Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer Tulsi Ginger Saison

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mattmcl

Supporting Member
HBT Supporter
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
725
Reaction score
14
Location
Erie, CO
Recipe Type
All Grain
Yeast
Saison Ale Blend WLP568
Yeast Starter
Yes
Additional Yeast or Yeast Starter
European Ale WLP011
Batch Size (Gallons)
5
Original Gravity
1.048
Final Gravity
1.008
Boiling Time (Minutes)
60
IBU
23.6
Color
4.9
Primary Fermentation (# of Days & Temp)
28 days @ 80F
Tasting Notes
Still fermenting
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.05 gal
Measured OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 4.9 SRM
Estimated IBU: 23.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 78.00 %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount ItemType % or IBU
6.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US
0.75 lb Wheat, Flaked
0.38 lb Aromatic Malt
0.25 lb Biscuit Malt
0.19 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] (60 min)
0.75 oz Goldings, B.C. [4.20 %] (60 min)
0.63 oz Hallertauer Hersbrucker [4.00 %] (30 min)HopsIBU
0.25 oz Saaz [4.00 %] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep) -
0.85 oz Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5.0 min) Misc
1 Pkgs Saison Ale Blend (White Labs #WLP568) Yeast-Ale


Mash Schedule: Saison
Total Grain Weight: 7.38 lb
----------------------------
Saison
Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Step Add 9.21 qt of water at 162.0 F 148.0 F


Notes:
------
After primary fermentation, add 1 100g cannister of ORGANIC INDIA Tulsi Ginger Tea to 1/2 gallon of water in a grain bag. Bring to a boil, then remove and squeeze out grain bag. Add the tea to the carboy.

After 10 days of primary fermentation it became stuck. I added European Ale Yeast WLP011 to finish it off when I added the tea.
 
I work for a company that makes Tulsi tea, it's an herb from India that has a very calming effect on many people. I thought it would go well in a Saison. The 100g canister I used contains 50 servings of tea, just about perfect. It tasted fantastic when I racked it a few days ago.
 
I was looking at different people's thoughts on the WLP568 yeast and saw your thread... Cool! Tulsi and Ginger sounds like a nice interesting combo.

I love Tulsi and actually brewed a Tulsi Gotu Kola Kolsch last year and enjoyed it. Mine turned out a little too bitter for a kolsch, but that could have been due to the other herbs I added in addition to my hops. How was yours as it aged, etc.? What temp were you fermenting at when it became stuck on you?
 
I was fermenting at 68F in a temp-controlled water bath. But I also wash my yeast, and that was 3rd or 4th generation so it may have been bad. Tea will add bitterness, and Gotu Kola will CERTAINLY add bitterness.

I'm going to start playing more with herbs in beer- I definitely want to do one with ashwagandha and shatavri, sort of an aphrodisiac beer. Or maybe I'll make it a mead.
 
I also wonder if you had issues due to the colder temperature. From what I've been reading, that yeast likes higher temps and can easily ferment in the 80's to 90's...

Yes, and those were only a few of the herbs in that concoction... That would be very interesting; just so you don't add any asafoetida! :confused: I did a mildly psychotropic/aphrodisiac beer last year with Salvia, Damiana and Lemon Balm and it turned out as well as can be expected, but the salvia did contribute a slight metallic character. I've noticed when using herbs, especially healing herbs, they increase the strength of the beer exponentially. Good luck and keep me posted!
 
I was just surfing around to see if anyone else has posted a beer with Tulsi. Great recipe ideas here, love it!

One of my upcoming beers will be a Belgian Wit with Tulsi. I have grocery bags full of the Tulsi I harvested from my garden last summer. The homegrown version has an amazing assortment of aromatics and fruitiness that isn't present in the tea. If you haven't already, grow some. Basils are a little fragile at first, but once its established it'll grow into a bush!

I'm hoping to grow some Ashwagandha this year and make a porter with it. Nice to see some brewers using Ayurvedic herbs in their recipes.
 
Very fortunate, to have Tulsi growing in your garden! Is it *******, Rama or Vana? I've had semi-fresh ******* which was brought over from our farms in India, it was fantastic. I'd love to hear how Ashwagandha works, keep us posted!
 
It's *******. I made fresh teas last summer and sometimes I swear it tasted like bubblegum! Collected seed and plan on planting again this year. I grew Ashwagandha before (was too late last year). It's actually in the Solanaceae family (same as tomatoes) and has a similar cultivation approach. I was especially surprised to see that it grows fruits (papery lanterns like tomatillos or ground cherry) where the seed is contained. In temperate zones it can be grown as an annual, or you can bring it indoors during the winter to keep it as a perennial. I'll let you know how this year's endeavor goes.
 
That's really cool Aaron... My Tulsi Kolsch that I made last year was intended to be a wit, but I mixed-up the flame-out addition of the herbs and it ended up in my kolsch. In the end, my unintentional pineapple wit is to die for. :) As I said before, my tulsi kolsch still needs som re-working.

If the tulsi tea from yours tastes like bubblegum that's always a good match for many belgian styles. Hey, I just thought of doing a Belgian Tripel with *******, Rama and Vana Tulsi (a play on triple). Of course Vana may be harder to get, but I'm pretty sure that Organic India's blends are all three.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out! Also, keep us posted on the ashwagandha.
 
Brewing my first beer ever, just started it 7 hours ago, a Tulsi Saison. It's pretty simple. Roots, leaves, stems and flowers of Rama & ******* Tulsi from my garden this year, 6 lbs dry malt extract, Wyeast 3711, in a 3 gal carboy.

Happy to find this thread, as I also intuitively leaned towards a Belgian style beer for this.

I'm shooting from the hip on this one and looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

I'll share more details later. Cheers!
 
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