Against All Hops: Techniques and Philosophy for Creating Extraordinary Botanical Beers
144
Against All Hops: Techniques and Philosophy for Creating Extraordinary Botanical Beers
144eBook
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Overview
This revolutionary brewing guide features unique botanical beers brewed without hops for a distinct, invigorating flavor. The technique is highlighted by George “Butch” Heilshorn, who brews this ancient ale regularly for his popular brewery in Portsmouth, NH, Earth Eagle Brewings. This throwback to traditional German brewing is technique-based and full of unexpected flavors that will blow a brewer’s mind and palate. Butch serves the beer to packed crowds of beer enthusiasts.
This back-to-the-future brewing features gruits –beers brewed with little or no hops– that rely on foraged roots, herbs and spices to flavor beer. These unique ingredients give the beer earthy, herbal notes instead of hops, fruit and spruce. At the brewery, a forager collects from woods, swamps and seacoasts for ingredients that provide an expression of locale; a reflection of time and place.
Home brewers and professionals, looking for different flavor choices, can expand their horizons and push their brewing to new places with this outside-the-box technique for great beer. This book features 12 main recipes plus a myriad of variations and suggestions, with 60 photographs.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781624144004 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Page Street Publishing |
| Publication date: | 10/31/2017 |
| Sold by: | Macmillan |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 144 |
| File size: | 96 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
EXHILARATION
Exhilaration comes from the concept that beers without hops are stimulating in their effects, even aphrodisiacal, especially in this combination of herbs. This holy trinity of herbs is sweet gale, wild rosemary (not culinary rosemary) and yarrow. The first two are typically found in wetlands and swamps in northern climates with a strong winter season. Yarrow, on the other hand, grows just about everywhere. As you might imagine, the pre-Reformation version of a beer buzz was a much more animated, energetic and spirited affair than when hops came to rule.
Exhilaration is based on the herb combination that always seems to bubble up first when researching gruit. This combination points to origins in the British Isles, Scandinavia and the rest of Northern Europe. I first came across it in Stephen Buhner's Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, an absolute must for anyone's beer and/or herbal library.
Not all are in agreement with the authenticity of these herbs being used together. "Sweet gale and marsh rosemary do not grow in the same areas (in Europe), hence making the combination unlikely and furthermore, since the two plants have similar flavors, and similar effects, why would you want to use them both?" asks beer historian Martyn Cornell, on his blog, Zythophile. In North America, sweet gale is far more prevalent than marsh rosemary, and often in areas where marsh rosemary does grow, one will find sweet gale nearby. I don't know why that wouldn't be the case in Europe. I would also beg to differ on the similarities point too. As one who has used both these herbs many times, both together and separately, they are aren't similar enough to preclude using one with the other.
Wild rosemary or marsh rosemary (Rhododendron tomentosum, formerly Ledum palustre) and a sub-species Labrador tea (Rhododendron groenlandicum, formerly Ledum groenlandicum), grow in the same conditions as sweet gale but are exclusive to more northern boreal areas. While these are two different plants, their close relationship elicits much confusion when doing research — their names often get used interchangeably. Both plants' active ingredients are concentrated in the flower tops but are in the foliage as well. They have a history of use as a first-aid remedy for puncture wounds and as an anti-parasitic, as well as treating back problems, insect stings, joint, muscle, arthritic, cough, cold and nerve pain. Recent research into the plants' essential oil preparation points to anti-oxidant, anti-diabetic and anti-cancer possibilities, according to PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23352748). The Russian variety also has a history of ethnobotanical use by Siberian tribes.
"Despite its toxicity it has been cleverly used to flavor beer, instead of or alongside hops. Essential oils stimulate the central nervous system, so drinkers can become sexually excited or quarrelsome troublemakers. This quickly passes however and is replaced by apathy," according to NatureGate. And then comes a rather sobering warning regarding "shocking hangovers" and kidney failure. Happy to report that after brewing many batches containing both wild rosemary and Labrador tea, no kidneys were destroyed and no shocking hangovers were experienced.
