Thinking of adding mugwort to my beer??

I recently purchased 2 ounces of mugwort from my local herb shop and was wondering how much should i put in my 5 gal batch of an anchor steam clone(Partial extract)? I also might submit this beer in a work related brewing contest and was wondering if anyone will feel ill from this herb?


Thanks

What is the benefit to adding Mugwort?

probably a flavor that he likes

I have read that mugwort was used before hops were used so i thiught i would like to try. i am also going to add hops but i thought a lil mugwort wont hurt. And the flavor is not that bad

To jon, What is the benefit of adding mugwort?? Thats why i asked.+

I thought there was some other reason. I wasn't trying to be sarcastic.

Oh ok sorry, I just thought it would be cool to use the original ingredients mixed with a beer i love.

Midwestsupplies carries it and the description says it adds a sage like taste. 1oz to 5 gal is norm.

Sounds interesting... are you still going to use hops anyway? You might have problems keeping it sanitary if you don't use ANY hops (bacteria will get in there and make it a sour).

What type of beer is it going to be? Mugwort is potent, so don't overdo it, especially if you're using hops as well. If I were to use the two, I would probably use mugwort as the bittering agent (20 min boil should do) and just use aroma hops at the end of the boil. Or, if you wanted a mugwort aroma, you could reverse that and boil the hops for an hour and the mugwort for the last 10 or so minutes.

If you're doing the former, I would say 1oz max. If you're going for mugwort aroma, then 1/2oz should do it for the short boil, without making it too potent. Once again, it depends on the character of the beer you want.

Also, mugwort is antiseptic, like hops

Yes I still am going to use hops. I am making a LME anchor steam clone but an using white labs SF yeast and a few special ingredients with mugwort. I am about to start my brew now!! I have some gallons of water starting to sterilizing now!! Ive decided to only use 1/2 oz and if i want more aroma I will "dry hop". Thanks and Cheers

Soo I just put in the mugwort and the first scent was very powerfull, i can see how potent it is, I only added a pinch (about1/8oz) and about 30 minutes into the boil. The fragrance is very nice too its going to turn out great Thanks for the advice

Let us know how it turns out!

I've been looking into doing a gruit brew for the spring so this thread is one I'll follow. So far I've narrowed it to an Irish Red base adding some yarrow and mugwort in place of the hops... I'll post when I finalize. Good luck with your brew...

Soo i finished my beer and think i got excited with the mugwort and added it too early. I tried the wort and it was a lil bitter but it could be from me squeezing my steeping bag (Newbie move). But its fermenting now and i decided to make another beer to show for a friendly work contest. I bought the ingredients to make dogfish heads Midas Touch, which is a good beer to me. I added a few extra ingredients like mugwort but in moderation and last 15 minutes. By tasting the wort i think it is going to come out great!! thanks again

let us know how it tastes!

So i just a hydro sample and HAD to give it a lil taste. The anchor's taste had mellowed out big time with the mugwort and had a sort of herbally sage taste which i enjoyed. The Midas also came out well.. Thanks for the help

Sooo if anyone is listening, i just submitted my Midas Touch at a friendly work contest and I came in 1st place out of four beers. Glad everything worked out. Thanks again for the info

congrats!

Thanks , im stoked

nice thread about mugwort with rough amounts for use. i want to make some mugwort beer!

MarzBock said:

Sounds interesting... are you still going to use hops anyway? You might have problems keeping it sanitary if you don't use ANY hops (bacteria will get in there and make it a sour).

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this is simply not true. hops are not exclusive in their ability to stave off lacto and or pedio, etc. shoot, I have a particular strain of lacto that seems to have infested my house that could care less about the level of IBU's in my beers.


anyway...


mugwort is more or less wormwood, ( a particular variety of it, but wormwood none the less.),. mugwort can be VERY bitter. It is best to pick it when it is relatively young, for as with most greens... as the heat of summer sets in they tend to bolt and become QUITE bitter. I am in the philly area and mugwort grows like crazy around here.

BootsyFlanootsy said:

anyway...


mugwort is more or less wormwood, ( a particular variety of it, but wormwood none the less.),. mugwort can be VERY bitter. It is best to pick it when it is relatively young, for as with most greens... as the heat of summer sets in they tend to bolt and become QUITE bitter. I am in the philly area and mugwort grows like crazy around here.

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Im not sure how fresh the mugwort was.. It was from an herbal lady who has tons of jars of dried herbs at a farmers market... im assuming the jars have been sitting a while.. soo i can say they were not fresh.. Hmm i wonder where i can get some local fresh mugwort or if it even grows here..research time!

I just got done brewing a "Hopless Ale" with Mugwort, Lavender and Anise in it, smells really good but It's only fermenting right now so now sure of the taste.

Djanvk said:

I just got done brewing a "Hopless Ale" with Mugwort, Lavender and Anise in it, smells really good but It's only fermenting right now so now sure of the taste.

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Sounds like an interesting mix, let us know how it works out

Wulfman, mugwort is very common in northern California. You can probably also get a plant from a native plants nursery (I've got one in my backyard!). Seeing as how you started wondering about this months ago, you might have already found this out, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

I didn't know that. Are there different types in Cali or any variety is good? Thanks for the info

The main species that grows in California is Artemisia vulgaris. It is pretty common, and I see it when walking around wet or riparian areas. There are many, many species of Artemisia, including the sagebrushes and wormwoods. Apparently, mugwort does not have the bitter oil (thujone?) of wormwood, but it still has a lot of aromatic properties.

I have also read of an east coast species of mugwort whose flavor and aroma are mellower than what grows here. It was likely introduced from Europe, which means it was likely the mugwort that was used in brewing in Europe before the days of hops. I'm sure you can use the California mugwort in brewing, you just might have to experiment with the amount and go lightly at first.

This thread is old now... have you done any brewing with mugwort yet? I'm sure you've seen this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f76/mugwort-anti-imperial-stout-90441/

It hasn't made it to the front of my brew queue yet, but I've been curious about it for a while.

Cool, thanks for the info. I hike occasionally and ill keep an eye out when I do. Yes I have used it for a brew or two. I used it very lightly and it went a long way.. and I learned to used it in the very end of boil. A bit herby but decent.

My wife wants me to try a mugwor beer. We would use it fresh, so I'm wondering how best to tackle it. I think OP used dried mugwort. I would maybe use it in a wheat beer, or a light pale ale.

I am brewing a wheat beer tomorrow that I am going to split in 2 3 gallon batches. One will have watermelon, but I could add the mugwort to the other half. I don't want to change the brew recipe, but I could make a tea and add it to secondary. Any thoughts?

glugglug said:

My wife wants me to try a mugwor beer. We would use it fresh, so I'm wondering how best to tackle it. I think OP used dried mugwort. I would maybe use it in a wheat beer, or a light pale ale.

I am brewing a wheat beer tomorrow that I am going to split in 2 3 gallon batches. One will have watermelon, but I could add the mugwort to the other half. I don't want to change the brew recipe, but I could make a tea and add it to secondary. Any thoughts?

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Not sure how it will do in a "light" beer. Id try a pale or ipa myself.. it has an overpowering herby taste. A tea might work soo you can check the potency as you go along.Good luck