Chai Lager
Cardamom, ginger, vanilla, star anise, and grains of paradise—plus some actual black tea, because why not.
experimental beers with a botanical twist
ginger
Zingiber officinale. One of the few root beer plants still used in soft drinks, though the mildly alcoholic drink called ginger beer, made with a ginger beer “plant” (sour yeast culture), is so out of fashion it might be due for a revival. And ginger is a perennial favorite of mazers, which is what you call mead-makers if you’re pretentious. Plus it’s readily available in any supermarket. So for all these reasons, I’ve brewed with it a lot over the years.
Ginger-Angelica Gruit Porter
Fennel, licorice, lemon balm, coriander… YUM. A delicious backdrop to a delicious beer.
Juniper-Ginger Beer
Juniper forms the dominant note, resiny and vaguely citrusy, supported by the camphor quality of yarrow and the spiciness of ginger. The bitterness is mild, equivalent roughly to a standard wheat beer.
Yarrow Gruit Braggot Ale
Braggot is half beer, half mead. I brewed this way back on July 24, 2002, when honey was cheap and when my technique involved a LOT of herbs, usually including roasted dandelion root.
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