Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild Clone Recipe

Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild

When seeking out beers that define the style that they belong to Mild is quite difficult to track down. Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild is a beer only available in cask and is produced in a small brewpub in Sedgely near Wolverhampton. Despite this, the beer is known around the world as a classic example of the style.

Dark Ruby in its current form is brewed by Sarah Hughes’ grandson John Hughes from her original recipe. If you cannot get to the Beacon Hotel where the beer is brewed or the few beer festivals that it appears at each year then your next best option is to brew Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild yourself.

Recipe Details

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM Est. OG Est. FG ABV
19 L 60 min 30.0 IBUs 39.2 EBC 1.059 1.013 6.0 %

Fermentables

Name Amount %
Pale Malt, Maris Otter 3.887 kg 75.19
Caramel/Crystal Malt - 80L 1.283 kg 24.81

Hops

Name Amount Time Use Form Alpha %
Fuggles 30 g 60 min Boil Leaf 4.5
East Kent Goldings (EKG) 25 g 60 min Boil Leaf 5
East Kent Goldings (EKG) 12 g 15 min Boil Leaf 5

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Temperature
Nottingham Yeast (-) Lallemand 75% 16.67°C - 22.22°C

Mash

Step Temperature Time
Mash In 66.5°C 60 min
Mash Out 75.56°C 10 min

Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby

For a brewery that reportedly only produces 24 brewers barrels a week to have a beer that is coveted as much as Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild is extraordinary.

I have managed to try Dark Ruby on cask and it is great but for most people, it is going to be hard to find unless you visit the Beacon Hotel where the brewpub is or large beer festivals around the UK.

At a time when most mild ales were low ABV beers, Sarah Hughes who ran the brewery from 1921 for 50 years produced a big, dark 6% ABV mild.

Malt Extract Version

To brew a malt extract version of Dark Ruby Mild, replace the Maris Otter malt with either of the following:

4.1 kg Pale Liquid Malt Extract

Or

3.4kg Pale Dry Malt Extract

Recipe Notes

1 reply
  1. Michael Dearnley
    Michael Dearnley says:

    Wow! I made this and am only regretting I didn’t make a larger batch. 100% will brew again for next winter. Great taste with enough abv-oomph to give it flavour and body. Not at all what I’d cone to think of milds as being. Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

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