Nettle beer recipe

[Stonehead]

In reponse (and welcome) to Kitchenwitch and Justkate, I present my nettle beer recipe...

Ingredients
5 gallons of water
3 bags of nettle tips
2 lemons, juiced
2 oranges, juiced
3kg sugar
100g cream of tartar
Yeast (Girvan 5 is good, but if I haven't any I just use bread yeast, beer yeast or even my rye leaven!)
Large dandelion root, chopped (optional)
Large ginger root, chopped (optional)

Don't use both the dandelion and the ginger, use either or none!

Method
Boil the water - either in batches or get a brewing boiler (a 6-gallon one is good for doing 5 gallons as you get less splashing).

Put the nettle tips in a large tub (at least 6 gallons), and pour the boiling water over them. Leave to infuse until cooled to around 35-36C (usually takes a couple of hours).

Strain back into your boiler (or a multitude of pots!). Add the lemon and orange juice, the sugar and the cream of tartar. Heat gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved - do not boil - and then transfer into a brewing vat.

Leave to cool to about 20C (overnight is usually best), then pitch the yeast. If using leaven, I spread it on a piece of toast and then float the toast on the liquid.

Cover the vat loosely with muslin and leave to stand in a warm place for about three days. (Or use a brewing heater set to 20C.)

Carefully skim any scum off the surface, then rack the beer into beer bottles, taking care not to disturb the sediment. Leave to condition for a week or so, then serve cold.


Stonehead

PS I'll post my nettle wine recipe shortly and, if people are interested, some of my other recipes. They include barley wine, treacle ale, stout, potato wine, rhubarb wine, ginger beer and lotsh of other loverly shtuff. Hic!

[The Chili Monster]

Sounds scrummy, Stonehead. I'm trying to blag wine-making gear at the moment, although I'm nominally a beer drinker... too many gooseberries last year and not keen on eating loads of them.
The treacle ale sounds intriguing.

[Stonehead]

I've already posted the recipe here.

Stonehead

[Goodlife1970]

Rhubarb wine,yes please! We are already innundated.

[Shirley]

sounds great - just got to get the bloomin nettles to grow now lol...!

Stoney - saw your article in the smallholder mag... love the pic of the boys!! Counted out some beer bottles this afternoon too. I'm going to be away from Sunday for about a week... sooooooooooo if you need those bottles before then we could bring them over on Saturday... let me know :)

[Stonehead]

sounds great - just got to get the bloomin nettles to grow now lol...!

Stoney - saw your article in the smallholder mag... love the pic of the boys!! Counted out some beer bottles this afternoon too. I'm going to be away from Sunday for about a week... sooooooooooo if you need those bottles before then we could bring them over on Saturday... let me know :)

There's a certain amout of poetic licence in the article - but the overall gist of it is fairly accurate.

I'm glad you liked the photos - I took them and got paid for them as well. The cash paid for more sugar, ginger and yeast!

Stonehead

[justkate]

Thank you for the recipe, now I just need to persuade my DH LOL I would love to see more recipes for beer, and wine, this is an area I want to expand into this year. Years ago, a friend's father gave me some lovely blackberry wine, does anyone have a recipe for this?

TIA :-)

[chadspad]

Im thinking of following the nettle beer recipe thats on the ish site as opposed to this one but it says u need fresh yeast, can I use wine yeast or bread yeast instead? If I needed 7.5grams how much would I need of the dried stuff? Also, could I bottle it in wine bottles instead of beer bottles? Or would it be better in fizzy pop bottles with screw lids? Thanks

[shoe shine]

I'm making Stonehead's "Stronger" nettle beer at the moment and it's coming on a treat. I've added some vanilla extract and powdered ginger for a bit of a different flavour because when i was boiling the leaves it reminded me too much of spinache but cheers Stonehead it's a good recipe. one question though: do you reckon i should put the bottles in cold water to stop the fermentation, as i might be a while before it's all drunk?