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Produce => Drink .... => Topic started by: derbex on March 21, 2005, 11:13:17

Title: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on March 21, 2005, 11:13:17

Has anyone made it, got a recipe? I do have one from an ols Farmers Weekly book -but I don't know where to get sarsaparilla from.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Marianne on March 21, 2005, 18:57:38

Derbex, as soon as you find this recipe, pleeeaaaase let me know !  Have masses of the week in my garden and would do anything to put it to good use, as in making boooooze out of it ! LOL  ;D  I know some people make soup out of nettles but boooze !

 :D ;D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: kenkew on March 21, 2005, 20:02:21

I used to drink loads of this stuff as a kid. The lady next door made gallons of it. I'm off on a search for an oldie recipe.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Beer Monster on March 21, 2005, 20:09:16

Try.......http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/nettles.asp

I use this website for the odd recipe...its american so beware the measurements.....good luck.

 8)

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: kenkew on March 21, 2005, 20:34:20

Nice one BM.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: wardy on March 21, 2005, 22:06:59

I used to have it when I was little.  My mum made it in a gas copper and I recall she used something called Mason's Extract in it.  Another ingredient was nettles.  It tasted very lemony and was delicious.  We used to have strict instructions to only gather the nettle tops or else.  My brother was once sent forth to fetch nettles and he came back with dock leaves.  Doh!

You can also use your nettles in the compost heap, in the water butt and with leaf mould (this is in the HDRA book)

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Simon05 on March 21, 2005, 22:16:49

Nettle Beer Recipe, taken from an old book

Young Nettles - 1 Gallon
sugar - 12 ozs
lemon - 1
malt - 2 lbs
sarsaparilla - 2 ozs (Dictionary Description to follow)
root ginger - quarter of an ounce
dried hops - 1 oz
water 1 gallon
brewing yeast ( it doesnt say how much)

To 1 gallon of water add the washed nettles, the bruised ginger, malt, hops and
sarsaparilla, cover and boil together for 15 minutes.  Strain the liquid into a
polythene vessel and add the sugar and juice of the lemon, stirring well to dissolve.  When the liquid is just comfortably cool, add the yeast. Cover and keep in a warm place to ferment for 3 days, using a plastic skimmer to take off any froth that rises to the surface. Strain the beer into sterilised beer or cider bottles, seal off with corks (not screw caps) and tie the corks down firmly.
Store the bottles upright in a cool place for a week before drinking.

sarsaparilla - the dried root of several species of smilax from North America, much used in medicine.

smilax - a genus of liliaceous plants or climbing shrubs

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: wardy on March 22, 2005, 08:25:00

Don't know if Sarsparilla is available these days in root form.  It seems to come as tincture in little bottles.  I've found out what Mason's Extract is.  It was a herbal mixture brewed into a beer by a medicinal company in Nottingham - also probably not available now  :(

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on March 22, 2005, 17:41:38

Thanks all,

from wandering around it looks like you need
1gall/2lbs of nettles to 1 gall water
8oz suger(+) depends how strong you want it.
To which one can add a couple of lemons, sarsaparilla, ginger, misc herbs.

Ideally brewers yeast, but also the bread/toast trick and mine might get wine coz that's what I've got.

My dad says he was given it to purify the blood, but then again he used to get sulphur blown down his neck to cure a sore throat :o

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Marianne on March 22, 2005, 20:23:58

wow ! thanks for the recipes eveyone !  I'm off to brew some this very week end !
 ;D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: philcooper on March 27, 2005, 21:25:38

I've just seen this thread.

Simon's recipe is a bit odd in that it has all the normal beer ingredinets, hops, malt yeast and water found in normal beer.

Nettles were used before hops were found to be a better preservative (and give a more bitter taste)

Phil

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on March 28, 2005, 15:17:04

Perhaps Simon's is more 'Nettle Flavoured Beer?'

J

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on April 04, 2005, 10:24:22

Finally kicked this off at the weekend

2lbs nettles,
2lemons
1lb suger (mostly muscovado)
1 or 2sp ground ginger.
1 gall water.

Boiled the nettles for 15 mins then strained and put it in the bucket. Starting SG was 1035 so it will be alcoholic  :D -if you only use 1/2lb of suger it would be more like pub shandy. Have to say it tasted pretty good before I pitched the yeast in (not sure about that yeast -it was some left over from the parsnip wine and kept in the fridge- seems to be going).

I'm going to have to go on the scrounge for more PET bottles.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Hex on April 04, 2005, 20:42:24

Nettle wine last year was really apallingly undrinkable - american recipe full of sugar and ginger. This year I will burn the nettles and put the sugar to better use elsewhere.

I hope the beer is better.  Let us know if it is nice.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on April 08, 2005, 20:54:30

My brother gave me some sasperilla (oops! :-\) last year, was wondering what to do with it. Will ask him where he got it.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on April 10, 2005, 16:19:20

Sasperilla can be got at Pately Bridge (near Wensleydale) in Yorkshire - from the Old-Fashioned Sweet Shop there. (I think they bill it as the oldest sweet shop in England - they may have a website (incongruous, I know).

