Examining the History of Milds in DC

Wanting to bookend May the following article does just that, the same way we opened in the first week of May by writing on Mild Month in the US. So we’re closing May out with another article about Mild. We’ve set our dials on the wayback machine to show how Mild was covered in the Washington press over 150 years ago. We’ll also highlight Mild’s historical and contemporary descriptions. In The National Republican from 1861, mild ale shared a page with cream ale, stock ale, and lager beer. Even back then, Mild Ale was keeping quite the company.

 

While all of these styles have been brewed in DC in the 21st century, it seems lager has fared the best in terms of popularity and how similarly it is still brewed. Many DC breweries produce lager year round, and it can be found at the District’s brewpubs as well. Continental versions of the product are pouring at beer gardens as we speak, and cans and bottles from various producers in the District, Maryland, and Virginia, are plentiful on the m