Herbs that can be added to Beer?

[zoebisch01]

Yeah that's the stuff. As with most of these herbals there are in general safe limits. Common sense is usually a good guide in terms of how much to use, and anyone looking for anything but flavoring will most likely be exceeding safe amounts. If you use them like you would most other herbs, you'll be ok. I think it is a cool avenue to experiment in, within reason. Just don't confuse Water Hemlock for Tansy and you'll be in good shape :cross:

 

[Schlenkerla]

I would think twice about using wormwood in your beer; it really really tastes nasty and I'd hate to see an otherwise good beer rendered unpalatable.

Angelica - Carcinogen, mutagen

Sweet Gale or Bog Myrtle - Suspected Carcinogen.

Comfrey - Suspected Carcinogen.

Mugwort - Poisonous. Banned by the FDA.

Pennyroyal - Poisonous if taken internally.

Tansy - Poisonous if taken internally. Lethal in large doses.

Thorn Apple - Very Poisonous. Contact Poison; wear gloves when handling. Can be lethal.

Wormwood - Poisonous if taken internally. Cause Convulsions in large doses. Central nervous system poison.


I copied this from "The Homebrewers Garden". Verbatum. Written by Fisher & Fisher. ISBN 1-58017-010-2

 

[Schlenkerla]

Does anyone have any experience with brewing using herbs?

Not spices like cinnamon and cloves, but herbs like oregano, basil, mint, etc.

I am particularly interested in brewing with rosemary and wondering if anyone has info on this.

Now that I have the book in front of me..... with regards to Rosemary

"Use 1.5 oz fresh leaves. Late in the boil for flavor and aroma. Use for dry hopping to add a strong piney scent to beer."​

Hope this helps.

 

[GoatFarmersInternational]

Angelica - Carcinogen, mutagen

Sweet Gale or Bog Myrtle - Suspected Carcinogen.

Comfrey - Suspected Carcinogen.

Mugwort - Poisonous. Banned by the FDA.

Pennyroyal - Poisonous if taken internally.

Tansy - Poisonous if taken internally. Lethal in large doses.

Thorn Apple - Very Poisonous. Contact Poison; wear gloves when handling. Can be lethal.

Wormwood - Poisonous if taken internally. Cause Convulsions in large doses. Central nervous system poison.


I copied this from "The Homebrewers Garden". Verbatum. Written by Fisher & Fisher. ISBN 1-58017-010-2

Well, you might well add "Alcohol - poisonous if taken internally. Lethal in large doses."

It is true that the herbs mentioned in this list demand a certain level of respect, and you should do some reseach before using them, but to just label them all as poisonous seems like puritanical paranoia to me. For instance, people brewed ales using sweet gale for hundreds of years before the widespread use of hops. I mean, sh!t, name a product in your medicine cabinet that isn't potentially carcinogenic, or potentially causes liver damage, or stomach bleeding, etc.

 

[Wheat King]

garlic beer...wtf...
id dfinitely try it, but i cant say id expect to love it

 

[Schlenkerla]

Well, you might well add "Alcohol - poisonous if taken internally. Lethal in large doses."

It is true that the herbs mentioned in this list demand a certain level of respect, and you should do some reseach before using them, but to just label them all as poisonous seems like puritanical paranoia to me. For instance, people brewed ales using sweet gale for hundreds of years before the widespread use of hops. I mean, sh!t, name a product in your medicine cabinet that isn't potentially carcinogenic, or potentially causes liver damage, or stomach bleeding, etc.

I read this thread and thought a warning is in order for those that are ignorant of the risks.

I'll give you this. The author lists them as dubious plants. They note they are used in traditional recipes. Just because it was done in the past doesn't mean its safe.

Many things are poisonous in large doses. Large is a relative term though. 2 grams is large compared to 2 milligrams. Your right too much of any one thing is not good, water if you drink too much at one time can kill you.

If you choose to use them you now know they could be risky.

Out of a hundred or so herbs to choose from these should be at the bottom of the list.

