Looking for Juniper Boughs

[evildrakey]

Okay, I'm thinking of making Gotlandsdrinka but I'm in Brisbane (sub-tropics).

Where the hell do I find Juniper boughs up here??? Talking to garden nurseries and gardening groups has had no success...

 

[Mardoo]

Got a particular type of juniper in mind? I could track some down and ship them to you (at your cost) if you like. E-go should be pretty affordable for how much you might need. I live at the base of the Dandenong ranges and have seen a few types around here.

I've been wanting to do a Sahti for ages. Might light a fire under me bum.

 

[Gregos]

Had a Finnish Sahti at Christmas, yum!, wouldn't mind having a go at making one myself Mardoo

 

[evildrakey]

Got a particular type of juniper in mind? I could track some down and ship them to you (at your cost) if you like. E-go should be pretty affordable for how much you might need. I live at the base of the Dandenong ranges and have seen a few types around here.

I've been wanting to do a Sahti for ages. Might light a fire under me bum.

Juniperus Communis

 

[Mardoo]

OK, I'll keep my eyes out, oh evil one. You need branches for filtration, as with Sahti, (I've read), or just tips for flavour? You need them with berries?

 

[Mardoo]

Had a Finnish Sahti at Christmas, yum!, wouldn't mind having a go at making one myself Mardoo

Where'd you have it?

 

[evildrakey]

OK, I'll keep my eyes out, oh evil one. You need branches for filtration, as with Sahti, (I've read), or just tips for flavour? You need them with berries?

Not going down that path yet. Really only need tips for flavour, I have a 1kg bag of berries, so I'm keen to use up that stash

 

[Mardoo]

OK

 

[huez]

Was reading a recipe for this just the other day in the home brew recipe bible, was wondering where the hell i was going to source juniper boughs, looks like an interesting beer. Let us know how it turns out evildrakey

 

[evildrakey]

will do

 

[sp0rk]

Maybe try Austral Herbs
www.australherbs.com.au

 

[TimT]

You might be able to find a juniper essence somewhere. Look in the distillation part of a homebrew store. Odds are that they have an essence since you make gin out of juniper.

 

[sp0rk]

You might be able to find a juniper essence somewhere. Look in the distillation part of a homebrew store. Odds are that they have an essence since you make gin out of juniper.

You need the boughs/branches, they act as your false bottom in the mash tun

 

[TimT]

Yeah I know though I think Evildrakey indicated above he's not interested in doing that yet.

That point is interesting, though. Spruce tips - and probably most other conifer tips (including juniper) - are full of vitamin C, which is partly what gives them their citrussy zing and may have made brews containing spruce a remedy for scurvy.

Vitamin C is lost in a boil.

So that makes me wonder: if the beers did retain the Vitamin C/sprucey freshness, how were the tips added?

Chucked in at the end of a boil?

Or: was the beer brewed a little like a Sahti, with the spruce tips forming the bed for the grain over a barrel/bucket, and the hot water was repeatedly poured over the branches? With no boil at the end of it?

I've done a few beers with spruce and fir tips and the flavour is pretty strong (and delicious - I recommend it). I usually add them towards the end of the boil. Haven't tested them on people with scurvy, though!

 

[Mardoo]

Pretty sure the Limeys found another solution

 

[Mardoo]

OK, found a good specimen. Let me know if you want some.