Banks’s Mild / Original (Pasteurised)

Brewed by Banks’s (Marstons plc)
Style: Mild Ale
Wolverhampton, England

Serve in English pint, Shaker

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Clear orange color, short head. Hopbitter aroma and taste. Sour fruity note.

Can, from Safeway’s. Amber bronze, thin but lasting white head, moderate condition. Low caramel and butterscotch with a suggestion of hops in the nose, quite thin and peppery in the mouth with a little caramel and a lightly bitter finish

Nitro keg at the Chainwire Club, Kidderminster. Well it’s a Mild Jim, but not as we know it. I’ve never seen a Mild like this - pale brown, thin looking, but I have seen plenty of boring Bitters which look uncannily similar and this was amongst the most dull. Very little flavour, only light malt and fragments of bitterness on the finish. Smooth and dull.

On tap at Oddfellows Arms, Kegworth, Derbyshire - Mild aroma, light malt notes and subtle hops. Medium dark copper clear with off-white lacing head. Light watery body with light carbonation. Light sweet start, no acidity. Taste of tobacco leaf and raisin. Good bitter finish and after, nutty and lightly sweet. Nice session beer.

Sampled at various times in pubs across the Midlands, whilst this isn't the same experience as the mighty mild of old it doesn't deserve some of the stick it gets. Light in colour and sometimes in texture for a mild, it is nonetheless worth sampling. A pleasant flavour and a good introduction to milds for those who might otherwise shy away. The question does remain: why did Banks's remove their 'unspoilt by progress' mild and put this in its place, but in a land of electric pumps and steadily decaying appreciation of a once great style of beers I guess it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Found it to be served particularly well in the Royal Oak in Kingsbury recently, almost reminded me of the real thing.

Another fave of mine, especially on a cold English night! Its a bit like drinking a real mix of nice stuff. Fruity, yet clean and long tasting. Creamy yet clear. Love it, but will have to wait till back in the cold country again.

UPDATED: JUL 10, 2007 May, 2003 Smoothflow keg, Banks’s Saloon Bar, Blackpool. I was so pleased to see a Banks pub during the Blackpool Rocks weekend. We went straight in. This would be my chance to try the legendary Banks Original. Sadly, it was only being served through a "smoothflow" keg. Damn. Anyway - it had a creamy texture, as would be expected, but with a decent firmness that was surprisingly pleasant. The beer had been served cold, like a lager, but did produce a good dusty hop bite. Despite all the claims that this is a mild, it did walk and quack like a bitter. The long lasting shaving foam head was attractive, but the nitro had killed off the aroma. There was some juicy tangerine, but not a whole lot of taste. It was surprisingly good for a keg, and only late in the finish did the stewed nature of the dead beer make itself felt. It was good, but not the mild I had been expecting. [2.3]

A good session beer, though it doesn't quench yout thirst like a mild should.

UPDATED: MAR 12, 2003

Quite dark in colour, with a half decent nose. Despite being smooth, this beer left a disappointing aftertaste, and its distinctly bland flavour meant for a uninspiring experience. Definitely a bitter - and not a mild.