Hope that helps

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: wardy on April 10, 2005, 23:37:14

Good infor Diana     My niece has friends up there so I'll tell her to call in for some sweets  ;D         I've got loads of nettles at the mo and tempted to start a brew

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on April 11, 2005, 10:48:28

Just to say I started mine a week ago, tasted quite nice before the fermentation started. It got quite vigorous for a bit but then died away and 'stuck' a bit, I put in half a teaspoon of nutrient and will have a look again tonight.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on April 14, 2005, 12:15:18

Bottled it (into PETS, lemonade bottles) last night. Ginger flavour has all gone  >:( BUT it tastes pretty much like a Weiss beer  ;D -must be all the yeast I suppose.


Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: North Country Boy on April 16, 2005, 12:33:15

Spotted this on river cottage.net, hope it helps

www.rivercottage.net/recipes/recipe.jsp?ref=recipes.200504041459

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on April 28, 2005, 17:05:53

Jeremy - have you tried the beer again? How long will it be before it's ready?

D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on April 28, 2005, 17:25:55

Not yet, I think I'll put a bottle in the fridge and see what it's like.

If I never post again -don't make it  ;D

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on April 29, 2005, 11:25:47

                                __---------__
                              _~             ~_
                             /                 \
                            ~                   ~
                           /                     \
                           |    XXXX     XXXX    |
                           |    XXXX     XXXX    |
                           |    XXX       XXX    |
                            \         @         /
                             --\     @@@     /--
                              | |    @@@    | |
                              | |           | |
                              | vvVvvvvvvvVvv |
                              |  ^^^^^^^^^^^  |
                               \_           _/
                                 ~---------~

Actually it was pretty good -both the girls liked it (they finished their glasses, I was watching). Bit like Weiss beer, a little bit like ginger beer, good cold on a hot day.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on April 29, 2005, 17:50:29

Think I might start some off this weekend - I've run out of space for sowing

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on May 01, 2005, 19:26:07

Jeremy, here's a strange question for you.

Started my Nettle Beer off this weekend (using same recipie as you) + have an SG of 1.050 (I think!!!). What does that mean?

I say I think as I salvaged a load of brewing equipment from a friend who was having a clear out, but no instructions, so I'm still trying to work out what everything is + what it's for (oh yes, + then what it means ::))

D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on May 03, 2005, 10:46:32

It means it's going to be alcoholic  ;D Mine was 1030+ so maybe as strong as a mild, at 1050 you're looking at a strong ale.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on May 03, 2005, 11:12:43

 

;D ;D :o ;D ;D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on May 07, 2005, 13:08:33

Jeremy

was yours cloudy when you bottled it?

Should I let it clear (or help it with what?)

D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: derbex on May 09, 2005, 13:40:45

I bottled it cloudy Diana, this is yeast in suspension and it will, mostly, drop oot once it's in the bottle.

If you want to make sure it fizzes add about a teaspoon of suger/pt to the bottles -make sure they can stand the pressure -plastic fizzy pop bottles are good.

Jeremy

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on May 09, 2005, 13:45:45

Thanks for the help Jeremy

D

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: WASSISNAME on July 12, 2005, 21:25:56

Hi, just caught up with this website and I saw the word sarsaparilla mentioned, Does anyone have the receipe for this. I remember a shop in Cardiff that made the drink on the premises, but when the owner died he took the receipe with him. used to drink it in pint glasses when I was a kid but have not sen the good stuff since.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Kirsty on July 24, 2005, 17:54:51

Hi you can find Sarsaparilla Drops and Sticks from the Oldest Sweet Shop at www.oldestsweetshop.co.uk on Boilings section.  You can also purchase the Sarsaparilla drink from the shop (unfortunately not the website) which is located in Pateley Bridge, Nidderdale.  Hope thats some help.

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: Diana on July 25, 2005, 17:13:48

Quote from: derbex on April 29, 2005, 11:25:47

                                __---------__
                              _~             ~_
                             /                 \
                            ~                   ~
                           /                     \
                           |    XXXX     XXXX    |
                           |    XXXX     XXXX    |
                           |    XXX       XXX    |
                            \         @         /
                             --\     @@@     /--
                              | |    @@@    | |
                              | |           | |
                              | vvVvvvvvvvVvv |
                              |  ^^^^^^^^^^^  |
                               \_           _/
                                 ~---------~

Actually it was pretty good -both the girls liked it (they finished their glasses, I was watching). Bit like Weiss beer, a little bit like ginger beer, good cold on a hot day.

Jeremy

Mine tasted 'orrible. Should be good on the compost heap though!

Title: Re: Nettle Beer
Post by: WASSISNAME on July 27, 2005, 17:38:56

Thanks for the link Kirsty, but they are the boiled sweet variety and I don't think that you can make the drink out of them, pity that