Brewing with herbs

http://www.bjcp.org/docs/Ingredients.pdf

I've used roasted chiles, habanero tincture, coriander (reg and Indian), chamomile, honey (eucalyptus, mesquite, reg), prickly pear and other fruits, pepper, vanilla, coffee, chocolate, etc.

All have worked well in the right base beer...but I haven't used much of anything straight out of my pantry...cheers

 

I've made a basil and oregano beer once. It taste like basil and oregano.

More than once I have made a traditional gruit ale with sweet gale, rosemary, yarrow, and mugwort. I really love this one and it has won awards.

If you want bittering and tartness, boil the herbs for ~30 minutes. If you just want flavor then make a vodka tincture and add to taste after fermentation is complete.

Best advice I can offer for any herb beer: Do some research, or serious soul searching, to figure out exactly how much to use. Once you're certain you know how much you think you should use, then..... use only 1/3 as much. The human mind tends to overdo herbs big-time. You'll be glad you used less than you thought you should. Has worked perfectly for me.

 

The only thing better than rosemary in beer is rosemary in champagne

 

For things that could be considered herbs Ive used

• Heather
• Caraway
• Salt (all my fruit beers)
• mahlab
• cardamom
• vanilla
• molasses
• sumac
• woodruff (dry hopped)
• chervil
  
• sweet mint
• mace

and soon to be used

• anise hyssop
• sweet grass

 

hot pepper dryed and fresh, coffee, coconibs, vanilla, cinnomin, nutmeg, cloves, horse radish, garlic

 

fresh curry leaves in a tincture , basil , cinnamon , vanilla , coco nibs , and some less legal herbs as well

 

I've used:

• coriander,
  
• cinnamon,
  
• honey, nutmeg,
  
• ginger (sweet and sour),
  
• orange peel,
  
• hibiscus and
  
• vanilla beans.

Other herbs/spices that also go well in beer include:

• cardamon seed,
  
• chicory root,
  
• dried mugwort,
  
• grapefruit peel,
  
• heather tips,
  
• Indian sarsaparilla,
  
• Juniper berries,
  
• lime peel,
  
• cocao nibs,
  
• rose hips,
  
• star anise, and
  
• tangerine peel.

 

@OldBrewer what beer got mug wort?

 

It was traditionally used in mugs of beer before hops became popular.

Here's a recipe that uses mugwort:

http://www.love2brew.com/Articles.asp?ID=482

 

@OldBrewer , thanks, did I you like it? Sounds like it might be good in a stout.

 

No, that was in the list of additives that I haven't used before.

 

I don't much care for mugwort anymore. I like sweet gale best of the gruit herbs. Also love cardamom, put a little of that in my gruit as well (I forgot to mention). Just a half dozen tiny seeds is enough for 2.5 to 3 gallons, or maybe a dozen in 5 gallons. Little goes a very long way.

 

Thanks for reminding me that hops are like a wheelbarrow...the greatest invention of all time...(although only one taught an Irishman to walk on two legs) cheers to all fellow Irishmen out there

 

I like the Stephen Buehner book Sacred and herbal beers as a good reference guide. However, he can be a bit heavy-handed with the herbs. I've used loads and loads of herbs, in no particular order:

Vanilla, lavendar (don't), jasmine, licorice root, wintergreen, chamomile (do), mugwort, Yarrow, lemon peel, orange peel, cacao nibs (everbody has and yes it's an herb), coffee, ginger, grains of paradise, coriander, black pepper, chilis, bay, rosemary, etc.

For fresh herbs you need to use a lot more than dried herbs to get the same level of flavor. For tender greens and flowers you can't boil them too hard. A lot of things work better in a secondary (vanilla cacao nibs). Those are just some general thoughts. I have found that using alcohol to make a tincture can overwhelm the beer with an alcohol flavor, and you need to be careful about the quality and quantity of alcohol that you do use.

You'll want to pick a style that complements and highlights the herbs you want to use carefully.

 

I'm now drinking what turned out to be a Rosemary Barleywine. Long story on this brew, but it's fantastic. 15+ ABV. My hydrometer sunk to the bottom of the column so I don't have a FG reading. If my liver holds up, I'd make it again.

 

I second that book if your interested in learning about herbs and beer I haven't read it all but extremely interesting stuff.

 

Any chance you wouldn't mind the recipe you used for the traditional sweet gale, rosemary, yarrow, mugwort gruit?

 

Sure, here you go. Hope you enjoy it. By the way..... I don't much care for mugwort anymore, as it can be overpowering. You can try this recipe with or without it.