Don’t be fooled by his mild manner—Uncle unveils unexpected malty yarns like shiny nickels conjured from unsuspecting ears. Sessionable, reliable, and always balanced, Uncle may be a bit nutty, but never overstays a welcome.

Reviews are done by Jim Matt, our Chief Science Officer, who is also a veteran FoBAB judge, GABF judge, and BJCP Master judge.

Malts: Maris Otter, Aromatic, Golden Naked Oats, Chocolate Malt, Dark Crystal, Amber Malt

Hops: Magnum

Uncle is a taproom staple––it’s been on draft since the day we opened. What brought this beloved brew to cans?

Uncle is a true, “Brewer’s Beer,” in that it is flavorful yet sessionable. There have been many a public request to put this beer in cans, so here it is!

Where did this recipe originate?

This was originally one of my longstanding homebrew recipes that I took to commercial scale back before we opened. The history of the homebrew recipe is that it was a true collaboration recipe with my MECA Brewer mates. We would always attempt to outdo one another by brewing better Milds, especially Sean Reeves and Michael Pearson. In its homebrew form it was called “Benevolence,” and had always scored a 38/50 in competitions and has won several awards at Beer and Sweat, Round 1 of the National Homebrew Competition as well as the Indiana Brewer’s Cup.

What are some of your other favorite English or English-Inspired Mild Ales?

Hold The Reins by Brink Brewing is also an excellent mild, as well as being a multiple gold medal winning beer.

Appearance: Dark brown in color, generally clear. Medium low carbonation with a moderate off white head.

Aroma: Medium malt aroma with complex notes of chocolate, coffee, toffee, nutty and pretzel. No hop flavor, low hop bitterness, medium-low fruity esters.

Taste: Medium malt flavor, with a biscuit and pretzel flavor upfront that fades to mocha, caramel and hazelnut. Low fruity esters, no hop flavor, low hop bitterness. Finish is lightly off dry.

Mouthfeel: Medium light in body, very light astringency, creamy, no alcohol warmth.

Overall: A rich complex Mild that belies its low alcohol strength with lots of flavor and richness.

What foods would pair well with Uncle?

Shepherd’s pie or go the dessert route with sticky toffee pudding.

Ideal glassware for Uncle?

This style is perfect in an Imperial Pint glass.