I've been thinking about brewing with fresh juniper boughs, maybe a sahti, and picked a few of these along a nature trail in the local park. The sprig is about 4" long with berries approximately 3/16" in diameter: I'm not familiar with juniper, so I was hoping that those of you who have experience brewing with it might help to identify it. It appears to be juniper as compared to images I've googled, but I prefer a second opinion just to make sure. I also tried to find suppliers online, but most of what I've come across is chemically treated and primarily intended for decorative purposes. Thanks in advance for any input.
The needles look a little different than what I've seen before, but there are many varieties of junipers so that may not matter. That berry certainly looks like a juniper berry to me. Does the smashed berry smell of gin?
Yeah that berry looks like what I got when I ordered juniper berries. I used an ounce of berries for 5 gallons. It gave it a little dry zing but wasn't overpowering. I could have probably used up to another ounce, but it was my first juniper pale ale, so I decided not to go crazy. If I brew it again I'll use more, and probably crush them more than I did the first time. I did not use the sprigs (like your pic) so I can't comment on how to use or how much you'd need. I boiled the juniper berries 20 minutes in a simple extract pale ale recipe, moderately hopped, and it came out great.
Yes, it is a juniper species. The scaly needles and the pale blue berry is pretty typical. I cannot give you any advice on brewing with it, other than I suspect I would not like my beer to remind me of gin.
What everyone else says: if the crushed berry smells anything like gin you're good to go. I would say go easy. It's strong stuff.
A friend made a juniper stout with berries and some of the needles. Even after a year it was very over powering despite being in a high ABV stout. So I would suggest taking it easy or the finish of your beer will taste like jin/sap.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Incidentally, the crushed berries are reminiscent of gin, though the aroma isn't particularly strong. I'll also keep in mind that the effect of brewing with juniper can easily be overpowering; thanks for the heads up.
It looks like juniper, but I would make a small tea with the boughs first. There are probably 100 different varieties of juniper (not to mention the very similar Cedar). Some are great for brewing, but some can have (from what I have read) a very bitter, astringent or off putting flavor. FYI I seem to remember reading that there are toxic Juniper varieties out there. But I think they are rare and not deadly, just give you a stomach ache. Just do yourself a favor and thoroughly research anything you find growing wild before you consume it. If that local park has any administrative board or Rangers, they might know what variety grows in the park. I'm just spit-balling, but it might worth a phone call.
