How to use/harvest milk thistle for bittering?

[okiedog]

Milk thistle is one of the bittering ingredients I've seen listed as an alternative to hops. I have quite a bit of milk thistle in my yard and was considering using it in one of my next brews. Have any of you used milk thistle for bittering? What parts of the plant do you use and how much? How safe is it? How does it effect flavor?

 

[okiedog]

What, no one has used milk thistle in a beer for bittering? I was hoping for some guidance on this, but It looks like I'll have to be the pioneer here. Of course 'll research it first.

 

[plath]

No idea, but following to find out more . Would love to hear about your experiment!


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[boydster]

Subscribed... I haven't used it before, but it is supposed to promote liver health I think, so I'm interested to see how this plays out.

 

[okiedog]

Still need to do more research before I try it. What I've read so far advises using the seed pods and leaves at the beginning of the boil for bittering. The milk thistle growing in my yard has purple blooms on it but no seed pods yet. The seeds are what contain silymarin, which is supposed to aid in liver health. Can I use the flowers? I don't know. Above all, I want to make sure it is safe to use, that there are no dangerous look alike plants. Also, I'd really hate to waste a good batch of beer.

 

[LexusChris]

I've been staring at some milk thistle on the local hiking trail for a few years now, hoping to someday try it in a batch.

From what I read, there are different types, but the pharmacology of the plant seem to be fairly similar.

In an older BYO article, they mention to use it like this:

Milk Thistle (Silybub marianum) leaf upto 2 ounces boil 45mins

So, at least that is a starting point. However, I would definitely try to accurately identify the species of the plant in your yard. You don't want to mess around with the wrong plant.

--LexusChris

 

[okiedog]

That's for sure! Don't want to end up in the hospital. I've been thinking about finding a local plant expert or botanist to get the identity of these plants verified. I also have lots of borage which can be used late in the boil, but maybe not in conjunction with milk thistle. If anyone has additional info on milk thistle, please let me know.

 

[ToilAndTrouble]

Look up Gruit (or Groot) Ale. It was what beer was like before beer became hopped (yes beer was hopless early on). Here is a particular brew from a blog making a Gruit with milk thistle and dandelion. Apparently you don't add the milk thistle to the boil, but straight to the carboy.

Pis en Lis G’root’ Ale

And check out this HBT thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/gruit-recipe-396874/

I myself have been very interested in making a beer that might actually help the liver. I already take milk thistle after drinking and it helps. Apparently the active compound is Silymarin and there are a few scientific studies behind its benefits.

Sorry for the old thread revive, but this has interested me lately.

 

[jimjohson]

thanks for posting that it was an interesting read. They make dandelion wine, why not dandelion ale? I ought to try that...got a yard full

 

[okiedog]

I will have to try gruit ale sometime. For the recipes I've seen, there is usually one or two ingredients that I can't find easily.

 

[okiedog]

Well, I know this is an old post, but I wanted to provide an update to it. As it turns out, the spiky thistle lookin' stuff growing in my yard must not be milk thistle. Last year, by the time I was ready to try out the bittering properties of the plants in my yard, they were starting to dry up. So, I decided to wait until the next year. That time is here, and I boiled some leaves in water for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, when I tasted the concoction, all I got was a slight chalky taste. Dashed are my dreams of using those pesky weeds in my yard for bittering at least some of my beers.