Lavender/Sage Beer

[m_c_zero]

I'm a noob home brewer and am looking to experiment a bit. I've got a few ideas that I'd like to try out. My girlfriend also has ideas that she wants me to try and is trying to force them into my train of thought. Her idea is a sage and lavender beer. Any thoughts on this? Is it possible? Would it even taste good? I'm willing to give it a shot, but not sure on how to approach it. Any ideas are appreciated.

Thanks,
Jeremy

 

[drathbone]

One of the Longshot competition winners was somebody who made a Honey and Lavender beer. Here's the link to the beer advocate rating: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35/67332

If you buy some it will give you a very good idea of how the lavender tastes and smells. I thought it was very, and I mean very floral tasting and reminded me of soap or lotion as that's what I commonly associate lavender with. I personally didn't like it, however it was interesting to taste. As far as how to to use it (boil, dry hop, etc) I'm not 100% sure. Can't say much about the sage either. Good luck!

 

[drathbone]

Also, as a pre-empt because I'm sure it's coming. You might want to take Revvy's advice in these new brewer experimental recipe situations:

My take on this is that there is a difference between true experimentation and throwing things together "willy nilly." I have noticed on here is that a lot of noobs think what they are doing is experimentation, when in reality they are just throwing a bunch of stuff against the wall and hoping it sticks.

Throwing a bunch of stuff in your fermenter and seeing what you get at the end, and ending up making an "is my beer ruined" thread is not the same thing as experimenting.

To me, in order to experiment truly, you have to have an understanding of the fundamentals. You have to know how the process works somewhat. You have to have an understanding of how different ingredients or processes affect the final product. You may even need to know, or at least understand something about beer styles, and what goes into making one beer a Porter and another a pale ale. And where your concoction will fall on the continuoum.


To me it's like cooking or even Jazz. But going back to the cooking analogy. Coming up with a balanced and tasty recipe takes some understanding of things...just like cooking...dumping a cup of salt will more than likely ruin a recipe...so if you cook, you KNOW not to do that...it's the same with brewing...you get an idea with experience and looking at recipes, brewing and playing with software how things work..what flavors work with each other, etc...

That to me is the essence of creating...I have gotten to a point where I understand what I am doing, I get how ingredients work or don't work with each other, so I am not just throwing a bunch of stuff together to see what I get.

I have an idea of what I want it to taste like, and my challenge then is to get the right combination of ingredients to match what is in my head. That's also pretty much how I come up with new food recipes as well.

Now that's not to say to not try it. But you could potentially ruin an entire batch if you're unsure of how the flavors will blend or how to even use the brewing additives in the first place. As a new brewer, most would recommend getting the basics down first so you can have at least a solid base beer that taste good then start tweaking the recipe from there.

Myself for example, wanted to make a coffee porter. First, I made a porter from a recipe. It was pretty damn good. Second, I made the porter recipe again, but tweaked it to my liking (after significant research) where I thought some improvement was needed. Lastly, I made the porter for the 3rd time, after knowing pretty much how the base was going to taste and added a 1/4 gallon of espresso strength coffee to the bottling bucket and racked on top of it. It is simply amazing. Granted, my first three beers were not porters. I've made several other batches in addition to the porter, so I have a general idea of the process and how the ingredients work together.

 

[m_c_zero]

Yeah, that is definitely a good point. I have no idea how those 2 flavors would work together. Hell, I don't even know what they taste like, I just know how they smell. My girlfriend drinks a lot of sage tea and loves it. I think that's where she gets a lot of this idea from. I am not sold on the idea myself and was just looking to gather some insight, so I appreciate it fellas!

 

[FromZwolle]

i'd do an apa/ipa, add a tea of sage/lavender at bottling time until you get to a level you enjoy without being overwhelming.

I would also go a bit low on the ibu's and use mostly centennial for flavor/aroma additions.

 

[ncobble]

I brewed a Lavendar/Coriander Maibock at one point and the lavendar works very well for a light beer with some floral characteristics. I'm not so sure how that floral characteristic would go with any kind of hoppy beer. I'm also not sure that you should do a sage combination without tasting them together first....not quite sure how they would go together.

