So I have been re-seeding my yard and trying to rid myself of these weeds but I then came across a recipe for a Dandelion beer and I thought it sounded quite interesting. Has anyone brewed one of these and are they any good and worth the effort, thoughts? Here is the recipe I found: Specs OG: 1.045 – 1.056 FG: 1.014 – 1.018 Color: orange-brown Ingredients (five-gallon batch) 1/2 lb. toasted malt 1/2 lb. 60L crystal malt 1 can light liquid malt extract 2 lbs. light dried malt extract 1 lb. dandelions: leaves, blossoms, and roots at :60 1 oz. Kent Goldings hops at :15 1/2 oz. Willamette hops at :2 1/2 oz. Willamette hops (dry hops) Wyeast 1028: London Ale Yeast or Safale S-04
I seem to remember Chop and Brew doing a couple of episodes on dandelion wine. Maybe look to that for some inspiration. IIRC, and this totally just comes from bullshit my friend from growing up's hippie mom told me about her dandelion wine, you just want the blossom, no green. Tasted like crap, though, just like all the "country" wines I had back then.
Interesting idea. It's a little late for me now as I've mowed the lawn, but I was also thinking of doing a beer with Purple Deadnettle. Maybe next year.
I like the idea a lot. Put those weeds to use! Are you sure you want to boil them for a whole hour? I've made plenty of dandelion tea (mostly just whole, dried flowers) and pouring boiling water on them and cooling it is sufficient to get all the flavor. Would boiling for 60 mins not cause a burned or astringent flavor? You gave me an idea...did anyone as a kid chew on those sour flower stems? I wonder what those would be like in beer.
Dandelion wine is more prevalent down south. Never had a dandelion beer though. Sounds intriguing. I would try it for sure.
Sorry to digress but this thread got me thinking about why you rarely see Sweet Woodruff used to brew beer except as an additive to Berliner Weisse. Traditionally used in May wines. anyone try working this into a beer?
I am tempted to try it but it sounds like it may not be worth the effort? I was curious to see if anyone else had attempted it and if the end result was worth it. If I have the time I may just go for it and see, worst case is I have to drink or pour out shitty beer.
I brewed a mixed culture dandelion beer a few weeks ago. Still haven't racked/tasted it. Only dandelion beer I've had was Fonta Flora's Brutus (mixed culture dandelion saison) and it was one of the best beers I had last year. Funky, lightly tart, herbal and extremely refreshing. Wouldn't have ever considered attempting a dandelion beer had I not tried that beer.
That reminds me, Scratch's Spring Tonic beer has dandelions in it. It is delicious, although I think the dandelions play a pretty small role in its overall flavor. I don't know anything about the process they use.
