TimT
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Marsh rosemary (check!), bog myrtle (check!), yarrow (check!) - it seems I have all the necessary ingredients in my very house to make a proper medieval-style gruit ale.
Now this is not quite something I've ever done before - all my experiments with herbal brewing do give me some idea as to how I might go about it, but research on these subjects can be important. I've looked at other recipes online and they're patchy at best: other brewers have done it as a once off; there may be some who make gruit ales their specialty but I don't know of them.
The website Gruit Ale has several recipes involving the basic gruit ingredients - marsh rosemary, bog myrtle, yarrow - all seeming to involve similar quantities of herbs:
Here's the last linked recipe:
INGREDIENTS & METHOD
Ingredients
Method
Thoughts:
- The herb quantities seem *very* small, even for a small 5 L batch. Presumably they have a combined effect on the flavour of the brew but even so it doesn't seem like much.
- I'm not at all sure about the worth of boiling all the herbs or even any of the herbs - perhaps it will suffice to add them all at the end of the boil as a kind of tea? With further additions during fermentation to maximise floral/aromatic smell?
- In my experience, early brewing herbs don't do nearly so much masking as hops do, so sour yeast-created acids can become much more dominant in a herbal brew. For this reason, it might be an idea to maximise bitterness in the brew somehow - perhaps by adding more bog myrtle (it has a kind of aromatic tanniny bitterness) or perhaps by adding a fourth herb: mugwort perhaps.
My aims for my brew? First up I'd go for a mid-strength easy-drinking ale that is somewhere between a pale and a brown. I don't imagine the delicate plant flavours would go brilliantly well with a dark beer - and brown ale is arguably more traditional*. I'm especially interested in getting plenty of delicate floral aromas, so I'll probably add a lot in during fermentation. And I want the contributions of each herb to be noticeable but complementary to the rest of the ale - so, a nice maltiness and an interesting munchy herbal quality to the drink - with a strong bitterness to hold the whole thing up. So I'll probably modify this recipe in that direction.
Well, that's the plan anyway. I'll keep tinkering away and doing research - so I'm not going to brew this straightaway.
Thoughts and comments and suggestions and links to good gruit recipes welcome!
*Though maybe we shouldn't argue about it now.**
**Arr, who am I kidding. Argue away.
Now this is not quite something I've ever done before - all my experiments with herbal brewing do give me some idea as to how I might go about it, but research on these subjects can be important. I've looked at other recipes online and they're patchy at best: other brewers have done it as a once off; there may be some who make gruit ales their specialty but I don't know of them.
The website Gruit Ale has several recipes involving the basic gruit ingredients - marsh rosemary, bog myrtle, yarrow - all seeming to involve similar quantities of herbs:
Here's the last linked recipe:
INGREDIENTS & METHOD
Ingredients
- 1 gallon water
- 1 2/4 pounds pale malt
- 1 1/2 pounds CaraPils (or crystal malt)
- 1 1/2 grams Bog myrtle
- 1 1/2 grams Wild rosemary
- 1 1/2 grams Yarrow
Method
- Heat water to 170 degrees, pour onto malted grains
enough water to make stiff mash. Let stand, covered,
for three hours. - Sparge slowly with 170 degree water until one gallon
total liquid is acquired. Boil wort and herbs for 1 1/2 hours. - Cool to 70 degrees F and strain.
Pour into fermenter and add yeast.
Ferment until completion.
Prime bottles, siphon and cap.
Store four months before drinking.
Thoughts:
- The herb quantities seem *very* small, even for a small 5 L batch. Presumably they have a combined effect on the flavour of the brew but even so it doesn't seem like much.
- I'm not at all sure about the worth of boiling all the herbs or even any of the herbs - perhaps it will suffice to add them all at the end of the boil as a kind of tea? With further additions during fermentation to maximise floral/aromatic smell?
- In my experience, early brewing herbs don't do nearly so much masking as hops do, so sour yeast-created acids can become much more dominant in a herbal brew. For this reason, it might be an idea to maximise bitterness in the brew somehow - perhaps by adding more bog myrtle (it has a kind of aromatic tanniny bitterness) or perhaps by adding a fourth herb: mugwort perhaps.
My aims for my brew? First up I'd go for a mid-strength easy-drinking ale that is somewhere between a pale and a brown. I don't imagine the delicate plant flavours would go brilliantly well with a dark beer - and brown ale is arguably more traditional*. I'm especially interested in getting plenty of delicate floral aromas, so I'll probably add a lot in during fermentation. And I want the contributions of each herb to be noticeable but complementary to the rest of the ale - so, a nice maltiness and an interesting munchy herbal quality to the drink - with a strong bitterness to hold the whole thing up. So I'll probably modify this recipe in that direction.
Well, that's the plan anyway. I'll keep tinkering away and doing research - so I'm not going to brew this straightaway.
Thoughts and comments and suggestions and links to good gruit recipes welcome!
*Though maybe we shouldn't argue about it now.**
**Arr, who am I kidding. Argue away.
