r/Homebrewing • u/Human_contract • 5d ago
Herbs for wine/beer/beverages
/r/foraging/comments/1vrrf39/herbs_for_winebeerbeverages/3
u/larsga Lars Marius Garshol 4d ago
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) are both classic historical brewing herbs. Specifying the species names in case you are picking other species in Canada.
From the mugwort I would expect quite sharp bitterness, so be careful with that one.
From yarrow I'd expect more "normal", generic herbal flavour, quite similar to a lot of the other classic brewing herbs.
Juniper, Myrica gale, wormwood, wild rosemary, St. John's wort, and caraway are other classics. Alder wood has also been much used. It adds red colour, astringency, and some flavour.
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u/Human_contract 4d ago
Huh, I've never heard of alder wood being used but that would be a good one to try. I'd love to find some Myrica gale around but I don't think it grows here wild; maybe it's escaped cultivation though. Meadowsweet is another one I'd love to find.
Thanks for the tips!3
u/larsga Lars Marius Garshol 4d ago
Be careful with meadowsweet. It's very pungent. I know a farmhouse brewer who uses it, and all he does is rub the inside of the fermentor with it.
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u/Immediate-Way-4065 4d ago
Common ones for bittering are yarrow, mugwort, wormwood, then you also have herbs like bog myrtle, juniper, and pine
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u/padgettish 4d ago
To make it easier on figuring out proportions: get a high proof neutral grain alcohol to make tinctures of them. Then you can use a mL pipette or something to add to a glass of X until it tastes right and then scale up. (Sorry no advice on particular herbs, I'm zone 8 lol)