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is the third herbal ingredient. Its stem is sort of rough, with alternating fern-like feathery leaves. Its large, flat flower head is actually hundreds of tiny flowers that range from white to a faint pink. It grows literally everywhere and has been used by native peoples all over the world. Herbalist Matthew Wood refers to it as "one of the primal remedies of the Western herbal tradition" and "master of the blood."
Yarrow has been employed for multiple conditions and ailments for at least 60,000 years, as evidenced by the contents of a Neanderthal grave in Iraq. Achilles used yarrow to stop bleeding on the battlefield. We're talking serious wounds from flesh-piercing weapons like spears, swords, knives and arrows, the type that need to get stitched up!
It also enjoys a long relationship with beer. The eighteenth-century botanist Linnaeus wrote of yarrow beer brewed in Sweden for weddings "so that the guests become crazy" because it "brings about special sensations and feelings." Not the least of these feelings was a heightened sense of arousal. For our purposes, using yarrow for taste rather than psychological properties, it imparts a pleasant bitter flavor and has many of the same preservative properties as hops.
Sweet gale or bog myrtle (Myrica gale) may be the quintessential gruit herb. This deciduous, perennial shrub grows around four feet (1.2 m) tall in wet soil at the edge of lakes, ponds and streams. It has narrow, oblanceolate leaves that taper at the base. The upper side of the leaf is a glossy dark green with a lighter underside. Sweet gale also produces extremely fragrant clusters of catkins, which are the tiny cone-looking fruits.
Buhner claimed that it's been used to make ale stronger throughout Europe for millennia. In Yorkshire, England, it was used as a substitute for hops and put into a thirst-quencher called "gale beer," according to Margaret Grieve in A Modern Herbal. She also states that in China, sweet gale leaves are used as a tea, producing a stomachic and cordial drink. It all sounds rather innocent until you start coming across references to the Berserkers, elite Norse warriors who were famous for fighting in a frenzied trance wearing animal skins instead of the standard-issue chain mail. Numerous sources point to a sweet gale–infused ale called "porsøl" or "por," which helped get the troops into this fearless frame of mind!
EXHILARATION
YIELD: 5 GALLONS (18.9 L), ALL-GRAIN
11 lb (5 kg) 92% 2-row pale malt (e.g., Maris Otter)
Mash Water: 3.67 gallons (13.89 L)
Mash Temperature: 151°F (66°C)
HERBS, ETC.
YEAST
Target OG: 1.064
Add the herbs at flame-out, keep immersed through ten-plus-minute whirlpool and ten-plus-minute settle, for at least twenty minutes of total contact time.
These same herbs can then be added to a fermenter to further enhance flavor. If you decide to do this, make sure all areas of the herb bags have been sterilized by contact with hot wort. Also, put a sterilized weight, like a tri-clamp, in the bag to ensure maximum contact with the wort. Don't forget to take it out when you toss the bag!
After you have brewed this and feel like you have a sense of the basic beer, do tweak this recipe! Grain-wise, any 2-row is fair game, particularly local grain or at least grain from a local maltster. You might want to add a bit of smoked grain or a more authentic rendition. It's thought that medieval beer had at least a touch of smoke in its flavor, as malt was kilned and wort was boiled over wood fires. Some wheat or rye malt could take Exhilaration into some tasty places too!
Herb-wise, there's infinite room for experimentation. Juniper could be a great addition. Toss some fresh branches into your hot liquor tank (HLT) while you get your water up to temp and/or add some as your wort boils. If you have juniper berries, break them up in a coffee grinder, bag them and toss them in at fifteen minutes.
TASTING NOTES
Brewer's Note: Pours a light brown. Moss, loam and whole grain bread on the nose, with citrus and celery notes. Creamy yet crisp, sweet savory spice to bready citrus notes then working into the sourdough bread and yeast slight notes of citrus. Light tartness. Crisp and smooth, complex and interesting on the tongue.
