Nettle Beer.

I brought two big bags of young nettles back after walking the dog. So this should make five gallons of beer in a couple weeks

What's the recipe Cristy?

Very easy Sean. Stuff two large carrier bags with young nettle tops (three leaf nodes). Put them in  a large bin (over five gallons) or two smaller ones. Boil five gallons of water (rain if you have it). Pour over nettles and leave covered over night. Strain and add lemon juice (I used the bottled juice with no additives) Add a pot of strong tea for the tannin. Dissolve four bags of sugar in some of the liquor on the stove and add to the brew. Add the yeast if the wort is cool enough and stand back, it ferments like crazy. By my reckoning the resultant brew should get to about eight %. Cheap and worth a try me thinks.

I'd imagine it would be a very nourishing drink too - nettles being so high in vitamins and minerals. Very interesting.

Thats why I make it Sean, purely medicinal . What makes making nettle beer a great idea is that after straining, the lush dark green leaves can be eaten with a knob of butter like spinach. Freezes well also.

Well, the last brew of the season is festering away nicely. Farming nettles is not a normal occupation but between making beer and the best fertiliser it has worked out very well.

I love beer, but I have to limit my intake severely. I find that after a few days of beer-drinking there seems to be a lot more of me than there was previously - particularly around the waistline. Cider doesn't seem to have that effect, so I stick mostly to the old scrumpy!

looking forward to this years pressing. I cant make the quantity you do Sean. Perhaps thirty gallons and this may tide me over till the nettles start growing again. I always have a good quantity of craft beer over xmas when the kids come over from the UK. Life is not so bad, is it?

It could be worse. A priest in our parish once thundered from the altar: "Drink is the devil's work! Is there anything worse than drink?" A fellow at the back of the church piped up: "Thirst, Father!"

Sean Ph'lib wrote:It could be worse.  A priest in our parish once thundered from the altar:  "Drink is the devil's work!  Is there anything worse than drink?"  A fellow at the back of the church piped up: "Thirst, Father!"

You was it Sean?

Found out!