Until 50 years or so ago, Mild was the most popular type of beer in the country, especially in the North and Midlands. Basically it’s less hopped than Bitter but instead offers fruity, nutty, sometimes chocolaty flavours of its own. Most, but not all, Milds are dark as a result of the darker malts or roasted barley used in the brew.

The Mild you’re most likely to encounter hereabouts is Greene King’s XX Mild. Many connoisseurs regard it as the best ale they produce. Smooth and slightly sweet on the tongue, it has a subtle but pleasing bitterness in the finish. It also belies the myth that Mild is a thin beer; XX packs lots of body despite its low gravity.

Other Milds you can find include Elgoods multi-award winning Black Dog, Milton’s very tasty Minotaur and Batemans Dark Mild – only 3.0% ABV but bursting with flavour.

Listed below are the pubs in our area which feature Mild permanently plus those that regularly have it as one of their guest beers. Needless to say, there’ll also be a wide selection of Milds at the Cambridge Beer Festival in May, including all those produced by our local breweries.

So go on, give it a try, and keep the outlook Mild

Permanent Outlets

Cambridge
Free Press – Greene King XX
Clarendon – Greene King XX (closed at time of writing)
Bath – Greene King XX
Portland Arms – Greene King XX
Devonshire Arms – Milton Minotaur
Chesterton Green Dragon – Greene King XX

Elsewhere
Milton Waggon and Horses – Elgood Black Dog
Conington White Swan – Greene King XX
Histon Red Lion – Elgood Black Dog
Cherry Hinton Red Lion – Greene King XX
Swaffham Prior Red Lion – Batemans Mild
Willingham Black Bull – Greene King XX
Willingham Duke of Wellington – Greene King XX

Regular Outlets

The following Cambridge pubs often have a Mild as a guest beer:
Live and Let Live
Kingston Arms
Cambridge Blue
Carlton
County Arms
Elm Tree
Maypole