hist-brewing: Bee Balm/Bergamont beer?

[Bill]

Did it function effectively as a preservative?

There has to be a way to make it taste good.  Here's my thought:  (I haven't
tried this yet)

Add a little bit at the beginning of the wort boil.
Add most of it (including the flowering tops) at the very end of the boil, a
few minutes before you chill the wort.

Do you think this would tone down the bitterness/herbyness you didn't like?
What about dry-infusing it in the secondary fermentor?

-Bill


On Sat, Jul 5, 2008 at 6:02 PM, Aurelia de Montfort <aureellia at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I have used it in cordials where it is terribly bitter and herby.  I was
> hoping for a light citrus flavor.  Ewww..  Hahahahaha we learn more from our
> mistakes.
>
> On Sat, Jul 5, 2008 at 4:00 PM, Bill <certainkindoffool at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I was wondering if anyone has ever brewed using the herb Bee Balm (also
>> known as Bergamont, NOT the citrus fruit, but an herb native to North
>> America) as a hops substitute?
>>
>> It seems that it might have some of the same preservative qualities as
>> hops,
>> and it is also very aromatic and bittering.
>>
>> -Bill Anderson
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>
>
>
> --
> ~~Auree
>
> "Abused patience turns to fury." Thomas Fuller