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Allot of folks have contacted me asking for a guide
to gruit spices. I've put together a few notes regarding my
experiences with the use of several herbs and a little bit of trivia relevant
to each of them. What follows is a short list that should help get you
started. I'll get more additions to the guide in after i have finished
up with the Cornish Braggot bit.
<br>Oh, an addendum to my last post is taken from the May 25th addition
of Homebrew Digest. I wasn't able to reach the author as the email
got returned but this stuff is really useful for historical brewing so
i included it. It's a listing for the only supplier of Woodruff
syrup in the states i could find. This stuff goes great with plenty of
old fashioned ales and modern wheat beers so buy some.
<p>700 ml for $18.
<br>J J Jackson
<br>Original Home Brew Outlet
<br>Sacramento CA
<br>916-348-6322
<p>
<b>Gruit Herb Quick Reference</b>
<p>Licorice Root (Glyrrhiza Glabra): Flavor enhancer. Goes well with
dark, full bodied ales. Complements: juniper, woodruff & mugwort.
Recommended dose: 1-2 ounces per 5 gallons (U.S..). Uses: mid way
through boil, alcohol based extract in secondary and boiled into
honey/molassas based syrups. Regional Use: Nordic, English, North German,
Belgium & Holland (less common). Note: improves head retention
<p>Bitter orange peel (Auurantium Amarae Pericapium): Flavor
enhancer. Taste: faintly spicy, citrus like & bitter. Compliments:
lighter bodied and adjunct heavy ales. Complements: Coriander, balm, Cardamom,
sage . Recommended dose: 1-2 ounces per 5 gal.(U.S..). Uses:
last third to last quarter of boil, alcohol based extract in secondary
and boiled with gyle during final conditioning . Regional Use: lowlands,
Brittany, Alsace & Northern Burgundy.
<p>Juniper Berries, dried (Juniperus communis): Flavor enhancer and aromatic.
Taste: citrus, tannic with slight astringency. Compliments: non aromatic
spices, rye, orange peel, most wood shavings and wood sage. Best
used in ales with O.G.'s over 1.060. Recommended dose, without shavings:
1 once for every 10 points of original gravity starting at 1.060 assuming
a five gallon batch. When shavings are used halve the dose
of dried berries. In hoped ales use 1/2 to 1 once for
every 10 points of original gravity starting at 1.050 assuming a
five gallon batch. Regional use: Nordic, Baltic, Fresian and Northern German.
Note: Crush in a hop sack before use. Amounts recommended should
be increased by 2 to 2 1/2 fold when using fresh berries.
<blink>Warning:
I have recently been told that people with kidney problems, pregnancies
and possible pregnancies may face health problems related to juniper consumption.
I have no mean of verifying the veracity of this claim but i would urge
caution in any case.</blink>
<p>Juniper wood : Flavor enhancer, anti-septic and aromatic. Taste: tannic
with definite astringency. Compliments: many non aromatic spices,
rye, wood sage, bog myrtle, orange and carduuus. Best used in ales
with O.G.'s over 1.060. Used principally as an anti-septic in Nordic
ales it is also used in German ales for it's flavor and aromatic qualities.
Use: boiled for use in strike, mash out and sparge waters as well as wort.
When placed into a secondary fermenter the wood was typically boiled during
a previous stage of the production process. Warning: see above
<p>Elder Berries (Sambucus nigra): aromatic & flavor enhancer
to a lesser extent.
<br>Compliments: rye, orange peel, most wood shavings, treacle and
juniper. Best in drudge like ales, braggots (heavy & sweet preferably)
and sweet ales. Regional Use: Albion, Cornwall, Wales, Nordic and
Baltic Countries, Lowlands & Germany. Dose, dried: 3-6 ounces
per 5 gallons U.S. and twice as much when using fresh.
<br>Use: in mash tun, boil, final conditioning and fresh juice directly
into one's mug. Note: Crush in a hop sack prior to use.
<p>Wood Sage leaves (Teucrium scorodonia): anti-septic/hop surrogate.
Compliments: balm, coriander, cardamom, orange, Comfrey, nettles, oat &
rye. I would recommend that wood sage be used in ales characterized
by the following: high adjunct content, high mash temperatures and an O.G.
of no less then 1.065. Regional uses: Germany, Albion, Cornwall,
Nordic and Baltic countries. Use: Boil vigorously an extract consisting
of 4 ounces of dried leaves or twice as much fresh leaves for
35-45 minutes in a kettle with a quart and a half of water.
strain off the liquid and allow to cool before placing the extract
in a sealed bottle. One should add four to 6 ounces during the boil
of a six gallon batch. I would add an additional tablespoon
after sampling the ale once it has sat for 3 weeks if it's not bitter
enough. One should sample and repeat this process once every two
to three weeks as needed till you achieve the desired degree of bitterness.</html>