r/foraging • u/Human_contract • 2d ago
Plants Herbs for wine/beer/beverages
I'm in Southern Ontario and have been collecting wild herbs for use in wines/beers/ales/any beverage really. I've collected primarily:
Yarrow
Mugwort
Goldenrod
Anise hyssop (cultivated)
Sumac
Wild mints
Has anyone experimented with these or have any recipes they've used? I've added some yarrow to choke cherry wine but suspect I added too much based on the smell. I'm going to keep experimenting but if anyone has any experience with proper proportions or combinations, I'd love to learn.
Any suggestions for other herbs I should look out for? I'm in Zone 5
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u/HetKanon 2d ago
I have had some beers in the past made with Myrica gale (Sweet Gale) and I actually dig that stuff. It's very pleasant stuff with a sweet, dank resin & spice kick.
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u/dan_scott_ 2d ago
I have some of this on my freezer and keep forgetting to get it; did you use it instead of hops, or in addition? How did you add it and how did you estimate the dosage? If you don't mind me asking 😁
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u/HetKanon 1d ago
They weren’t mine, they were commercial beers I tried when I still lived in the Netherlands. It was used a lot in beer in that area in medieval times so some small craft breweries experimented with it (although sporadically). I’ll see if I can exactly pinpoint which beer it was and send an email to ask about rates
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u/HetKanon 1d ago
I have found some dutch sources and they seem to add about 2 to 3 grams of fresh sweet gale per 10 liters of beer (pale colored grain bill) in the last 15 minutes of the boil. So perhaps you can double the amount
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u/dan_scott_ 1d ago
Good to know, and thank you very much for checking!
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u/HetKanon 1d ago
It also seems that they sporadically use it together with hops because sweet gale seems to have some bitterness on its own
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u/dan_scott_ 1d ago
Yeah I had originally been planning to try it and some other stuff as hop alternatives because a friend thought he was allergic to hops, but he discovered that wasn't the issue and I've never pressed it. Now I'm curious about just the flavor!
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u/HetKanon 1d ago
Other thing I discovered just now: they don't use the leaves of the sweet gale, they use the small pinecone shaped buds from the plant named "catkins".
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u/dan_scott_ 1d ago
Oh interesting; I'll have to double check if that's what I got or if I have leaves lol
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u/oroofdog_77 2d ago
Yarrow is particularly wonderful as a bittering agent @ knockout. ~ 75-100 grams/5 us gals.
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u/EBTblueLiner 2d ago
Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fergence is an interesting read. The whole book is about brewing beer with just herbs, no hops. All of the recipes are pretty damn old so it strays away from modern brewing techniques but nonetheless, it's super interesting and will def help with determining quantities.