Topic: Nettle and fruit beer

[GlentoranMark]

Bit of an experiment this one. Basically I've taken the River Cottage recipe and added a few extra fruit ingredients that need used up in the house.

Ingredients:


3 gallons water
1 carrier-bagful of young nettle tops
juice of 3 lemons and rind of lemons + pulp
2 plums, chopped
2 apples, chopped
100g pulped grapes
1.5kg / 3lb sugar
55g / 2oz cream of tartar
3 teaspoons yeast

I sterilised everything then boiled my nettle tops in 4l water, strained into my brewing vessel then re boiled another 4l water with the pulp that was strained previous. I topped up to 3 gallons then I put in all the other ingredients.

Specific gravity was 1.042.

I tasted it, very sweet with the grapes of all fruit the strongest. I'll check again tomorrow.

This is a quick brew beer, it will be bottled after around 3/4 days and drinkable after a week.

I'll see how it develops.

[GlentoranMark]

Cracked open my first bottle, not much fizz and pinkish in colour. Very fruity but also yeasty, I'll leave this brew for 2 months and see what it tastes like. Its strength is 4.2%