 

[GoatFarmersInternational]

I read this thread and thought a warning is in order for those that are ignorant of the risks.

I'll give you this. The author lists them as dubious plants. They note they are used in traditional recipes. Just because it was done in the past doesn't mean its safe.

Many things are poisonous in large doses. Large is a relative term though. 2 grams is large compared to 2 milligrams. Your right too much of any one thing is not good, water if you drink too much at one time can kill you.

If you choose to use them you now know they could be risky.

Out of a hundred or so herbs to choose from these should be at the bottom of the list.

Fair enough; the bottom line is that if you plan on using any of these herbs, you need to do some research before hand. Batches of beer that are brewed with a couple of grams of sweet gale (which is usually how it is sold - by the gram) are in my opinion fairly benign, especially when compared with all of the other crap that we subject out bodies to on a daily basis... Just to give them the blanket label of "suspected carcinogen" or "poison" is just too much of an oversimplification for me.

 

[GoatFarmersInternational]

I read this thread and thought a warning is in order for those that are ignorant of the risks.

And you were absolutely right to do so. I hope that I didn't seem confrontational towards you Schlen. It's just that pharmacology, herbology, and beer are just some subjects that I am quite interested in, and whenever they intersect, I get a little passionate (or stupid, depending on the point of view)

 

[casebrew]

Horehound was supposedly used before Hops. . Even more bitter than Hops. I bought some, but never tired it in brew. The tea is pretty bitter. I do like Horehound drops, but they are more sugar than spice...

 

[Schlenkerla]

I hope that I didn't seem confrontational towards you Schlen. It's just that pharmacology, herbology, and beer are just some subjects that I am quite interested in, and whenever they intersect, I get a little passionate (or stupid, depending on the point of view)

Its not a big deal. All of us are passonate about brewing. The worst thing about written responses is that you don't get the tone and inflection so some comments are misunderstood.

 

[mummasan]

I'm interested in using allspice in a pale ale...I have an allspice tree in my yard and the leaves are incredibly pungent. Has anyone tried allspice? I will probably follow the spruce/rosemary proceedure outlined earlier in this thread.

Also, I am contemplating using kava in a beer - I live in Hawaii and can buy fresh kava root - it is a polynesian plant that is pulverised, mixed with water then... bottoms up (it has some interesting feel good affects)I'm thinking about mashing up the root, placing it in a small grain bag and adding at the end of a boil

Any thoughts?

 

[GoatFarmersInternational]

I'm interested in using allspice in a pale ale...I have an allspice tree in my yard and the leaves are incredibly pungent.
Also, I am contemplating using kava in a beer - I live in Hawaii and can buy fresh kava root... I'm thinking about mashing up the root, placing it in a small grain bag and adding at the end of a boil

Any thoughts?

The dried fruits (or berries, if you like) of allspice (the stuff that you buy at the store) is to my knowledge a pretty normal spice to use in spiced winter ales, and it is a key ingredient in many mulled wines. I've never seen the leaves at the grocery store, but I know that they are used in cooking, and I think I remember seeing something about that in The Joy (of Cooking, not Homebrewing).
Regarding the kava ale, I think that you should totally do it. I'm not sure how volatile the desired coumpounds are in kava, so I think that you are on the right track adding them at the end of the boil. You might want to do a 1 gal test batch first, though. And your kava ale might benefit (taste wise) from a substantial addition of honey.
If you do brew either of these (even just a test batch), please tell us how they come out!

 

[Schlenkerla]

I'm interested in using allspice in a pale ale...I have an allspice tree in my yard and the leaves are incredibly pungent. Has anyone tried allspice? I will probably follow the spruce/rosemary proceedure outlined earlier in this thread.

Any thoughts?

You might consider making a winter ale, like a porter, or go with a summer pale ale. The SPA is kind of what I was think about earlier.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=14860&page=89

This is a link to a post with a blend of mulling spice you might try. It has cinamon, mace, cardamon, allspice, and cloves.

Look for my name and the Penzey Spices links.

In this link I was talking about how good this would be with cider.