ONLINE BEER REVIEWS
BeerAdvocate.com Members:
"The beer pours a beautiful light candied brown, bordering on orange and amber, with a great tightly packed white head that fizzles down to about a quarter of a finger's width scrim. The body of the beer is a murky haze, but it does seem to be mildly translucent. On the nose this beer smells terrifically earthy. The rosemary can also be felt strongly in the background of the smell, producing a feel that is much akin to how mint hits the nose. This beer tastes fantastic."
CHAPTER 2
BLOOMERS
A flower is the reproductive part of a floral plant. The transfer of pollen is what causes fertilization. The wonderful colors and fragrances flowers emit are all in the service of pollen transfer. Animals and insects are attracted and either purposefully gather or otherwise collect pollen, some of which is shed on the next flower they visit. Once this pollen has been received and a flower has become fertilized, the ovary grows into a fruit in which seeds are found. Humans have not been immune to their charms. Not only do we give our loved ones flowers on special occasions, but we have used them ritually, medicinally and nutritionally for millennia. So it's natural to use them in beer.
Any edible flower is potentially fair game for brewing. The real work of it is to identify the smell and flavor of each and capture enough of that essence to have it present in a beer. We brew Bloomers in late spring/early summer to showcase the season's bounty. There are waves of flowers blooming everywhere throughout the spring and summer, a phenomenon that expresses a place and a time like nothing else. We tend to let nature guide our flower choices, finding that most flowers that bloom at the same time in the same area do very well together in the same beer. Different versions could be brewed repeatedly throughout the summer months as different groups of plants flower. There is much variation in the strength of this dizzying array of scents and flavors. For that reason, the grain bill is a very light one, both color-wise and flavor-wise. The intent is to provide a neutral canvas for the floral notes to shine on, with a bit of subtle yet complementary malt flavors.
Black elder (Sambucus nigra) grows in temperate to subtropical regions in Europe and North America. It typically grows as larger shrubs and occasionally small trees. It is fairly easy to identify in early summer with its characteristic flat-topped clusters of small white flowers — the parts we are after for this recipe. Later in the summer the flowers transform into drooping clusters of bluish to jet-black berries, a harbinger of summer's end and great ingredients for beer as well. However, if the berries are red, stay away! Another elder variety, Sambucus racemosa, is poisonous.
Elder was once known as the elder mother or queen of the underworld, and the bush itself was a portal through which to enter her world of faeries and sprites, according to herbalist Matthew Wood. As a result, one should never have slept under an elder tree and cradles were never made of its wood. The name elder comes from hulda, which means hidden, rather than the oft-cited eld, which means fire. Huldafolk, also known as faeries, were thought of as occupying the underworld. Sambucus comes from the sambuka, a musical instrument made from the hollow stems of the elder, also called a pan pipe or pan flute. The pan flute refers to Pan, the Lord of the Underworld. Cultures as diverse as North American Indians and European peasants made offerings to the plant and even asked it for permission before using its wood. The lore of this powerful plant continues on and on, from country to country, and age to age.
The elder is viewed in all ancient texts as a panacea, a cure-all — pan-acea, as in Pan's sacred healing power of the forest coming through "his most sacred plant." Each part of the plant has specific healing properties. The flowers, regularly eaten in many countries, provide a stimulative effect when prepared in a warm solution. They also help to remove excess mucous from the body, fighting ear, sinus and throat infections. "Folk legend has it that continued use of elder will heal all the ills a person is likely to have in their lifetime, thus promoting long life and giving rise to its name, elder," according to Stephen Buhner.
