Does anyone have nettle beer/wine recipe

[Welshwitch]

Just seen digemans recipe for nettle beer does any one have one that doesn't use ginger.

Also nettle wine recipe, may as well put all these nettles to some use.

Cheers

 

[Welshwitch]

We have found one online now and it is now busily bubbling away will let you know how it tastes :

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

We have found one online now and it is now busily bubbling away will let you know how it tastes :

Will you post the recipe please :thumb:
BB

 

[didgeman]

Nettle beer recipe

5 gallons of water
3 bags of nettle tips (I just grab the first three leaf levels and wack it in the pot)
2 lemons, juiced
2 oranges, juiced
3kg sugar
100g cream of tartar
Yeast (Girvan 5 is good, but if I haven't any I just use bread yeast, beer yeast.
Large dandelion root, chopped OR
Large ginger root, chopped (optional)
Don't use both the dandelion and the ginger, use either or none!
Method
Boil the water -
Put the nettle tips in a large tub (at least 6 gallons), and pour the boiling water over them. Leave to infuse until cooled to around 35-36C (usually takes a few of hours).
Strain back into your boiler. Add the lemon and orange juice, the sugar and the cream of tartar. Heat gently and stir until the sugar has dissolved - do not boil - and then transfer into a brewing vat.
Leave to cool to about 20C (overnight is usually best), then pitch the yeast.
Cover the vat loosely with muslin and leave to stand in a warm place for about three days.
Carefully skim any scum off the surface, then rack the beer into beer bottles, taking care not to disturb the sediment. Leave to condition for a week or so, then serve cold.

If you want to do a nettle beer now is the best time as the nettles are at their best. The missus will love this!!

My tip - go easy with the ginger!!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

Thanks' didgeman :thumb:

BB

P.S
How big are the nettle bags? :hmm:

 

[didgeman]

Your normal plastic shopping bags will do. The nettles are at their best right now. I even managed not to sting myself once - and had the remander cooked like spinach with greek joghurt - lush!!

 

[BarnsleyBrewer]

gloves required??

 

[snail59]

gloves required??

I will not be useing gloves. :nono:

Mrs Snail will be collecting the nettles when she walks the dog :rofl:

 

[Welshwitch]

Well our recipe for Nettle Beer was

2lbs nettles (we used gloves and picked about the top six leaves)
8 Pints of water
2 lemons
1 orange
1lb Demerera Sugar
3oz white sugar
1 oz cream of tartar
2 grams Girvan beer yeast
2 grams of Hops in FV


Washed nettles then brought them to the boil in the water and simmered for 20mins (smells a bit like smoked fish)
Made a sugar syrup.
Strained the juice off.
Mixed it all together with cream of tartar, orange juice lemon juice and the rinds.
Then put the yeast in when the temperature had dropped to about 20 degrees.
Then made up a little sack of hops and put that in.
S.G. 1.050
It is bubbling away as we speak.
When fermentation has stopped bottle it and leave for a week.

Obviously this is our first attempt so only doing 8 pints to try so cannot say what it tastes like yet. Supposed to be ready to drink in two weeks from start to finish.

Watch this space :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

 

[rickthebrew]

I brewed a nettle wine last year and plan to get some more on as it has matured really well, my recipe was loads of nettles with sultanas and grated potato all raw in a bucket for about a week with sugar and yeast and lemon and nutrient - if your interested i`ll dig out the recipe from my notes :thumb:

 

[Welshwitch]

Yes rick would love your recipe please.

 

[rickthebrew]

will post it tommorrow for you :thumb:

:drunk: at the mo!

 

[negations]

I have made nettle beer a few times over the years and it is quite successful. The only "recipe" I had was from an "old" Ben Turner book (published 1981). The recipe just calls for 2lbs nettles per gallon (UK) of wort, or 1kg per 5 litres. The recipe calls for a mix of young plant tops and older plants. You boil the hops for 30 minutes and then strain the juice into the wort to ferment. Nettles were used extensively in ales before hops came in from Europe in 1528, so you should not use any hops. I usually make a beer of 1040-1050 OG.
It gives a nice dry and bitter taste which is quite unique.

 

[rickthebrew]

my nettle wine recipe was something like this:

for 1 gallon (scaled i made a few :thumb: )

two carrier bags of nettle tops ( lightly pushed down)(washed as well)
approx 800g sugar
300g chopped rasains (or you could use a little tin of grape concentrate)
300g grated potato (dunno why but it was an old recipe book)
juice of 1 lemon
all this went in a bucket with yeast and nutrient - after a week strained into a DJ and fermented out.

with hindsight maybe leave the spud out it didn`t want to clear because of the starch and you can add some amalyze at the begginging to help with this, i racked and added fininings twice and then it was clear

hope this helps it was my second wine brew ever and is ayear in the bottle and lovely