Crafting ModernHerbal BrewsHealthy, Unique, Local

About Me

• Eat Local• Drink Local• Think Local

@CropMobATL

@GeorgiaOrganics

@WholeMind

Why I Brew

• Even local beers aren’t local• Get to grow my own ingredients• Brew what I want• Relive the past• Brew as meditation• Embark on a new career• Simply the best

What I Brew

• Ale, Beer, Wine, Cider Mead– I just call them “Brews”– Or you can call them all “wine”– Natural fermentations

Brew History

• Ancient Brew (10,000 – 30,000 years ago)– Not what we know as beer today– 100s if not 1,000s– 20 different kinds of yeast– 15 different sugar sources– 200+ different plants

Brew Ingredients

Water Sugar Herbs & Spices Yeast

Types of Herbs Used

• Use what you like• Different herbs have different

properties– Some are multipurpose– None as versatile as hops

Brewing Properties of Herbs

• Bittering– Horehound, sage, dandelion, alecost, milk thistle,

nettle, yarrow, gentian, clary sage and betony

• Flavoring– Juniper, spruce, rosemary, hyssop, borage,

ginger, oregano, mints, bee balm, lemon balm, sweet woodruff, marjoram, elecampane, licorice, and thyme

• Aromatic– Rosemary, hyssop, lavender, chamomile, lemon

balm, bee balm, elder flowers, and many others

Health Benefits

• Honey, barley, grapes and other fruits all have medicinal qualities

• The effects of most herbs are dramatically increased when included in a fermenting beverage.

Brewing Simplified

• Start small (1-gallon batches)• Pick a sugar source– Malted grain, malt extract, white or brown

sugar, honey, maple syrup, molasses, etc.

• Pick some brewing herbs– bitterness, flavor, aroma

• Skip the chemicals and additives– Hot water and soap work fine– Or use a strong tea made with antiseptic herbs

• Reuse yeast like a sourdough starter

Brewing Pointers

• Have fun• Experiment• Don’t ever think you don’t know

enough• Figure out what works for you• If you screw up a batch– It makes great fertilizer for the garden– It’s not that expensive– You can always make more

Further Reading

• Folksy Brews (www.folksybrews.com)• Wild Fermentation• The Homebrewer’s Garden• Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers• Making Wild Wines and Meads• Radical Brewing

Local Brewing 101 Classes

• July 17– The Sun Dog Famers at Skip’s Garden

(Douglasville, GA)

• September 4, October 9, December 4– Oakhurst Community Garden

(Decatur, GA)