The mild month of May

"DARK MILD" goes the Twitter cacophony when any Irish brewery makes the mistake of asking what they should brew. Well, the one nearest my house has put it up to us keyboard warriors by brewing and canning just such a beer. I grabbed some first chance I got: two of the 330ml cans because mild obviously has to be a pint.

Four Provinces Gob Fliuch* is 3.8% ABV and pours a murky dark brown with a flat cap of off-white foam. There's a strong roasty-toasty component to the aroma, but with some chocolate and an autumnal fruit tartness too. That blackberry and loganberry effect flashes briefly in the foretaste before the roast bitterness crawls in behind it, one powerful enough to make the "mild" designation a little ironic. Thankfully it calms down before it turns harsh, fading out on a floral air of lavender and rose.

Despite everything going on flavourwise, and a substantially full body too, this remains as pint-quaffable as mild ought to be. I can only quibble that I prefer a little more on the sweet flowers-and-chocolate side and less bitterness in my milds, but that's purely a personal thing. This is bang on style and beautiful, multifaceted, session drinking. One for all the other brewers wondering if the style is worthwhile.

*From the Irish toast "Croí folláin agus gob fliuch" -- a healthy heart and a wet mouth.