herbs

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RECIPES FOR HERB BEERS

 

Formerly every farmhouse inn had a brewing plant and brewhouse attached to

the buildings, and all brewed their own beer till the large breweries were

established and supplanted home-brewed beers. Many of these farmhouses then

began to brew their own 'stingo' from wayside herbs, employing old rustic

recipes that had been carried down from generation to generation. The true

value of vegetable bitters and of herb beers have yet to be recognized by

all sections of the community. Workmen in puddling furnaces and potteries in

the Midland and Northern counties find, however, that a tea made of tonic

herbs is cheaper and less intoxicating than ordinary beer and patronize the

herb beers freely, Dandelion Stout ranking as one of the favourites. It is

also made in Canada.

 

Dandelion is a good ingredient in many digestive or diet drinks. A dinner

drink may be made as follows: Take 2 OZ. each of dried Dandelion and Nettle

herbs and 1 OZ. of Yellow Dock. Boil in 1 gallon of water for 15 minutes and

then strain the liquor while hot on to 2 Lb. of sugar, on the top of which

is sprinkled 2 tablespoonsful of powdered Ginger. Leave till milk-warm, then

add boiled water gone cold to bring the quantity up to 2 gallons. The

temperature must then not be above 75 degrees F. Now dissolve 1/2 oz. solid

yeast in a little of the liquid and stir into the bulk. Allow to ferment 24

hours, skim and bottle, and it will be ready for use in a day or two.

 

A good, pleasant-tasting botanic beer is also made of the Nettle alone.

Quantities of the young fresh tops are boiled in a gallon of water, with the

juice of two lemons, a teaspoonful of crushed ginger and 1 Lb. of brown

sugar. Fresh yeast is floated on toast in the liquor, when cold, to ferment

it, and when it is bottled the result is a specially wholesome sort of

ginger beer.

 

Meadow Sweet was also formerly much in favour. The mash when worked with

barm made a pleasant drink, either in the harvest field or at the table. It

required little sugar, some even made it without any sugar at all.

 

Another favourite brew was that of armsful of Meadowsweet, Yarrow, Dandelion

and Nettles, and the mash when 'sweetened with old honey' and well worked

with barm, and then bottled in big stoneware bottles, made a drink strong

enough to turn even an old toper's head.

 

Old honeycomb from the thatch of an ancient cottage, filled with rich and

nearly black honey, when boiled into syrup and then strained, was used in

the making of herb beer, while the wax was put at the mouths of the hives

for the bees.

 

Dandelion, Meadowsweet and Agrimony, equal quantities of each, would also be

boiled together for 20 minutes (about 2 OZ. each of the dried herbs to 2

gallons of water), then strained and 2 lb. of sugar and 1/2 pint of barm or

yeast added. This was bottled after standing in a warm place for 12 hours.

This recipe is still in use.

 

A Herb Beer that needs no yeast is made from equal quantities of

Meadowsweet, Betony, Agrimony and Raspberry leaves (2 OZ. of each) boiled in

2 gallons of water for 15 minutes, strained, then 2 lb. of white sugar added

and bottled when nearly cool.

 

In some outlying islands of the Hebrides there is still brewed a drinkable

beer by making two-thirds Heath tops with one-third of malt.

 

HOP BITTERS, as an appetiser, to be taken in tablespoonful doses three times

in the day before eating, may be made as follows: Take 2 OZ. of Buchu leaves

and 1/2 lb. of Hops. Boil these in 5 quarts of water in an iron vessel for

an hour. When lukewarm add essence of Winter green (Pyrola) 2 OZ. and 1 pint

alcohol.

 

Another way of making Hop Bitters is to take 1/2 oz. Hops, 1 OZ. Angelica

Herb and 1 OZ. Holy Thistle. Pour 3 pints of boiling water on them and

strain when cold. A wineglassful may be taken four times a day.

 

To make a good HOP BEER, put 2 OZ. Hops in 2 quarts of water for 15 minutes.

Then strain and dissolve 1 lb. of sugar in the liquor. To this add 4 quarts

of cold water and 2 tablespoonsful of fresh barm. Allow to stand for 12

hours in a warm place and it will then be ready for bottling.