Absenthe Beer?

With the hop shortage and crazy hop prices I got to thinking why not an absenthe beer? Absenthe is bitter. Why not make a beer using similar herbs. Get some star anise too. Anyone used grand wormwood to bitter before? I hear it's crazy bitter. Wonder how much would make what IBU rating.

Is the plant illegal (Absinth Wormwood)? If not, do you really think the liquor tastes much like the plant? Just questions, not trying to provike either side of the argument.

IIRC, wormwood is a plant, containing a psychotropic drug, but is entirely legal to sell. My LHBS has some along with the stocks of orange peel, coriander, etc. Absinthe is the drink formed from steeping said herb like in a tea, which, yes, is illegal (still IIRC here). I suppose that it's kinda like distilling, in that it's legal to sell the ingredients, equipment, and how-to books, but no legal to actually make the product...

Anywho, I haven't tasted the stuff myself, so I'm afraid I can't give a good opinion on it.

Evan!, hate to drag you into this if youre not interested - but doesn't your "Old Slug" have wormwood in it. I know they sell it at homebrew shops, not sure if its the 'real thing' or not. The 'Old Slug' is the last of your beers I've yet to try, I think you said to give it some time to smooth out. Looking forward to it, if it does have wormwood in it, I'll post here how it tastes/etc.

I can't even stand the smell of black jellybeans. and absinthe/anise, to my nose and taste buds...are the same.

ditto for licorice. nasty stuff.

I haven't tried it, but wormwood has been used in ales for hundreds of years. You might try steeping a little in a blond for starters. Or, you could jump right in!

Wormwood Gruit Braggot Ale
http://www.geocities.com/bontasaurus/wormwood_gruit.htm

malkore said:

I can't even stand the smell of black jellybeans. and absinthe/anise, to my nose and taste buds...are the same.

ditto for licorice. nasty stuff.

Click to expand...

I'm the same here mate, ugg just a wee little bit of licorice will make me gag and feel sick - although I had some black sambuca one night, and happened to have a slightly upset stomach and it seemed to feel better afterwards, but that's not really on the point is it .

I think I've read another site that had a gruit with wormwood in it, but that was before the reformat, and I so can't be bothered looking for it, lol.:cross:

Can't find the reference now but I have read that wormwood is very bitter when boiled but the psychedelic drug does not dissolve well in water. However it does dissolve in alcohol. So if you want bitterness it is best to boil. If you want psychedelic dry hop.
I have seen it at homebrew shops so it is most likely legal to buy. i believe abstineth is legal in the US as long as the wormwood drug is below some threshold. This makes it an uninteresting drink given its rather bitter and for most people unpleasant flavor.

Craig

I heard there is a different type of wormwood used...apparently the Southern Wormwood is the one used in most domestic absinthe here in the U.S. But there is a new birth of old time use going on now. I could be mistaken.

Hops provide a pleasant, smooth bitterness coupled with a sweet fragrance and pleasant taste.

Wormwood provides a medicinal, tannic bitterness that is intentionally masked by anise and other strong flavorings in absinthe. It's not a flavor I'd particularly want in my beer.

That said, wormwood has been used as a flavoring in other drinks and liquors, including Vermouth, so the idea isn't without merit. It might be a good idea to make a mild wormwood tea to see how the flavor sits with you. Just make sure it's well diluted - strong teas made with wormwood are actually used as herbal pesticides, and they can be toxic to humans!

I am almost certain that the wormwood sold in the US does not contain the psychadelic compound, it is a different species. Kind of the same thing as having hemp t-shirts and lotion, because they don't contain THC.

RadicalEd said:

IIRC, wormwood is a plant, containing a psychotropic drug, but is entirely legal to sell. My LHBS has some along with the stocks of orange peel, coriander, etc. Absinthe is the drink formed from steeping said herb like in a tea, which, yes, is illegal (still IIRC here). I suppose that it's kinda like distilling, in that it's legal to sell the ingredients, equipment, and how-to books, but no legal to actually make the product...

