No Hops But Herbs - Homebrew?

[beerguide]

I am a member of Barons Brewing Sqaudron (basically their newsletter) and last night received an email about their new Lemon Myrtle Witbier they are in the process of launching.

It is a no-hops beer, using Lemon Myrtle herbs in place. For a while now I've thought about doing an out there 'native' style homebrew beer but only using native flowers, herbs etc to add either an aromatic character or to impart a minor flavour.

Has anyone done anything before where they have produced a no-hop beer at home? Maybe its more common then I am led to believe, so I thought I'd ask the question.

 

[Screwtop]

I am a member of Barons Brewing Sqaudron (basically their newsletter) and last night received an email about their new Lemon Myrtle Witbier they are in the process of launching.

It is a no-hops beer, using Lemon Myrtle herbs in place. For a while now I've thought about doing an out there 'native' style homebrew beer but only using native flowers, herbs etc to add either an aromatic character or to impart a minor flavour.

Has anyone done anything before where they have produced a no-hop beer at home? Maybe its more common then I am led to believe, so I thought I'd ask the question.

Discussed this with a commercial/micro brewer once. I believe that using Australian Native Herbs/Spices would provide a real point of difference in the marketplace for an Australian Micro and would attract a market niche in overseas markets. Things like: ground roasted Wattle Seed, ground dried Tasmannia Pepper Leaf or Berries, dried Bush Tomatoes or ground dried Bush Lemon Myrtle as you've mentioned.

 

[tim...]

I found their new lemon myrtle wit to be very... very... different. If I remember correctly, it tasted way to planty, like I was eating leaves. It is definitely worth a try though, it may just not suit my style. On the other hand their Black Wattle Original Ale was great! I believe that one follows the same style, using Australian wattle seed. Yes, I had the wit on tap before it was released, thank you transport hotel :lol:

As for brewing a native beer, I have never though about it. But it is definitely worth giving a shot I reckon. It's always great to make something out of the ordinary. Do some research as to what sort of flowers and stuff you can chuck in it, then brew away!

Discussed this with a commercial/micro brewer once. I believe that using Australian Native Herbs/Spices would provide a real point of difference in the marketplace for an Australian Micro and would attract a market niche in overseas markets. Things like: ground roasted Wattle Seed, ground dried Tasmannia Pepper Leaf or Berries, dried Bush Tomatoes or ground dried Bush Lemon Myrtle as you've mentioned.

I think Barons actually export to Russia and America. They would have a great market over their with their all Australian ingredient Black Wattle range. I remember one of the brewers mentioned that its the most expensive 6-pack on the shelves in America. (probably due to our outrageous brewing tax, and the exporting costs)

 

[Wrenny]

My missus brought a few of these from the Greening Australia Nursery in Brisi. Might try it in a year or two when it fruits. Also the Triangular Leafed Hop Bush - Dodonaea triangularis (no relation to our favourite Cannabaceae):



Dodonaea triquetra (Forest Hop Bush)

Open branched habit, attractive glossy slightly sticky foliage, tiny yellow-green flowers & purplish fruit used by Aboriginals to relieve toothache & fever. Seeds attract birds. In colonial times used as hops to make beer.

Type: Shrub to 6m
Aspect: Full sun/filtered sun
Soil: Adaptable
Habitat: Dry Sclerophyll
Suburbs: Bracken Ridge, Bridgeman Downs, Carseldine, Deagon, Doboy, Enoggera Catchment, Ipswich, Lindum, Logan City, Lytton, Meeandah, Myrtletown, North Stradboke, Nudgee Beach, Pine Rivers, Pinkenba, South Stradbroke, Sunshine Coast, Woolloongabba
Special features:

* Bird Attracting
* Bush Tucker Plants
* Butterfly Plants
* Clay Tolerant Species
* Dry Tropics Native Plant Species
* Enoggera Catchment Species
* Frost Tolerant Plants
* Ipswich Area - Native Flora
* Logan City - Native Plants
* Pine Rivers - Native Flora
* Screen Plants
* Stradbroke Island North - Native Flora
* Stradbroke Island South - Native Flora
* Sunshine Coast - Native Plants


Cheers,
Wrenny

 

[DarkFaerytale]

just a tip, less is more, make a tea out of your ingrediants first and add more of this, less of that untill you think it's where you like it then scale it up but not all the way, leave room incase it's to overpowering after fermentation, and if it's not you can always dry-spice

check out jamil's spiced beer show and there is heaps of other info around online and in books on how to use spices

http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/Jamil10-23-06.mp3 (spiced beers)
http://www.thebrewingnetwork.com/archive/Jamil09-24-07.mp3 (christmas spiced beers)

-Phill

 

[beerguide]

Good idea DarkFaery - that is using them in an infused tea first.

