Has anyone ever tried Nettle Beer? Now that spring is upon us and the stingers are bursting out of the hedgerows, I found this reciple on the internet and was thinking of trying it. What do the experts think it would taste like?
Ingredients:
2 lb young nettle tops
2 lemons
1 oz cream of tartar
1 lb brown sugar
water
Lager Yeast
Method:
Wash the nettle tops and boil in 4 pints of water for 15 minutes.
Strain and add the juice of the lemons, the cream of tartar and the sugar - stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add another 3 pints of water and transfer to a gallon jar and add the yeast.
Fit a fermentation lock and allow to work until nearly dry.
Rack and transfer into beer bottles and keep for a week or so before drinking.
Found a couple of variations too.
Method
100 Stalks
12 litres / 2.5 gallons of water
1.5kg / 3lbs sugar
50g / 2oz cream of tarter
15g / 0.5oz yeast
Boil the nettles for 15 minutes, drain off, add the sugar and cream of tarter stir until dissolved. Take off heat and leave until tepid and then add yeast, stir until dissolved. Leave in the pan / bucket for four days, scoop off the scum, decant into bottles without disturbing the sediment.
And finally...
Makes 14-16 bottles
You will need:
1 full carrier bag of fresh nettle tops
12 litres of water
3 lbs. organic sugar
1 tbs. cream of tartar
1 tsp. winemaking yeast
Juice of one lemon (or orange)
16 beer bottles
16 bottle caps
Bottle capper
To make the beer:
Wash nettles
Bring the water to the boil in a large pot and add the nettles
Boil for 15 minutes, then turn off and allow infusing for a further 15 minutes.
Strain into fermentation bin through two pillowcases (or some muslin)
Once strained, return the liquid to the pot
Add the sugar and the juice of one lemon (or one orange)
Lightly heat and stir to dissolve the sugar
Pour back into the fermentation bin and add the cream of tartar
Leave to stand until tepid
Start the yeast by taking a cup of tepid brew
When the liquid is lukewarm, add the yeast
Loosely cover and leave for 2 – 4 days
Strain (as above) and leave for one more day
Strain again and allow to settle
Sterilise the bottles by placing in a cool oven and heating to 175 degrees C (Gas Mark 3)
Allow the bottles to cool until hand warm
Siphon the beer off into bottles and cap tightly (don’t use screw tops)
Leave for at least a week (or three, if you can wait that long)