Anywho, I haven't tasted the stuff myself, so I'm afraid I can't give a good opinion on it.

Click to expand...

No, it's fermented and distilled from wormwood which is illegal in the USA, not just steeped.

I've made homemade absinthe hooch by just steeping it in everclear and it's the worst possible stuff ever. I added a hole host of other stuff, including mint (for taste), cardamon seeds, anise, hysoop and fennel. It (absinthe with the drug thujong) is supposed to have similar effects as THC, especially if you couple it with other herbs (like I mentioned) but it just tastes like hot garbage. You might as well mix dirt in with a bottle of cheap vodka or everclear because it has about the same affect and taste.

Some googling turns up comments in Wikipedia that claim thujone is not hallucinogenic. And it appears to be very difficult to extract it. Putting wormwood in beer is going to have negligible effects from this chemical.

Also wormwood includes a huge family of related plants one of which is Artemisia absinthium the ingredient in absinthe. This plant has been naturalized in the US and I have seen wormwood for sale labeled as this species. I don't know if the Brewer's Garden product is this species but it seems likely. Even so don't expect much effects other than extreme bitterness from using wormwood in your beer.

Craig

Google results for Absinthe:

http://www.absinthebuyersguide.com/icbd_article.html

http://www.greendevil.com/ordering/product_info.php?products_id=30

http://www.seborabsinth.com/faqs/absinthe.asp

http://www.feeverte.net/retrospective/index-1998.html

http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/6670/brew-absinthe.htm

Yuri_Rage said:

Hops provide a pleasant, smooth bitterness coupled with a sweet fragrance and pleasant taste.

Wormwood provides a medicinal, tannic bitterness that is intentionally masked by anise and other strong flavorings in absinthe. It's not a flavor I'd particularly want in my beer.

That said, wormwood has been used as a flavoring in other drinks and liquors, including Vermouth, so the idea isn't without merit. It might be a good idea to make a mild wormwood tea to see how the flavor sits with you. Just make sure it's well diluted - strong teas made with wormwood are actually used as herbal pesticides, and they can be toxic to humans!

Click to expand...

EGADS!!!!! lets not give that tea to anyone we like! LOL!!! thanks for the heads up!

Grimsawyer said:

EGADS!!!!! lets not give that tea to anyone we like! LOL!!! thanks for the heads up!

Click to expand...

Also note that absinthe is traditianally consumed by adding two sugar cubes to the drink and diluting 1 part absinthe in 5 PARTS WATER. That right there tells me people are thinking " this stuff tastes like a$$, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I think I'll do my best to cover up the taste and have some fun!"

That said, my own personal experience with the drink was as follows:
- fill shot glass with absinth
-drink
-gag
-feel **** faced drunk shortly thereafter
-shake fist and curse at drink 20 minutes later when feeling subsides.

BadKarmaa said:

Also note that absinthe is traditianally consumed by adding two sugar cubes to the drink and diluting 1 part absinthe in 5 PARTS WATER. That right there tells me people are thinking " this stuff tastes like a$$, but it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I think I'll do my best to cover up the taste and have some fun!"

That said, my own personal experience with the drink was as follows:
- fill shot glass with absinth
-drink
-gag
-feel **** faced drunk shortly thereafter
-shake fist and curse at drink 20 minutes later when feeling subsides.

Click to expand...

When I tried absinthe I enjoyed it. That being said I enjoy black liquorice. The times I have had it I wasn't attempting to get drunk, but as the "buzz" set in it was a different feeling than I normally got from beer/hard liquor.

I'd say it's worth a shot as a bittering agent, I'd be curious as to how the beer turns out at that.

NOTE: I lived in a different country at dates of consumption where absinthe is legal.

I've had some wormwood beer that was very good. The bitterness was more harsh and astringent than hopped beers, but it was good. I don't know about psychoactive, as I didn't exactly control for that effect during that night, but it was good to drink.


