rye graff?

[GeneDaniels1963]

Graff is becoming my favorite drink. But I also enjoy a good rye once it has aged a bit. So has anyone done a rye graff? I am thinking about 1 gal batch:

1 lb of Briess rye LME
2 cans FAJC
(should yield about 1.065 OG)
Nottingham yeast
heather tips
Sweet gale (maybe)

Any suggestions, comments?

 

[madscientist451]

Make a rye hoppy ale and cider separately, blend in the glass.
The rye, hops and cider go together nicely. You could ferment it all together, but by keeping everything separate I can change it up and drink whatever blend I'm feeling like at the moment.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

And since I am only making 1 gal, I would rather ferment all as one, to see how the elements play together.

I am not a hops guy, I really don't like them. Or at least I don't like them enough to use in my own homebrews. So I make Guits, using herbs and botanicals as bittering agents rather than hops.

 

[Johnny_M]

And since I am only making 1 gal, I would rather ferment all as one, to see how the elements play together.

I am not a hops guy, I really don't like them. Or at least I don't like them enough to use in my own homebrews. So I make Guits, using herbs and botanicals as bittering agents rather than hops.

I've always wanted to try a gruit. What herbs have you tried? I have seen mostly rosemary or spruce tips used. Not sure what else is possible (Thyme?)

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I've always wanted to try a gruit. What herbs have you tried? I have seen mostly rosemary or spruce tips used. Not sure what else is possible (Thyme?)

her

I've used all of the following, and sometimes mixed:
wormwood (use very sparingly)
heather tips
sweet gale
mugwort

I started with an herbal tea blend made by a small town herbalist. It is good, but I don't know how to get any more without a long drive, so I started trying other things.

I use about a pinch of the herb for my tea, and brew it as a pint for use in a 1 gal batch. If you use wormwood, go light, and expect to age at least a month. But it can be very nice after aging. I made a amber malt/raspberry gruit with wormwood, and after 2 months it was amazing! I plan to make it again with my next raspberry harvest