desert sage beer

I was out hiking in the desert here in southern California a few months back and as the temperature started to rise there was this wonderful floral herbal smell that is produced by one of the varieties of sage brush we have here. I was thinking it would be great in an IPA. Has anyone ever tried to do this?

I actually researched Sage beers by accident one time last November when I was researching Herb Mixes for a vegetarian gravy. I got curious and clicked a lot. From what I remember they were mostly hopless beers, one had licorise root mixed in with it. But there was one sour beer I read had heavy sage aroma.

So from my research, I'd stay away from the hops, but I'm a fan of trying what you want to do, so give it a shot. If you could brew a say 1 gallon batch first that would be smarter though

Mammoth Brewing from Mammoth Lakes, CA uses sage in their 395 IPA. They only use a tiny amount. A little goes a long, long way. The 395 is really good and the sage mixes with the hops well. You can find a little info about it here but the owner/brewer is a really nice guy and I'm sure he can answer a few questions you have about using sage in a beer.
http://www.mammothbrewingco.com/our-beers/

I think Stillwater Artisinal makes a saison with white sage.

I made a sage Bavarian Weizen last year. It turned out pretty good.

I used .4 ounces of fresh chopped sage during the last couple minutes of the boil for a 5 gallon batch.

The DFH/Stone/Victory collaborative Saison de Buff was brewed with parsley, sage, thyme, and rosemary.

And it is delicious.

Thanks for the input, at least I have a starting point and I know I'm not completely in left field thinking this might be a good idea. I'll see if I can find some IPA 395 and Saison de Buff and begin my "research" tonight.

Stillwater Artisanal's American Farmhouse Ale is brewed with sage, and is very yummy. The sage is subtle, and provides a clean finish almost like a good dry hopped pale ale.