Beer Brewing Herbs

If you like beer you may be interested in growing some of your own ingredients. Hops are the most common herb used in beer and are used for  bittering. They are relatively easy to grow and make a nice vine to grow up your deck or elsewhere.

hops

I've been reading "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe Fisher and Dennis Fisher which details many of the other herbs that are and have been used in beer.  I was not only amazed at how many herbs have been used in beer but also realized that I grow many of these herbs.

Hops are my favorite as I am a fan of great IPA's. They not only bitter the beer it but to create a variety of unique flavor profiles that include floral, piney and citrus. There are some beers that taste very similar to grapefruit juice just becasue of the hops they use. If you are not a beer drinker you may not realize that there are actually many different varieties of hops all producing different aromas and flavors in a beer because of their alpha and beta acids.
 
We grow hops here on the farm and use them in dream pillows as they are a good for destress and to promote sleep. You may have experienced relaxation after you've had a few beers! Hops are also good for skin care and help decrease irritation and promote hydration. I've written about the benefits of hops before, here.

thyme

There are additional herbs that are used in beer for bittering, flavoring and giving the beer a nice aroma.

Herbs used for bittering include yarrow, horehound, sage, dandelion, costmary, and clary sage. They are typically added at the beginning of the boil phase and need to be balanced with hops which are also bitter.

Flavoring herbs include rosemary, hyssop, borage, oregano, mint, bee balm/monarda, lemon balm, sweet woodruff, marjoram and thyme. Add these carefully as they can have rather strong flavors. They can be added at the beginning or near the end of the boil.

Other herbs can be added for aroma including rosemary, hyssop, lavender, chamomile, lemon balm, bee balm, elder flowers. If adding them for aroma they are added toward the end of the boil. 

Yarrow apparently was commonly used to bitter beer before hops were used, a beer known now as Gruit Ale. I don't know if any commercial brewers use this but I did find a lot of interest in it on several beer brewing websites.

Other herbs that I grow that are used in beers are Horehound, Coriander, Summer savory, Nasturtium, Raspberry Fruit, Rhubarb, Rose Hips and Valerian leaf. Not mentioned in the book, but herbs I think would be great in beer include rose petals, red clover, violets, calendula, salad burnett, and feverfew.

I'd love to taste a good hoppy IPA that is flavored with lavender. I've seen several Saison styles with lavender but never an IPA. So, local breweries, make my dream come true please!

Besides using these herbs in beer, they can be used for skin care and bath herbs. Beer Spa is a concept that is gaining in popularity and many of these herbs can be used in conjunction with beer to provide skin benefits. We just put on a beer spa event and hope to do more in our area.

Scent Entertainment

This Saturday night we had an interesting event at the Colorado Aromatics Store. Entertainer Sharon Glassman and I partnered to pair our aromatic waters with songs from her Blame it on Hoboken book. This is an overview of those pairings.

Scentertainment with Sharon Glassman and Cindy Jones

Colorado Aromatics Cultivated Skin Care

Blame it on Hoboken CD Release Party with Sharon Glassman

Song and Scent pairings by Cindy Jones, Ph.D.

Scent affects mood, memory and learning. We’ve all experienced a particular scent that has the ability to bring back strong memory. The aromatic waters that we are using tonight are distilled on our farm from herbs that we grow. They are lightly aromatic and great for the skin. We spritz them on our face for toning, hydration and refreshment. They are pH balanced to skin and antioxidant rich.  Feel free to spritz your face, skin or the air in front of you as we pass them around.

Blame It On Hoboken Theme Song – Clary Sage. I find the characteristics of Clary sage to be in line with Frank Sinatra and so with this song as well. In fact the nature of Clary Sage is in line with the store of the book itself.  Clary sage is said to be good for ‘women’s issues’, and some might argue that Frank Sinatra is also good for women. It’s a potent scent with calming effects. The scent is sweet, arid and nutty. It has ‘romantic’ or aphrodisiac properties. I think it pairs nicely with this very easy going song. Some sages are associated with immortality and doesn’t Frank Sinatra seem immortal?

The Broken Sea – Lavender. Lavender means to wash and most people think of the sea as a relaxing place to wash away their troubles. Lavender has a light, fresh and floral aroma. It is soothing and calming to the nerves. Sit back and imagine floating in the sea while you smell lavender.

Mulligan Waltz – Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm or Melissa has a sweet, fresh, citrus yet herbaceous aroma. It has been used for healing by those who suffer from mood swings or nervous disorders. This waltz which is about do-overs or second chances seems to fit with this characteristic of lemon balm.

