I ALWAYS feel duly obliged in the month of May to do some tub-thumping for mild beer; a once most popular beer style. It’s the time of the year CAMRA has its Mild Month, a time when local branches are asked to encourage pubs to stock at least one mild for their patrons.

However, this rallying call to promote this most easy-drinking of beer styles, appears to become more difficult year-on-year. Tastes have changed so quickly in recent times.

The ever-increasing popularity for craft and higher strength beers has certainly contributed significantly to its demise.

The strength is now perceived as too weak and too lightly hopped by many discerning ale drinkers. Shock, horror, some of the younger generation think it’s a beverage drunk by a few chunnering old codgers sat in a quiet corner in the pub - including me!

Modern beer drinkers have a thirst and desire for a more generously hopped and juicy fruit profile. It’s a fact the more traditional ale drinkers have to accept.

However, that is not to suggest mild beer is destined to fade away into a beery wilderness as some would have you believe.

Okay, this style of beer, it’s fair to say, will never return as the regular fixture it once was on the bar.

However, in my humble opinion, it still remains a thirst-quenching, flavoursome delight, It’s a style that fully justifies some tub-thumping for Mild Month. In fact, for any month.

So, please allow me to recommend three superb mild beers to enjoy.

Ales that hopefully will not prove too difficult to hunt down in the locality.

Firstly, a mild beer to savour, namely, Moorhouse’s Black Cat, CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain in 2000. At a time when mild beer popularity was on its backside, it did much to revive the style.

It’s a delicious, well-balanced beer with a dark ruby presentation and a caramel malt and chocolate aroma leading to roasted malt, dark chocolate and subtle dark berry fruit flavours.

There is a long, dry, bittersweet finish with loads of flavour for a 3.4 per cent ale. A brewing masterpiece.

Another excellent mild to hunt down is Bank Top Dark Mild (4%). A delightful, thirst-quenching beverage, created by the masterful brewing skills of Dave Sweeney.

Roasted grains in the caramel malt aroma and more roasted grain and caramel malt in the flavour.

The roasted grains linger in the dry, bitter finish and the good news, it’s available from Sunday at the Bridge Bier Huis, Burnley.

Finally, I have to recommend Three B’s, Stokers Slake; one of the most enjoyable mild beers I have ever tasted.

How does brewer Bob Bell, create so much flavour in this 3.6% beer?

Roasted malt aroma leads to more roasted malt, along with milk chocolate, dark, stone fruits and a hint of peppery spice. Dry, bitter and roasted malty finish. Wow! Available permanently at the Drummers Arms, Blackburn.

So, let’s all celebrate and continue to drink this fine beer - and hope it has a future as a self-sustaining commercial beverage.