MILD MAY CHALLENGE 2011

May is CAMRA's designated Mild Month and The Mild Challenge is an opportunity for everyone to sample one Britain's great and most traditional brewing styles and to check out a whole range of local pubs serving it.

The 5th North Staffordshire Mild Trail will be officially launched at The Blue Bell in Hardingswood, Kidsgrove at 3pm on Sunday 1st May. Dave and Kay Washbrook have always been great exponents of this rare beer style, and will be sure to have a good range of milds on throughout the month. So come along, get your first Mild Stamp, and join us for some Mild Humour and Mild Fun!

But it doesn't end at The Blue Bell! Basically, we are challenging you to get out to a collection of pubs, sample the Milds on tap, and get your attendance recorded with a stamp in the latest edition of Potters Bar. Forty pubs are listed in the magazine, but don't try them all in one hit; you've got all of the month of May to get around. The list is not exclusive; if you can find another pub serving a real mild, get it marked down in one of the "Wild Card" spaces, but please note what the name of the pub is and what they were serving; it must be in the Potteries Branch Area or in Stone (roughly, the areas covered by the pubs already listed).

MILD

Milds are black to dark brown to pale amber in colour and come in a variety of styles from warming roasty ales to light refreshing lunchtime thirst quenchers. Malty and possibly sweet tones dominate the flavour profile but there may be a light hop flavour or aroma. Slight diacetyl (toffee/butterscotch) flavours are not inappropriate. Alcohol levels are typically low.

Pale milds tend to have a lighter, more fruity aroma with gentle hoppiness. Dark milds may have a light roast malt or caramel character in aroma and taste. Scottish cask beers may have mild characteristics with a dominance of sweetness, smooth body and light bitterness.

PRIZES

Don't worry that all this work will go unrewarded as we have a number of prizes based on the number of pubs visited:

20 Pubs Visited – Bronze Award Certificate, plus one Beer Token to be used at The 31st Stoke Beer Festival.

30 Pubs Visited – Silver Award Certificate, an advance ticket to The 31st Stoke Beer Festival, plus one Beer Token to be used at the Festival.

40 Pubs Visited – Gold Award Certificate, an advance ticket to The 31st Stoke Beer Festival, one Beer Token to be used at the Festival, plus a special Mild Challenge 2011 Tee-Shirt.

Please note that we do not advise you attempt to cover all the pubs on the trail in one day and that any reports of bad behaviour due to so doing will be frowned upon and may lead to disqualification.

So you know what it's all about and you know what you win, but what about the pubs that are taking part? Well to participate you need a copy of the Potters Bar (available from all good pubs in the area or available to download here) and this has a list of all the pubs awaiting your presence. However, to help you prepare there is a list of the pubs here so get yourself ready for the most enjoyable May in the company of some marvellous sunshine and delightful beer.

This article is taken from the latest edition of Potters Bar - essential for competing in the Mild Challenge.