Crafting Modern Herbal Brews

Crafting ModernHerbal Brews
Healthy, Unique, Local

About Me
Eat Local
Drink Local
Think Local
@GeorgiaOrganics
@CropMobATL
@WholeMind

Why I Brew
Even local beers aren’t local
Get to grow my own ingredients
Brew what I want
Relive the past
Brew as meditation
Embark on a new career
Simply the best

What I Brew
Ale, Beer, Wine, Cider Mead
I just call them “Brews”
Or you can call them all “wine”
Natural fermentations

Brew History
Ancient Brew (10,000 – 30,000 years ago)
Not what we know as beer today
100s if not 1,000s
20 different kinds of yeast
15 different sugar sources
200+ different plants

Brew Ingredients

Types of Herbs Used
Use what you like
Different herbs have different properties
Some are multipurpose
None as versatile as hops

Brewing Properties of Herbs
Bittering
Horehound, sage, dandelion, alecost, milk thistle, nettle, yarrow, gentian, clary sage and betony
Flavoring
Juniper, spruce, rosemary, hyssop, borage, ginger, oregano, mints, bee balm, lemon balm, sweet woodruff, marjoram, elecampane, licorice, and thyme
Aromatic
Rosemary, hyssop, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, bee balm, elder flowers, and many others

Health Benefits
Honey, barley, grapes and other fruits all have medicinal qualities
The effects of most herbs are dramatically increased when included in a fermenting beverage.

Brewing Simplified
Start small (1-gallon batches)
Pick a sugar source
Malted grain, malt extract, white or brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc.
Pick some brewing herbs
bitterness, flavor, aroma
Skip the chemicals and additives
Hot water and soap work fine
Or use a strong tea made with antiseptic herbs
Reuse yeast like a sourdough starter

Brewing Pointers
Have fun
Experiment
Don’t ever think you don’t know enough
Figure out what works for you
If you screw up a batch
It makes great fertilizer for the garden
It’s not that expensive
You can always make more

Further Reading
Folksy Brews (www.folksybrews.com)
Wild Fermentation
The Homebrewer’s Garden
Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers
Making Wild Wines and Meads
Radical Brewing

Local Brewing 101 Classes
July 17
The Sun Dog Famers at Skip’s Garden (Douglasville, GA)
September 4, October 9, December 4
Oakhurst Community Garden(Decatur, GA)

Crafting Modern Herbal Brews

by Folksy Brews on Jun 21, 2010

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Crafting Modern Herbal Brews — Webinar Transcript