After brewing beer professionally for many years and having a taste of the big beer business, I was craving a different flavor. My palate and mental health demanded it. And that's where homebrewing was re-welcomed into my life with its own spices, herbs, and specialty ingredients being available for me to control and turn into a memorable experience. So to get back into the creative mindset as a really good brewer who can make any beer imaginable at home, I looked to my backyard (and some herbal literature) for inspiration.
Yarrow grows natively where I live and in other neighboring mountainous regions in the western United States, and it can even be a bit pesky if you're meticulous about your lawn's carpet-like homegeneity. I have no such concerns and welcome my native friends to flourish here in Colorado, partly because I too am a CO native (who has to tell every transplant living here as if they care a single bit) and partly because Yarrow has distinct characteristics that make it ideal for brewing beer. Intense in aroma, flavor, and bitter tannins, Yarrow is a no-brainer as a "substitution" for hops in making fine ales with interesting balance and piquancy.
I put substitution in quotes here because of the long history that brewers have had with plants other than the ever prevelant and delicious hops that dominate most of the world's beer market today. Yarrow is no exception. In "Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentations" by Stephen Harrod Buhner, the author gives thought-provoking and creativity-inspiring knowledge on specific plants that have and can be used in brewing beer (a refreshing perspective different from the sweaty beer nerd at the bar seat next to you giving anyone who will listen the same "Gruit and Taxes" spiel that has transfered between almost every ear and mouth in the industry). Yes, yarrow was a common herb, by itself or in the gruit mix, as a plant known for its pleasant qualities in beer brewing...so much so that all throughout Scandinavia yarrow is called jordhumle or "earth hop." The author also discusses healing benefits of yarrow that I will make no claims of here but will also not refute as so many other sources I have read also discuss the same effects on the body that yarrow provides in both tincture and tea forms. If nothing else, the brewing properties of yarrow and its lore in the oft-cited gruit was enough for my interest and curiousity to be piqued.
Fueled by creative ambition and armed with Buhner's recipe for his yarrow beer, I took on the effortless task of hiking into the mountains, finding some wild growing yarrow among the sightly ponderosas, and harvesting enough for my ambitious single-gallon tonic. Brew day went without a hitch, and a gallon and a half of wort was instantly turned to beer with a packet of reliable dry yeast sprinkled atop the 6°P concoction. Two weeks of fermentation went by, and the beer was bottled with some sugar solution and conditioned to a specification of "spritzy." And although Mr. Buhner isn't qute as descriptive of the process as I'd want if I were to blindly brew without the instincts developed from my past profession, the ingredients and timings he gives made a wonderfully refreshing beverage that is perfect for hot days out and mild nights in.
I can only describe the final product as spicy, earthy, and delicious. It has a flavor reminiscent of ginger and citrus that perfectly zips across the tongue with the inebriating potential of slightly-off orange juice at a modest 2.5% ABV. Simply delightful.
The Recipe: 1-Gallon Batch of Yarrow Beer (scale linearly to whatever size you're looking to do)
1.25lb Pale 2-Row Base Malt or Pilsner Malt mashed in 2 gallons of water until starches are converted. I did mine at 149°F or 65°C for a dry finish.
3oz of Fresh Yarrow (or 1.5 oz dried) at beginning of boil (boil 60mins)
I did use a pinch of gypsum in the boil to give a bigger impression of astringency and dryness.
3oz of Fresh Yarrow (or 1.5 oz dried) either at flameout/whirlpool or in the fermenter during primary fermentation.
US-05 Dry Yeast for 1-gallon batch
Ferment for two weeks just to make sure no diacetyl is present
Bottle with enough priming sugar to hit 2.8-3.0 v/v carbonation. Make sure you have heavy bottles that will withstand some extra spritz.
I'd love to know your thoughts and experiences with herbal beers, especially if you try this recipe out for yourself. Let me know in the comments below. Cheers!
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