Originally published in BEER May 2006
ABV: 3.6 per cent
Origin: Ickburgh, Norfolk, England
Buy from: Brewery, local farmers’ markets, specialists
Mail order: tel 01842 878922, www.icenibrewery.co.uk
Iceni Honey Mild and Thetford Forest Mild
A few years back, each May arrived with a tough challenge for your humble reviewer: finding a new bottle conditioned mild to write about. But in the last couple of years rising interest in both bottled beers and specialist styles has made the challenge easier to meet.
Real Milds in a Bottle are still far from common but there are noticeably more around – this year’s three examples, all at session gravities and all from the East of England, by no means exhaust the current choice.
And a good job too, since world classic Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby remains unavailable in bottle (though the brewery are optimistic it should return soon), Pitfield’s historic 1824 Mild has been relegated to the occasional list, and another stalwart featured in a previous column, Gales Festival, might not survive the move to Fullers.
Real Ale in a Bottle specialist Iceni, founded in the rural Brecklands by former food industry worker Brendan Moore in 1995, is proud of its regional identity: the bottles boast that the beers use Maris Otter barley from Branthill Farm at Wells-next-the-Sea (where there is also a farm shop selling these and other East Anglian brews), floor malted by Crisp at Great Ryburgh.
The Celtic look of the “open book” labels references the Iceni people who formerly inhabited this area and, under Queen Boudicca, famously resisted Roman military might. The local focus and good presentation help the brewery sustain a trade in small runs through their own shop and visitor centre as well as local farmers’ markets.
Thetford Forest Mild, named after a nearby area of woodland and heath, is a deep ruby brown beer with a pungent aroma of roast and cedar smoke alongside dark malt and a faint trace of farmyard. Crystal malt and flaked and roasted barley are used alongside the Branthill pale malt, with Fuggles and Challenger hops.
The smooth, light palate has chocolate, cola and tart plum fruit, leading to a tangily fruity finish drying out with rounded but not bitter hops, and more roast and woodsmoke notes.
A second mild, Honey Mild, is a variant on Thetford Forest but with the addition of – you’ve guessed it – honey. While broadly similar to its parent in taste, this has subtle pollen and honey notes in aroma and finish, with a livelier condition and a slightly sweeter, fuller flavour that seems to both underline and better balance the roastiness.
I have a marginal preference for the honey version, but could happily drink either – they’re both very welcome examples of easy drinking dark beers, made with care from high quality ingredients.
More milds reviewed in following post.
Read more about these beers at ratebeer.com:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/iceni-honey-mild/48311/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/iceni-thetford-forest-mild/14020/
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