Sage (Salvia officinalis) enjoys a long history in brewing and a much longer one in herbalism. While there are many varieties, look for the one that's native to your area. Fortunately, they can all be used interchangeably. The botanical name salvia originates from the Latin salvus meaning "to make healthy." "Sage has long had a reputation as an herb that mitigates mental and bodily grief, heals the nerves, counter-acts fear and protects human beings from evil influences, spiritual and physical," according to Buhner. While its leaves get most of the attention, we are interested in its blooms for this recipe. Purple and/or white flowers appear on sage plants in the early summer. The ones that grow in northern New England have a unique sweet/peppery flavor that is a slam-dunk for beer. Pluck a flower off the stalk, pop it in your mouth and I'm sure you'll agree. The tough part of using these flowers is that the window for collecting them is pretty narrow, maybe two weeks if you're lucky. The ideal harvest time is when the flowers are just starting to open, once the morning dew has evaporated. As usual, be sure you know what you're harvesting and, if possible, confirm that the area it's growing in has not been sprayed with insecticide.
Perhaps you are familiar with the ubiquitous dandelion plant (Taraxacum officinale)? Cursed weed, bane of every lawn owner? Hopefully you will never look at this mighty plant the same way. Its name comes from the shape of its leaves, according to M. Grieve. The leaves were thought to resemble the teeth of a lion, dent de lion in French or dens leonis in Latin. She further states that because of its "lavishly supplied nectar ... no less than 93 different kinds of insects are in the habit of visiting it." Birds love the seeds, pigs the whole plant and humans have been eating all parts for nourishment and medicine for centuries. It is good for the liver, kidneys and upper respiratory system, and its flowers can have a calming effect when taken in tea. That's just for starters!
Someone figured out it was pretty good in beer, most likely as a way to administer its medicinal properties. Its roots are one of the ingredients in traditional root beer. "Dandelion beer is a rustic fermented drink common in many parts of the country (England) and made also in Canada," Grieve reported. The leaves and the roots are both viable additions, but here we are looking for those bright yellow flowers.
The most delicate flower is from North America's strongest timber tree, black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia). They originated in the Eastern United States, and they've been introduced throughout the world. They handle pollution well so they're planted in cities, they grow fast and thus control erosion well, and they contribute to an area's honey supply. Black locust is also regarded as an invasive species in many places for the same reasons. It has a long history, particularly as a rot-resisting building material in revolution-era United States. "It has the highest beam strength of any North American tree, and ... a cord of seasoned locust has the same Btu potential as a ton of anthracite coal — the highest fuel value of any American tree," according to Wesley Greene, of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
Some of the uses of black locust include stopping spasms, defense against viral attacks, purifying and energizing the body and as a cancer treatment, according to herbs2000.com. Reportedly a "heady" narcotic brew can be made from its seed pods, and the flowers have diuretic, emollient, laxative and purgative properties. But once again, we're brewing for taste rather than medicinal properties. You'll need to use far greater amounts of the correct plant part for any obvious health benefits.
Finally, there's wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), which originated in Europe, Africa and Asia. It now grows wild throughout much of the United States, often along paths, roadsides and other disturbed spaces. Typically, the leaves are used but the flowers are certainly fair game. Buhner reported wormwood is named for its ability to rid the digestive system of worms and other parasites. "The name wormwood comes from Old English/Old Saxon wermod, meaning something like 'defend the mind,'" according to Dale Pendell in his epic Pharmako trilogy. It's the same herb used in the often misunderstood, highly alcoholic drink called absinthe and its use and reverence goes back to ancient times.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Against All Hops"
by .
Copyright © 2017 Butch Heilshorn.
Excerpted by permission of Page Street Publishing Co..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
PREFACE,
BACK TO THE FUTURE,
BREWING PARTNERS,
PRE-BREW,
EXHILARATION,
BLOOMERS,
CHAGA GROOVE,
MONKEY WEED,
BLACK ADDER,
POP! IPA,
CHINESE ROCK,
GALLOWS HARVEST,
DRAKONIA,
PORTER COCHON,
CONNIE FERALE,
BIRTHDAY BOY,
CONTINUING THE ADVENTURE,
MASTER HERB LIST,
RESOURCES,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,
Praise,
INDEX,
ABOUT THE AUTHOR,
Copyright,