Nettles!

[NZ-beekeeper]

I'm kind of keen on self sufficiency, and since it is springtime here in NZ, and I have a patch of cultivated Urtica dioeca (European stinging nettle), and have my own hives, I have made a nettle "beer". I know it's not really 'mead', but it is honey, so...

The recipe:
To make 1 gallon:
4 litres water,
Big bucket of young nettle tips (about 1kg),
1 pot (500g/1lb) own honey,
Juice of 2 Meyer lemons
Lager yeast "Hauraki"

Boiled nettles for 30mins, then added juice and honey while still warm. Rehydrated yeast at the same time, then pitched when temp was 30˚C
OG was 1.041.

Looking forward to tasting in a week or two!!!

 

[sanguine]

Well, that's certainly a cool idea! What do nettles taste like, exactly? My only experience with them is as a glycerite extract.

 

[NZ-beekeeper]

They have an unusual one of a kind taste, with a definite 'medicinal' earty smell when they are boiling. I had nettle 'cider' or 'beer' when I was on my OE in Cornwall, in the south of England. It was light, cloudy, nicely effervescent, punchy as an afternoon drink (<6%?), and very refreshing. I'm hoping mine will turn out similar. I am having difficulty in naming it; it's not a cider, it has no apples, not beer with not malt, barley, or hops, and not a mead either.

 

[fatbloke]

IMO, the best thing to improve nettles, is.Glyphosate.....

 

[NZ-beekeeper]

IMO, the best thing to improve nettles, is.Glyphosate.....

That doesn't really go with self sufficiency or organic gardening, brewing, and beekeeping, but I do get what you mean!!! Still haven't tasted the brew yet though

 

[NZ-beekeeper]

Bottled it yesterday, SG was only down 0.014, so about 3.5% ABV, primed with rapadura (panela) sugar, the real 'raw' sugar. Refreshing if not yeasty flavour so far.

 

[NZ-beekeeper]

I found the first brew a little 'flat' in flavour. The second one, which I have started drinking, is a little better, by adding 1.5 lbs honey to the gallon instead of 1, a godd thumb of ginger root (should have been grated and more added), 2 lemons, nettles and a couple of dandelion roots to the boil (along with e'thing else except the honey). Dandelions add a coffee-like bitterness that is surprisingly good. Can't wait for the hops plant to start prducing. It's about 2 metres tall now, and will hopefully prduce some cones for a braggot this coming summer/autumn

 

[Brewslikeaking]

What if you substituted hops for nettles? I heard they have a bitter like quality.