Hoo Haa

I just got the Yarrow and Burdock in from wild weeds (www.wildweeds.com). I'm excited about that. I'm going to do the brewing this Sunday.

This is the recipe that I will be using. Hope it turns out wonderful.


St. Emilian’s Day Gruit Ale
RECIPE DETAILS
By: Scott Carr & Joe Kaufmann
Final volume: 5 gallons / 19L
Original gravity: 1.090
Herbsused:Mugwort, Heather, Yarrow, Sweet gale and Juniper berries.

AUTHOR'S NOTES
This makes a very strong and heady brown ale, with an intense herbal character and a slightly spruce-like aroma. It really does need to age properly, and it comes into its own about eight months into the process.


INGREDIENTS
Grain bill
11 lbs / 5 Kg British pale ale malt
1 lb / 0.5 Kg crystal malt
1 lb / 0.5 Kg honey malt
Extra
¾ cups corn sugar for priming
1 tbs. irish moss
Herbs
2 oz / 50-60g of Mugwort
2 oz / 50-60g of Heather
2 oz / 50-60g of Yarrow
1 g of Sweet gale
75 cracked juniper berries (divided: 25 in primary, 50 in secondary)
Yeast
Wyeast Scotch Ale Yeast (1728) or similar
METHOD
1. Mash for one hour at 150 degrees, then sparge about three gallons at 180 degrees. Augment the wort with four lbs pale ale malt extract, ½ lb buckwheat honey, and ½ lb clover honey for a higher starting gravity.
2. Boil the wort 60 minutes, with herb additions as follows:
60 minutes: 2 oz. mugwort, 1 oz. yarrow
30 minutes: 1 gram sweet gale
15 minutes: 1 oz yarrow
5 minutes: 2 oz heather tips
3. Chill wort and strain into fermenter; add water as needed to make five gallons; pitch Wyeast Scotch Ale Yeast (1728) or similar; add 25 cracked juniper berries to fermenter. The OG should be about 1.090.
4. After 4-6 weeks, rack into secondary (discard juniper berries from primary). “Dry hop” with ½ tsp mugwort, ½ tsp yarrow, a small pinch of sweet gale, and 50 cracked juniper berries.
5. After 4-6 more weeks (when fermentation appears to be entirely complete), rack into tertiary and allow to age for at least six months, then prime and bottle.
6. Allow to sit in the bottle another 6-8 weeks, and then enjoy.


FIVE MONTHS TO WAIT FOR BEER!!

I'm going to have to do another batch of something else in the meantime.