The Session: Milds in May

As far as beer styles go, mild's an endangered species. It dates back to at least the 17th century, before the use of hops to flavour beer was common in England. As such, every time you knock back a glass of traditional mild ale, you're drinking pure brewing history. It mustn't be allowed to fade away and die, like so many things that connect us to our past.

In the 1960s, mild had already become unfashionable. Back then, my dad worked for a few months at a boozer down in Brixton, right opposite the jail. The pub's long gone now. The landlord, mindful that his staff would want a beer, but wary of them cutting into his profits and getting drunk on the job, said they could drink when he wanted - as long as it was mild. My dad used to play along, while surreptitiously topping his glass up with stout. It looked the same in the glass, and the boss could never pull him up on it. Anything to avoid drinking something associated with old men playing dominoes.
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Believe it or not, it wasn't until the 1950s that pale, hoppy ales finally supplanted mild as Britain's most popular beer. Sales of milds have fallen ever since. The style stands firmly against prevailing trends, particularly in North America, but they enjoy cult status here in the UK. Milds fly out of the casks at beer festivals, and they're best sellers for the handful of London pubs that offer them all year round.

CAMRA are doing their bit by designating May as "Mild Month". Publicans are being encouraged to stock a guest mild for the month. The community of beer bloggers that participate in The Session, of which I am one, have devoted this month's online event to the little-known style.

Mild is the ultimate session beer. The style is generally low on both hops and alcohol, usually (but not always) dark in colour. Soothing sweetness on the palate gives way to gentle roast - or even smoky - flavours that linger in the aftertaste. A relatively thin body make milds wonderfully drinkable, and a perfect refresher all year round. When I'm bunkered in at the Jerusalem Tavern, the mild's always my drink of choice. Whenever I'm somewhere with a mild on offer, I pounce on it (see my review of Elgood's Black Dog earlier in the week).

Pubs in London that offer mild all year round deserve a special mention:

• St Peter's Mild can be found at my local The Jerusalem Tavern (55 Britton Street, Clerkenwell, EC1M 5UQ, map, closed weekends), and is one of their best selling beers.
• Milton's Minotaur is always on offer at both the The Oakdale Arms in Haringey (283 Hermitage Road, N4 1NP, map) and The Pembury Tavern in Hackney (90 Amhurst Road, E8 1JH, map).
• At The Royal Oak in Borough (44 Tabard St, SE1 4JU, map) you can try Harvey's Sussex XX Mild.
• The Wenlock Arms (26 Wenlock Rd, N1 7TA, map) almost always includes a mild among its constantly rotating choice of 8+ real ales, ciders and perries.
• The Bricklayer's Arms in Putney (32 Waterman Street, SW15 1DD, map) is one of the few places south of Yorkshire to sell Golden Best and Dark Mild, both from Timothy Taylor...
• ... although Golden Best's also a regular at The Trafalgar down in Merton (23 High Path, SW19 2JY, map). They usually offer a dark mild too.

It's also worth dropping in to Ye Old Mitre in Holborn (1 Ely Court, Ely Place, EC1N 6SJ map). Landlord Scottie's a firm support of Mild Month, and there'll be a rolling program of 19 different cask milds on offer over the next few weeks - there's a list here. It's a great pub, and if you haven't been before this is the perfect excuse. Note that it's closed on weekends.

That isn't all I've got to say about Mild in May. Throughout the month, I intend to review every mild ale I encounter. Your help in tracking them down would be appreciated.
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I can't get around every pub in this city, but I promise to do my best.