TL

Wormwood is by no means hallucinogenic. In fact, the levels of thujone in Sage are higher than Wormwood by a long shot. At any rate, I have used it to make tonics by crushing some up with vodka and other herbs. It does, however, seem to have a relaxing effect not unlike what you get from chamomile, etc. I actually think it has a very pleasant medicinal flavor to it when I pick it off the plant. It is a beautiful hardy perennial that is easy to grow. It is very bitter, more than hops but I believe you could easily control the bitterness enough to use it in a brew. That all being said, you'd need the right recipe to do it with.

If anyone wants to grow some I have seed. It is NOT illegal to grow or use, and you can find it on a few reputable op seed source sites.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned these articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/12conn.html

I'd also recommend checking out Stephen Buhner's "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers." It should be required reading for all homebrewers.

If you don't have the patience for growing/wildcrafting yr own, you can easily (and yes, legally) order wormwood over the interweb.

abrix said:

I'm surprised no one has mentioned these articles:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/dining/05absi.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/12/arts/12conn.html

I'd also recommend checking out Stephen Buhner's "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers." It should be required reading for all homebrewers.

If you don't have the patience for growing/wildcrafting yr own, you can easily (and yes, legally) order wormwood over the interweb.

Click to expand...

According to those 2 articles Absenthe is now legal? How or where would I find out more on this subject? Anyone have any links? Is it monitored in each state like all alcohol or is it just considered something that a liquor store carries? How do i find out about it's availability in Oregon or the laws reguarding it? and that book sounds really interesting! Gotta check that one out for sure!

Grimsawyer said:

According to those 2 articles Absenthe is now legal? How or where would I find out more on this subject? Anyone have any links? Is it monitored in each state like all alcohol or is it just considered something that a liquor store carries? How do i find out about it's availability in Oregon or the laws reguarding it? and that book sounds really interesting! Gotta check that one out for sure!

Click to expand...

absinthe has always been legal as long as the thujone contents were below a certain level. the drink is not what was illegal but rather the thujone in high quanties and a consumable form.

I have a bottle coming to me that was purchased in LA as an xmas gift from the step pops.

Wormwood ale:

4 lbs. Malt extract
1 lb. raw wildflower honey
1/2 ounce of worwood (artemisia absinthium)
4 gallons of water
yeast

Bring water to boil, add wormwood and simmer 1 hour
When cooled to 169 degrees F strain over malt extract and honey into fermenter. Cool to pitching temp.


Not my recipe and I have never tried it. There you go, it's a starting point. You could change it to AG or whatever your preference is.

I am going to be playing around with some 1 gallon batches of "herbal" beers especially Fraoch leann (heather ale). It is tricky not even knowing where to start when there is very little info out there on using these herbs. +1 on reading Buhner's book if you are interested in alternatives to hopped beers.

Good luck.

I had some nice Absynthe when I was in Greece last year. It gives you a funky buzz but I wouldn't call it a hallucinogen. Just different in a medicated way..

Some prominent French writers called Absynth " La Muse Verte"

Could call this brew " La Brews Vert"

JeanLucD said:

- although I had some black sambuca one night, and happened to have a slightly upset stomach and it seemed to feel better afterwards...

Click to expand...

Sambuca is what is called a digestif, a drink that helps you digest after a meal. Also known to help settle the stomach, unless you drink too much of it that is...

From wikipedia:
A digestif is a beverage, usually small and alcoholic, which is consumed at the end of a meal. Some believe that a digestif aids the digestion of food, and bitter or carminitive herbs are generally added to the alcohol. The term is lifted from French. Digestifs can be compared with apéritifs, which are drunk before a meal — usually, the digestif will be heavier and more alcoholic. A common rule of thumb is that white (clear) spirits are served as apéritifs while brown ones are served as digestifs.

Digestifs are usually drunk neat and are most often spirits; cognac is a common selection. Other likely choices include armagnacs, brandies, and whiskies. Some wines (usually fortified) are served as digestifs as well — for instance, port, sherry, or madeira. Non-alcoholic drinks such as coffee, though often drunk following a meal, would usually not be considered digestifs.

IIRC, Springboard , from New Belgium lists wormwood as one of the ingredients. I had it last summer and didn't particularly care for it.