Bog Myrtle instead of Hops

[LexusChris]

One of the joys in brewing gruit is that there are so few 'tried & true' recipes out there. Lots of hints, partial recipes & stories .. but until you brew one and try it, what do you really know? It really is a journey, and a fun one at that!

I'm on my 3rd iteration of my own gruit recipe. The last one was a 2 gallon batch, which after 6 months of aging, I really enjoyed. To the point, it was my special treat on brewdays. I was sad when I had my last bottle a few months ago.

This time, I brewed a full 5.5 gal batch and reduced the wormwood a tad, and added Yarrow flowers to the boil and primary. I just bottled it last weekend, and was very pleased with the Yarrow flavor & aroma when I tried the hydrometer sample!

I hope to post the full recipe this summer after I try this variant after aging. But in short, the base is an Old Ale recipe at 9% ABV (1.090 OG) & 15 SRM. I finished at 1.017 FG. Here is my current spice additions:

0.40 gm       Sweet Gale (Boil 15.0 min)                Misc                       
0.70 gm       Sweet Gale (Primary 21.0 days)            Misc                       
1.00 oz       Yarrow Flowers (Boil 30.0 min)            Misc                       
1.00 oz       Yarrow Flowers (Primary 21.0 days)        Misc                       
2.00 gm       Wormwood (Greater) (Primary 21.0 days)    Misc                       
7.00 gm       Wormwood (Greater) (Boil 15.0 min)        Misc

The toughest spice to balance has been the Wormwood. That is one bitter SOB. I highly recommend testing your herb blend in a tea, or tincture, first. If you are unsure of being too bitter or herbal, you should try half as much Wormwood as I have.

Sweet Gale is a lovely pungent, aromatic herb. I really enjoy that one. Yarrow has a very nice flowery aroma. The taste complemented the Wormwood & Sweet Gale well, and did not overpower at those portions.

Finally, I have recently begun using Starwest Botanticals for my herb purchases. There stuff is AMAZING! Vacuum sealed, great quality & sourced form all over the world. Check them out! (n.b. I've used their Hibiscus flowers, Rose Hips & Yarrow Flowers)

So, take the plunge, start with small batches, and plan to iterate with adjustments on the next few batches until you find what you like. Also remember to age them at least 6 months before passing final judgement. The hard herbal 'bite' you taste at month-1 will be greatly subdued by month-6.

Good luck & enjoy gruit!
--LexusChris

p.s. also check out http://www.gruitale.com/recipes_en.htm for some more recipe ideas...

 

[munklunk]

And this is exactly the response I was hoping for. Thank you much, Lexus, for the slight encouragement I needed.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

2 years later it lives again lol....just tried using sweet gale for the first time along with elderberries in a pale ale. just bottled a few days ago and it already has a really great aroma and taste.

 

[SkiNuke]

KeyWest, how'd that turn out?

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Great!! it tasted and smelled awesome plus the bog myrtle gave the beer an interesting relaxing buzz. Id be happy to share the recipe if your interested.

 

[leighbooth]

Great!! it tasted and smelled awesome plus the bog myrtle gave the beer an interesting relaxing buzz. Id be happy to share the recipe if your interested.

I know this is an old thread - but I'd be interested in seeing your recipe if you don't mind sharing. I'm just drying a load of Bog Myrtle I just picked. I wanted to try a gruit ale and I have been looking unsuccessfully for wild/marsh rosemary - but can't find in the wild or dried. So I'm looking for some other recipes

Cheers

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

I can't find the exact recipe I brewed anymore but it was basically a moderately hopped APA with sweet gale and elderberry. I want to say the hop combo was cascade and willamette.
Check out AHS and see what quantity their dried Bog Myrtle comes in, I think its 4 grams. IIRC I used the whole packet in with my 60 min addition.

 

[TheRooster]

Gruit!

 

[petroi]

Bog Myrtle grows in abundance in Haliburton, Ontario

 

[WayFrae]

I love how this thread has been revived about every 2 years. Anyways, this is very intriguing to me. I would love to brew an ancient ale. Do most home brew shops sell these herbs or do you need to source them elsewhere?

 

[MyakkaRiver]

I believe it's the May 2011 issue of BYO has a recipe for a Viking Invasion ale. A 5-gallon batch calls for 2 grams of sweet gale at 60 minutes. I generally like to do 1 gallon batches so to scale down we're talking a very small amount of this stuff. My question is - is this stuff really that bitter, or maybe a typo? What's everybody's experience with the bitterness of sweet gale?


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[KeyWestBrewing]

I believe it's the May 2011 issue of BYO has a recipe for a Viking Invasion ale. A 5-gallon batch calls for 2 grams of sweet gale at 60 minutes. I generally like to do 1 gallon batches so to scale down we're talking a very small amount of this stuff. My question is - is this stuff really that bitter, or maybe a typo? What's everybody's experience with the bitterness of sweet gale?


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The two times I used it I really didn't get much if any bitterness. Granted I still used hops in the beer so they could have masked it.

 

[LexusChris]

WayFrae, many homebrew stores do carry some brewing herbs... but it can be hit or miss as to what they have in stock. These are not very common items. However, there are lots of online sources out there. 2 of my favorite are:

Starwest-Botanicals.com
Wildweeds.com

As for bitterness of Sweet Gale, I do not find it be very bitter at all. Rather, it has a flowery aroma with a culinary spice character. Most recipes I've seen only use a gram or two of the dried herb in a 5-gallon batch.

Wormwood on the other hand is most certainly bitter and should be used with a light touch.
--LexusChris

 

[cerna348]

Time to resurrect an old thread. Feb 1st is International Gruit Day! I think I might brew a small batch soon and then maybe a 5 gallon batch for international gruit day. Thank you Lexus Chris for your research and shared knowledge. I am thinking about following your recipe except using elderberries instead of the rosemary making it more fruity and less herby and earthy.

 

[cerna348]

I am curious as to whether everyone keeps the herbs in during primary fermentation or only during the boil like hops.

 

[LexusChris]

I have done both boil only, and boil and post active fermentation together. You can get some super strong herbal character with both.. so I would recommend boil only for your first try.. unless you know you love the spices you are using.

 

[thorbeinn]

I have used sweet gale in beer, wine and meads over the years. I can tell you when used in the right amounts it is great. When over used its like the worst IPA you have ever had. Rule of thumb (if you do not know the rule of thumb watch boon dock saints), is one gram per gallon you make. I do not like to boil with it. I use is at flame out (as I am cooling the wort) or I add it three days before I bottle. Sometimes I split amounts and use half at flame out and half three days before bottling. It pairs well with saffron; juniper; rosemary; camomile; white sage and the one hops that I have used is willamette and it works as well.