When you think about beer you think of three major ingredients; Barley, Hops, and Yeast which make up a good percentage of any beer that you will find today, however this was not always the case. Before Hops were discovered let alone easily available for bittering beer, man (or woman in the ancient Egyptians case) have always found a way to make a form of beer long since tucked away for today’s brewing styles. This style of beer is now coined as “Gruit” stlye beers (typically an ale) using very common ingredients one would not really associate with beer. Some of the more common spices for gruit are Mugwort, Wormwood, Heather, Indian Sarsaparilla, Sweet Gale, Yarrow, Wild Rosemary, Creeping Charlie and Sage however the possibilities are endless.

 

The recipe I am going to discuss today is going to be very simple, red ale spiced with mugwort. I chose this combination for several reasons; first the red ale is a very flavorful earthy style beer, second mugwort has very earthy and woody notes to it making it the perfect mix for red ale, and third this will be an easy recipe for both beginners and advanced brewers alike to follow. There are many spiritual and superstitious traits associated with mugwort, it was believed to preserve the wayfarer from fatigue, sunstroke, wild beasts, evil spirits, and if kept under the pillow at night it was supposed to increase good dreams.

 

I am going to start with an all grain method then I am going to also write out an extract method for anyone wanting to do a test batch or prefer extract. We are going to start with a simple base malt of pale 2-row, we are going to have a lower ABV for this beer (approx. 4.25%) so that the malt and alcohol do not overshadow the mugwort and it will be ready to drink in a short amount of time. My recipe calls for 8 pounds of pale 2-row, however we are brewing a little maltier and flavorful a style of beer so we are going to also add 1 pound of Crystal 40L, 1/2 pound of Crystal 60L, and about 1/8 pound of roasted barley to give us an estimated original gravity of 1.045. The SRM of this beer is going to be about a 12.5, and it should finish around a 1.012-1.015

 

Here comes the fun part of our little “Gruit Ale” (Which I have given the name Gaelic Dream) adding the right amount of mugwort to your beer at the appropriate times. This is a little different from hops (good news is you don’t have to worry about a boil over with dried mugwort and it acts as a clearing agent so no need for Irish moss either) we are going to start with 3/4 oz. mugwort for the initial boil (a full 60 minutes) for the initial bittering. We are only using 3/4 oz. because this is going to be a very woody and natural bitter, not a spicy citrusy bitter you would get from hops. The next addition is going to be 1/4 oz. added at the 20 minute mark to add flavor and aroma to the mix as well as continue to help clear the beer. Our final addition is optional (I have done it both ways, if you like the smell of the mugwort as much as me it’s worth the addition) add 1/4 oz. mugwort at flameout. So 3/4 oz. at 60 minutes, 1/4 oz. at 20 minutes, and 1/4 oz. at flameout (optional)

 

So since this is going to be a mix of both all grain and extract batches I want to talk about the mash temperature here. Ideally you want your mash temperature to be at 154f +/- 1f. If you are under you’re going to have beer that is a little thin and if you’re over its going to prevent proper starch conversion and lack fermentable sugars so you’re going to have a thicker sweeter beer. So let’s aim for 154f and mash for 60 minutes.

 

So here's our final recipe:

Gaelic Dreams (All Grain)

5 gallons

8 lbs Pale 2-Row

1 lb Crystal 40

0.5 lb Crystal 60

0.125 lb Roasted Barley

3/4 oz Mugwort at 60

1/4 oz Mugwort at 20

1/4 oz Mugwort at 0

Mash at 154f for 60 minutes

Target gravity: 1.045 SG

Target ABV: 4.25%

 

Gaelic Dreams (Extract)

5 Gallons

6 lbs Pale Malt Extract (4.8 lbs DME)

0.50 lb Crystal 40

0.25 lb Crystal 60

1 oz. Roasted Barley

3/4 oz Mugwort at 60

1/4 oz Mugwort at 20

1/4 oz Mugwort at 0

Steep Grains to 160f

Target gravity: 1.045 SG

Target ABV: 4.25%

As for yeast, this is up to you. My first batch I used yeast I washed myself but I have also used White Labs 004 Irish Ale Yeast and Fermentis Safale S-04 to great success.

I have both naturally carbonated and kegged this beer. When priming this beer you want it to have a medium low carbonation level (Between 2.0 and 2.2 by volume)