Uh-Huh – Peppermint. Peppermint has a sharp, fresh aroma that is used for decongesting and improving concentration. It refreshes the spirit and is good for apathy and for refreshing the spirit. This song is a light uplifting bluegrassy tune that fits the scent well.

Voice I Used To Know – Mint. In this song, Caroline hears a voice that brings back a memory. She is seeking clarity while hearing this so we are pairing it with mint to go along with the shock she has at hearing this voice from the past.

Pebble with a Cause – Lemon Balm.  The poor pebble is only doing its job. In fact, its being there might even help Caroline slow down and take a closer look at things. Lemon balm is prolific, as prolific possibly as pebbles are. It may also provide some soothing relief for poor Caroline’s pain. Lemon balm, in previous times signified a secret message, possibly the pebble is sending Caroline a message?

Get It Line (Kachinsky's Theme) – Lavender and Rose. This is the song about the grouchy taxi cab driver. He is a little stressed out and in need of self-love which is why we are choosing these two scents. The lavender will calm him and the rose will embrace him.

Arrow of Love – Rose. Arrow of Love is a perfect love song. Rose bring love and affection into one’s life, it is associated with the heart. Rose can draw energy to a person to nurture them. It relieves fear, anger and tension.

www.coloradoaromatics.com

sharonglassmanlive.com/

Whats Blooming Wednesday

 We have been busy harvesting and weeding but I wanted to share whats blooming on the farm this week:  Clary Sage which has made it to the still,

 

 Calendula drying for infusions,

 Hyssop just growing nicely,

 St. John's wort ready to harvest for infusion,

 Cornflower, great for face care but we've not used it yet,

and of course, lavender which we are distilling today.
Hope you enjoy. Cindy

Brewers Herbs

Beer is an ancient drink (and food) that I happen to be quite fond of. I especially like beer with lots of floral hops. Hops were not always used in beer though, and may not have been used until the 9th century. Before that, a mixture of herbs referred to as gruit was used to flavor beer. Although I don't brew beer, I do grow hops and other herbs so am interested in what herbs are used in beer. I recently read "The Homebrewer's Garden" by Joe and Dennis Fisher to learn more about herbs in brewing, a very interesting book by the way.

Here are some of the herbs from this book that grow in my gardens.

Anise Hyssop - provides a licorice flavor to beer.
Basil - adds a slightly bitter, spicy flavor.
Bee Balm - often used as a tea, bee  balm provides a bitter, minty flavor.
Borage - gives a spicy, cucumber like flavor to beer. This herb can also be steeped in wine.
Chamomile (Roman) - is said to be one of the 'secret' herbs in Celis White beer. It gives an apple-like flavoring.
Clary Sage - provides a balsamlike aroma to beer.
Coriander - this is a flavoring in one of my favorite beers; Belgian Whites.
Dandelion - yet another use for this common weed. Use the tender spring leaves in your salad and the larger leaves later in the season to bitter your beer.
Elder - the berries are best know for making wine, but they can also be used to flavor beer. The flowers can be used for 'dry hopping' as well.
Oregano - adds a distinctive flavor to beer.

Horehound - this herb can add a warm, menthol flavor. I wonder if horehound beer can be used to control coughs?
Hyssop officinalis - this herb is used in Benedictine and Chartreuse. Using it in beer provides a minty, medicinal scent.
Juniper - commonly used in gin, juniper can contribute this taste to beer as well.
Lavender - oh, the many uses of sweet lavender. I would love to try a pale ale flavored with lavender. Let me know if you know of one.
Lemon Balm - this is used in many liquours and can add a lemon scent/flavor to beer.
Mint - there are many types of  mint, and although I love a mint tea, I don't know how this would be in beer.
Rhubarb - great in a fruit crisp, this is one fruit that would be interesting in beer.
Rose hips - apparently rose hips are used in some beers from Poland and impart a citrus flavor and red color to beer.
Rosemary - before the use of hops in beer, rosemary was quite popular.
Sage - was used in fifteenth century English beer recipes and adds bitterness and camphorlike scent.
Savory, Summer - provide a peppery, oregano-like flavor and aroma.
Spruce - was popular during the American Revolution spruce adds distinct, woods taste that is popular in winter beers.
Sweet Woodruff - this herb is what makes May wine what it is but can also be used to add a mild, sweet aroma to beer.
Thyme - used to give beer a spicy aroma.
Valerian root - is commonly used as a sedative so what better place to use it than beer?
Yarrow - both the leaves and flowers can be used to bitter beer.

I'd love to see more 'herbal' beers so I hope that if you are a brewer this gives you some ideas - and don't hesitate to share with me! I'd love to write reviews!