Running Beer – Mills Brewing

Light. Rustic. Exceptionally Drinkable.

Beer Overview

Running Beer from Mills Brewing is a beautifully simple, rustic table beer designed for effortless drinking. Inspired by classic European farmhouse traditions, it’s low in alcohol but rich in character—proof that subtlety, balance and fermentation can deliver just as much satisfaction as intensity.

Light, refreshing and gently complex, Running Beer is brewed to be enjoyed freely: a beer for long conversations, shared meals and easy afternoons. Delicate acidity, soft grain character and a clean, dry finish make it endlessly drinkable without ever feeling thin or bland.

Flavour Profile

Taste: Soft cereal grain, gentle citrus, light farmhouse funk and subtle acidity.
Mouthfeel: Light-bodied, lively and refreshing.
Finish: Dry, clean and quietly complex.

Aroma

Fresh and restrained aromas of grain, lemon zest, hay and light yeast character. Subtle, inviting and true to farmhouse tradition.

Brewing Process & Uniqueness

Running Beer is brewed using Mills Brewing’s mixed-fermentation approach, prioritising balance, drinkability and natural expression over intensity. Low alcohol by design, it allows the yeast and fermentation character to take centre stage, supported by a simple grain bill and restrained hopping.

This is a beer rooted in tradition—akin to classic bière de table or small farmhouse beers—made for regular enjoyment rather than occasion drinking. Its complexity builds through fermentation rather than strength, making it both thoughtful and highly accessible.

Serving & Food Pairing

Serve at: 8–12°C in a stemmed glass, tumbler or small tulip.

Perfect with:

• Bread, cheese and olives

• Salads and light vegetable dishes

• Roast chicken or simple pasta

• Picnic food and sharing plates

• Long lunches and relaxed evenings

Running Beer

330 ml

5.8% ABV

About eleven years ago we visited Boon in Belgium and were delighted to find their geuze in tiny 25 cl beer bottles in the brewery shop. It seemed outrageous to have such a beer in such openable bottles. Needless to say, the remainder of the trip was peppered with tiny geuze portions at every opportunity. Breakfast geuze?

Last year we filled a blend of Running Beer into 375 ml half Champagne bottles for the first time, with the aim of having a more portion size option of our house beer. We’ve come to the conclusion that we only did half the job though, and are delighted to present Running Beer in our lovely 330 ml beer bottles, slowly conditioned in bottle just like the 750s (which we will continue to release Running Beer in too).

Running Beer is the first beer we designed for Mills Brewing. It is the purest distillation of how we make beer. This is blend sixteen. The average age of the beer at bottling was 25 months.

We aim towards a similar flavour profile for Running Beer each time, however we still have no set recipe. The grains and hops are varied for each brew. A variety of worts are produced using traditional turbid mash methods and aged hops, before spontaneous fermentation in different types of barrel. We welcome the natural variation given by the wild fermentation. At the point of blending, our aim is to make the body relatively full for the ABV. This is aided by the inclusion of large quantities of rye grains in most of the brews we use in Running Beer. We also like to include a proportion of beer from relatively fresh oak barrels, to lend a creamy character to the aroma and mouthfeel.

Mills Brewing

Mills Brewing was started in 2015 by Genevieve and Jonny Mills. We make small batches of beer with minimal modern intervention, relying on local wild yeast cultures and the influence of nature to ferment.

We use traditionally made floor malted grain and whole-leaf hops to produce our wort at The Salutation Inn, at Ham.

All of our beers are fermented in wooden barrels by local indigenous yeast and bacteria at our tumble-down part-15th century barrel store in rural Gloucestershire, situated at the edge of the town of Berkeley in the Severn Vale. Our slow fermentations typically take two-to-four years before being selected for bottling.

Our focus on minimal modern intervention allows us to work with, rather than against, nature. As such we welcome in seasonal temperature changes and the local microflora, working at ambient temperatures year round and embracing the variation this brings to our fermentations.

We embrace the lack of control during the fermentation, as it can conjour wonderful flavours we never could have designed, with each barrel providing nuanced variation. The majority of our beers are made by blending together different barrels and batches to draw together this array of flavours into our ideal finished drinks.

All of our beers are finished by slowly bottle-conditioning with our local wild yeast and bacteria for several months before release. Our bottles all feature artwork by Genevieve’s father Martin Kaye.

All beer from Indie Beer Fridge is individually selected from the finest breweries, we work closely with the breweries to bring you beer and brewing knowledge, be sure to check out our YouTube channel for exclusive content about many of the breweries we select.

All beer is cold stored to ensure you get the best quality beer delivered to you and so you get to enjoy the beer as the brewer intended.