional pub ales that they had been enjoying for generations. Brewers across Europe developed a darker, more robust style of ale for these men, and named it after those who drank it most: Porters. Some people wanted something even stronger, so stout was invented.  Originally called “stout porter,” the stout was a heavier version of the porter and contained more alcohol, thus making it more stout than its cousin. The history of both black beers is intertwined in such a way that they seemed to grow up together throughout the 18 th and 19 th centuries. The most famous stout has always been brewed in Ireland, with Guinness leading the way. Founded in 1759, Guinness was originally a porter brewery but switched over to stouts in the 1770’s after seeing how popular they were with the Dublin working men. G...

BITTER  Modern terminology has betrayed this beer. The Bitter, a traditional pub ale designed for utilitarian purposes, has been kicked to the side in recent years. Drinkable, easy to make, and beloved by generations, the Bitter is a beer for the people. A drinking person's drink.  The Bitter took over for the Mild as the go-to for British pub goers some time in the 18th century. It's popularity bloomed along with the growing use of hops in beer. The Bitter was lighter and crisper that the mild, and the hops provided a different aesthetic altogether. In the latter stages of the 1800's, Bitter's popularity surged to the point of it being considered the "National Drink of England." The Bitter hasn't gone away, either. Today, it has evolved into Session Ales in the United States, and is still produced in great volumes in its home island. Contrary to the popular mythology surrounding English beer, the Bitter is not generally served at room temperature. Especia...

DARK ENGLISH MILD  Not a lot is said about the Dark English Mild Ale anymore. It's simply not all that popular. It used to be. In England, and other parts of the UK as well, the Mild was a wildly popular beer for hundreds of years.  Believed to have been first brewed in the 17 century, the Mild spread throughout the isles as a drinkable, low octane beer that didn't have to be aged for very long before enjoying. It was called a young beer or fresh beer because of it's relative youth compared to the heavier beers of the day. At one point, almost every tavern or beer hall in the UK featured a Mild of some kind.  Back in those days, beer styles were less rigidly regulated as they are today. A Mild was more about the impact of the beer, less about its coloration or hop content. A Mild could be dark, like the one we are making today, or golden, like a lightly hopped Bitter. Milds are malt forward, leaving the light hoppy beers to the Bitter world. Caramel and chocolate malts le...