Thanks for the links, this thread started as a question - now I want more and will definately do a spiced and/or native beer now. However I am a very much a newbie about to try my first mash with an esky - so don't expect too much :icon_cheers:

 

[DarkFaerytale]

have you tryed a witbier befor zoddy (ala hoegaarden)? thats a good beer to play around with spices in, deffinatly not what your after as in a native beer but will be good to show you how far spices go in a beer and is a great summer drinking beer

-Phill

 

[beerguide]

Definately have, I really enjoy Witbier/s!
I haven't tried the Barons offering which sparked this thread, but I have more recently for example had both Hoegaarden and La Trappe's White.

I did produce a Chilli Stout not long ago, and whilst not native was mucking around with herbs and spices - but I think I left the Chilli in secondary too long as it was just too hot to drink. It however was fantastic for battering and using in cooking

 

[Screwtop]

My missus brought a few of these from the Greening Australia Nursery in Brisi. Might try it in a year or two when it fruits. Also the Triangular Leafed Hop Bush - Dodonaea triangularis (no relation to our favourite Cannabaceae):
Dodonaea triquetra (Forest Hop Bush)

Open branched habit, attractive glossy slightly sticky foliage, tiny yellow-green flowers & purplish fruit used by Aboriginals to relieve toothache & fever. Seeds attract birds. In colonial times used as hops to make beer.

Type: Shrub to 6m
Aspect: Full sun/filtered sun
Soil: Adaptable
Habitat: Dry Sclerophyll
Suburbs: Bracken Ridge, Bridgeman Downs, Carseldine, Deagon, Doboy, Enoggera Catchment, Ipswich, Lindum, Logan City, Lytton, Meeandah, Myrtletown, North Stradboke, Nudgee Beach, Pine Rivers, Pinkenba, South Stradbroke, Sunshine Coast, Woolloongabba
Special features:

* Bird Attracting
* Bush Tucker Plants
* Butterfly Plants
* Clay Tolerant Species
* Dry Tropics Native Plant Species
* Enoggera Catchment Species
* Frost Tolerant Plants
* Ipswich Area - Native Flora
* Logan City - Native Plants
* Pine Rivers - Native Flora
* Screen Plants
* Stradbroke Island North - Native Flora
* Stradbroke Island South - Native Flora
* Sunshine Coast - Native Plants
Cheers,
Wrenny

Hey Wrenny,

Save some money and go for a drive, wild hops grow in the GD Range, probably close to Brisbane, they grow beside the roads around Toowoomba, a kind of pinkish flower but not as tight as the brewing type hop flower. Didn't know they ad been used to make beer, thought the name came from the appearance.

 

[blackbock]

There are all sorts of aussie plants which could be added. I have an aniseed myrtle growing in my backyard, which is still too small to harvest leaves from, but it could work in a dark brew. I also have a book on bush tucker and it's surprising what is edible, even those lomandra grasses have an edible seed/flower with quite a resiny character which could possibly complement/replace late hop additions.

 

[Steve Lacey]

I suppose one day, somebody somewhere will find a better combination than malt and hops and the odd adjunct for flavoring beer. And I know that without the kind of thinking in this thread that won't happen. But just be prepared for a lot of misses before you make any hits. And be very objective and honest in your appraisal of your efforts. I have had the misfortune at a beer festival of trying craft ale aged in barrels made of Japanese pine. The brewery thought it was a wonderful example of an innovative use of an indigenous ingredient to make a distinctly unique Japanese beer. Everybody else thought it was crap. Beer and lacquer cocktail?

I am not a person given to prejudices, and started out on the path to beer enlightenment with a very open mind to fruits, spices, adjuncts etc, but I have to say that as time goes by and the number of such beers I have tried accumulates, I now approach any such beer with a degree of hesitation and trepidation rather than fascination and salivation. Sorry :icon_cheers:

 

[braufrau]

Hey Wrenny,

Save some money and go for a drive, wild hops grow in the GD Range, probably close to Brisbane, they grow beside the roads around Toowoomba, a kind of pinkish flower but not as tight as the brewing type hop flower. Didn't know they ad been used to make beer, thought the name came from the appearance.

i think the native hop bushes got their name because they were used in *desparation* by early colonists to bitter their beer.

 

[Wrenny]

Yeah, good point. If it was that good, they'd still be using them.

 

[newguy]

Our homebrew club has a yearly friendly competition named BURRP - brewing under really ridiculous parameters. The basic premise is that everyone (on their honour) starts with the same ingredients and tries to make the most palatable/unique beer they can. In years past we've required that people add breakfast cereal to the mash (the cocoa puffs porter one guy made was great), another time it was root vegetables, this past year we had to add bread to the mash, etc. One year the stipulation was no hops. There were a couple of heather ales and one made with mugwort. The reason that this particular person used mugwort is that it is mentioned in several sources as being a very old beer 'spice'. Take my advice, if you're thinking of trying mugwort, don't. Let's just say that mugwort isn't pleasant and leave it at that. Hope this helps.