 

[FromZwolle]

I brewed a Lavendar/Coriander Maibock at one point and the lavendar works very well for a light beer with some floral characteristics. I'm not so sure how that floral characteristic would go with any kind of hoppy beer. I'm also not sure that you should do a sage combination without tasting them together first....not quite sure how they would go together.

centennial are fairly floral on thier own, so the lavender/sage mix would probably pair well with that.

 

[m_c_zero]

It's an interesting idea, but yeah, I have no idea how they'd taste together. I'll have to do some experimentation on my own. I live in a pretty warm area, so I'd most likely have to do an ale rather than a lager.

 

[m_c_zero]

I made the porter for the 3rd time, after knowing pretty much how the base was going to taste and added a 1/4 gallon of espresso strength coffee to the bottling bucket and racked on top of it. It is simply amazing.

That sounds delicious

 

[dwarven_stout]

I've done lavender in several beers (one, a lavender wit, got the high score in Cat 16 in the NHC first round last year with a 39 but did not advance).

I generally add about a teaspoon per gallon of dried flowers in secondary. Make sure you're using culinary ("British") lavender- it tastes less soapy than the Provence or the decorative ones. This amount will add a pleasant lavender nose and a slight amount of flavor that is more herbal than flowery.


Sage I have less experience with, but it's an herb to be careful with. Very easy to overpower a beer. I think the two together could be a slam dunk.

 

[dlester]

I met Caitlin, the Longshot winner last weekend. she came to our maltose falcons meeting in Woodland Hills CA and brought a case of her lavender beer. It is definitely a girly beer. It was good though. She said that she used a partial mash with some Crystal malts. The original recipe included vanilla beans soaked in Vodka to make an extract. It was taken out of the bottled version because they ran out of time, but it turned out better according to her. She said that she used two large baggies of dried lavender for five gallons. She used 2 lbs of honey from the supermarket, but I don't recall which one. I don't think it matters since the malts will mask any differences in honey.

Cheers,
David

 

[ScottieByNature]

First off, @dlester: Maltose Falcons has got to be the best name for a homebrewer's club I've heard yet!

Secondly, I'm in a situation like mc zero. I'm a newb, about to do my second-ever batch, and I want to do a summer wheat ale, but I want to try and riff on an established recipe I found. Instead of using the lime juice or zest the recipe calls for, I really want to try using kaffir lime leaves, and I'm also interested in seeing how a bit of fresh ginger would make things taste.

Since I'm apprehensive to just toss these new ingredients into the batch willy-nilly, my plan is to get a feel for their flavors by simply making a tea out of them by themselves. I figure this will give me a small-scale way to see how the ingredients behave when infused at different temperatures and different concentrations. I want to say I've seen something like this done by Sam Caligione on an episode of BrewMasters, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

 

[FromZwolle]

Since I'm apprehensive to just toss these new ingredients into the batch willy-nilly, my plan is to get a feel for their flavors by simply making a tea out of them by themselves. I figure this will give me a small-scale way to see how the ingredients behave when infused at different temperatures and different concentrations.

sounds like a good plan. ginger can get overpowering pretty easy.

 

[dlester]

First off, @dlester: Maltose Falcons has got to be the best name for a homebrewer's club I've heard yet!

Secondly, I'm in a situation like mc zero. I'm a newb, about to do my second-ever batch, and I want to do a summer wheat ale, but I want to try and riff on an established recipe I found. Instead of using the lime juice or zest the recipe calls for, I really want to try using kaffir lime leaves, and I'm also interested in seeing how a bit of fresh ginger would make things taste.

Since I'm apprehensive to just toss these new ingredients into the batch willy-nilly, my plan is to get a feel for their flavors by simply making a tea out of them by themselves. I figure this will give me a small-scale way to see how the ingredients behave when infused at different temperatures and different concentrations. I want to say I've seen something like this done by Sam Caligione on an episode of BrewMasters, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Dear newb, everyone including advanced brewers can be apprehensive. However, your approach is that of advanced brewing. Making a tea and testing is considered blending, wich will serve you well. Stay on your path and don't stray, it is the best way to approach it untill you've made so many beers you can taste it before you blend it.

You can see our club at www.maltosefalcons.com. voted best homebrew club by Anchor Steam for the seventh time.

Cheers and good luck,
David

 

[dlester]

PS. If anyone cares, Caitlin, the long shot winner is smok'n hot! She's got a beautiful face, a fun personality, and everything else is seriously perfect. And, she sells beer, go figure.