Am I an idiot?

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dubhdarra

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My name is liam, I've been brewing mead for around eight years, on and off. I've made some... shall we say, unsuccsessful... beers, and since figured out my issues. my primary interest is in historic brews, specifically gruit ales. I've worked out a recipe, it is all grain, and I'm wondering if i can get some input of the more experienced members as to whether this will be disgusting, overcomplicated, or doomed to failure, etc.

i appreciate any help, no matter how obvious a correction may seem, chances are i won't notice the problem.

medieval gruit ale

1.5-2 gallon batch

8 lbs pale malt
2 lbs amber
1 lb crystal
1 lb oats
1/4 lb honey
1pk each, nottingham and windsor ale yeasts danstar

boil herbs:
60 minutes: .2 oz. mugwort, .2 oz. yarrow
30 minutes: .2 gram sweet gale
15 minutes: .2 oz yarrow, .4 oz chamomile .2 oz wild rosemary
5 minutes: .5 oz heather tips


dry"hopping":
primary, 2oz licorice, .2oz mugwort
Secondary: pinch of sweet gale and pinch of wild rosemary

PS if it sounds good, please use this recipe, let me know how it works out, i'll not have the time to make it for at least a month and a half.
 
what did i screw up?

honey is so much less finnicky... grr. at loving beer.
 
The grain bill looks fine, but I can't help with your herbing schedule. But I do commend you for your pioneering in this area. I dabble in making meads with plants I find on my property, but I haven't tried anything this gutsy. Whatever you end up with please let us know how it turns out!
 
I would at least leave the licorice out because I think it is going to cause a funny taste and overpower the flavor of your brew. I've had gruit made with sweet gale and mugwort. I've tasted camomile and I know from childhood that yarrow is very bitter. Somehow I can't get my arms around ALL those flavors combined.

I guess what I'm saying is that you might be better off with a simplier version of herb additions so you know what you like and don't like.
 
having just placed an order with my herbalist aunt, i've just been belabored with the same opinion. having heard it from both an herbalist and a brewmaster like yourself, i feel i'm forced to concede either the mugwort or the licorice. in light of this, i think i'll be cuttting the licorice entirely, doing away with the mugwort in the boil, and halving (or more) the mugwort dryhop. I figure, my beer experience being what it is, i need to play it safe on the first batch.

i do have to ask though, as my first (hopefully non-disastrous) all grain, would i be safe sticking my grain in muslin bags and soaking it in a cooler for 3 hours rather than actually constructing a mash tun? i'm at least as apprehensive about the process as the spices....

thanks,
liam
 
sorry for getting the name wrong nurmey... i had chamomile in my head and somehow they got unintentionally combined.
 
having just placed an order with my herbalist aunt, i've just been belabored with the same opinion. having heard it from both an herbalist and a brewmaster like yourself, i feel i'm forced to concede either the mugwort or the licorice. in light of this, i think i'll be cuttting the licorice entirely, doing away with the mugwort in the boil, and halving (or more) the mugwort dryhop. I figure, my beer experience being what it is, i need to play it safe on the first batch.

i do have to ask though, as my first (hopefully non-disastrous) all grain, would i be safe sticking my grain in muslin bags and soaking it in a cooler for 3 hours rather than actually constructing a mash tun? i'm at least as apprehensive about the process as the spices....

thanks,
liam

This sounds better as far as the herbs go, I've not tried all the herbs in combination that you have listed, however being on our third heather ale, A mugwort vanilla stout and dabbled with gruit beers in the past I find that all these herbs are well used in lesser amounts than hops would be. It seems that heather tips "hold" their flavor longer than mugwort, however we are only on the second week of bottle time with the mugwort stout. I believe you will be fine with the yarrow and heather schedules as listed. Have you used this combination of herbs in the past? Can't speak to the other herbs.
Your idea of mashing the grain in a muslin bag will work, but why 3 hours? You may get some tannin problems if they are soaked too long. You could soak for 1 hr at 150ish (While swishing it around in there once in awhile) then place the bag in some sort of strainer and sparge through them slowly with 170ish water? Although a mash tun would work better and they are easily made.
My 2cents, Vern.
 
after more research, more pricing, and streamlining it so its harder to screw up, here is my finalized recipe, please let me know if anything is wrong with it, mats are already ordered

Medieval Gruit Ale
3 gallon batch

INGREDIENTS:

GRAIN BILL
8 lbs briess 2 row Pale Malt (12.80$)
2 lbs U.K. Brown (Amber) Malt 20L 5.90$)
1 lbs Briess Crystal 40L Malt (1.85$)
1 lbs Belgian Caramunich 40-54 L (2.50$)
1/4 lb Honey

YEAST
1 pkg Danstar Nottingham (1.95$)
1 pkg Danstar Windsor (1.95$)

HERBS
.2 oz yarrow
.2 oz wild rosemary
.2 oz sweet gale
.1 oz licorice

PROCESS:

english style mash and sparge:

run two mashes (1.9 gal each)
first on rest schedule resting for thirty minutes each at 104, 140 and 158 degrees, bring to 165-70 for 15 min

fully drain grain, then run

second on 75 min at 160,

combine in boil pot

Boil:

boil for 75 min

Herb schedule
boil herbs:
60 minutes: .15 oz. yarrow
30 minutes: .2 gram sweet gale
15 minutes: .5 oz yarrow,.2 oz wild rosemary
5 minutes .2oz chamomile


dry"hopping":
only in primary, .1 oz licorice,


Ferment at 60-70 F

Primary until krausen dies down, about 4-6 days, 1-5 bubbles a minute, krausen starts to settle. Rack to
Secondary for 2 weeks to a month.
bottle with a small amount of bottling sugar (dissolve in warm water, add to carboy, don’t just dust the bottles or squirt them individually)


Estimated OG: 1.097
Estimated FG: 1.024 (I expect this to be less, based on the mash schedule.)
Estimated ABV: 9.5%
Estimated Color: 18.4 SRM
 
I am not much help, but I did buy this book which is chock full of ancient recipes, and gruit recipes as well.

As for your recipe, it's just a waste of money to use both nottingham and windsor yeast. Nottingham is a neutral yeast, which will be completely overtaken flavorwise by the windsor. I have no idea if your herbs will taste good, but the grain bill looks just dandy.
 
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