Gruit & Other Medeival And Medicinal Adjuncts

[Temple of Seth]

Right, well, I've news to report re: herbal beers.

The ale described earlier in the conversation went off great. I passed several bottles around at a party here a couple weeks back to rave reviews. Rosemary is a good herb.

Since then I've bottled two more

Recipe 1: Goat-Headed Pagan Ale version 0.2 (almost 2 weeks in bottles)

In boil:
1Kg Morgans Specialty Caramalt extract
1Kg Morgans Specialty dark crystal extract
1.5 Kg light dry malt extract (this was for the 30L fermenter)
~4 oz fresh rosemary
~1 oz fresh sage
~0.5 oz dried wormood (dried in a baper bag in my room after fresh harvest)
about 6-8 oz of stinging nettle foliage (frozen while fresh)

In fermenter:
3 oz fresh sage
Nottingham yeast


Recipe2: Goat-Headed Pagan Ale version 0.3 (5 days in bottles):

In boil:
3 oz fresh rosemary
2 oz fresh sage
1Kg morgans specialty caramalt extract
1Kg morgans specialty chocolate malt extract
1kg light dry extract (this was in the 25 ltr fermenter)
2 oz fresh wormwood

In fermenter:
2 oz fresh sage
Nottingham yeast


So in a couple more weeks it will be a month in bottles, and I'll start giving reviews at that time.

Cheers!

 

[tk75]

Found this thread and thought I would bump it...

Just about to make a brew with Rosemary in it and wondering if anyone else has since used this herb?
My Receipe: 23L Batch
1 x Can Muntons Blonde
1kg LDM
1kg Amber Malt Extract

Rind from one Orange - In Primary
??g Fresh Rosemary - Any suggestions on using it in the boil and in fermentor??
5g Cluster - In Primary(I have this sitting in the freezer and after reading up on it, I think the profile fits well so I am going to dry hop)

Supplied kit yeast

I have all these ingredients on hand and I'm not in a position to get anything else.
Thoughts/Suggestions??...

Cheers!

 

[Wrenny]

I often put some rosmary in my brews. I put 4 big sticks in the mash tun. Rosmary is supposed to be an anti-oxidant, so maybe it helps prevent HSA. Then again maybe HSA doesn't exist. I certainly dont know. At first I put it around the manifold to try to prevent stuck sparges. But I never got stuck sparges with or without it.

Anyway, I found that 4 big sticks in a 23 l gives a nice subtle flavour and a kind of softness on the tounge.

Make sure you boil it, though, to kill all the bugs. Not sure if boiling extract the oils, or evaporates them all, but better than a ruined batch.

 

[brettprevans]

raising dead topics. just under 2 years in the cyber ground.

for anyone intersted in Fraoch/heather ales or an Aussie source for heather flowers...this is the best Ive come up with - Australherbs. yes this site is mentioned in the 2nd post. but im confirming that its the best thing i can find and they may not have stocked heather back in 2005.

A bit pricey but seems to be the goods none the less. Im got some old scottish family friends coming over to visit in about a month, so im toying with the idea of making a Fraoch/heather ale. will let you know if I do.