DECEMBER 2025: WISDOM FROM THE WILD CHILD GARDEN: HERBAL BREWS 101

Creating homemade herbal brews is easier than you think!

There is nothing better than a glass of herbal home brew. It is so satisfying to drink an herb-infused beverage made by hand, especially when most of the herbs have been foraged or grown in the area around your home and have amazing health benefits. For those into sustainability, preparedness, or survivalism, herbal home brewing is a great hobby to start learning now. Home brews are a great way to use natural resources to create medicinal and delicious beverages.

HERBAL BREWS: BEER: beer is defined as, “an alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt and flavored with hops”. Since herbal beer does not contain hops, it’s technically not a beer. The correct term for an herbal beer is a “gruit,” which is an herb mixture used for bittering and flavoring beer, popular before the extensive use of hops.

Craft breweries are everywhere today, and making beer is appreciated as a true artisan craft. Aside from the actual enjoyment of drinking beer, the pure bliss that comes from creating and brewing herbal beer is magical. The joy of making beer doesn’t just stop at bottling. The exhilaration that comes from sharing the creation with family and friends is fun, and it fills the room with a vibe that is created by connecting through this ancient beverage.

Herbal beers are more flavorful, delicious, and complex than commercial beers, and can be healing or medicinal depending on the herbs used. Since one of the reasons to make herbal beer is to reduce the chemical content, organic ingredients are recommended. Herbs are more delicate than hops and don’t need to be boiled as long in order to extract the bitterness and flavor.

Herbal beers can be made with:

·        Demerara Sugar: breaks down a little more slowly than white or golden sugar, and gives the yeast more to work on. Muscovado sugar contains natural molasses and can be used when a deeper flavor is desired.

·        Malt Syrup: the concentrated form of unfermented brewery wort that contributes the sugars necessary for fermentation.

·        Molasses: gives a particular flavor to the beer and has added health benefits. Lighter molasses adds subtle complexity and darker molasses are richer and full-flavored.

·        Brewing Yeast: Young’s Yeast in a Tub is the easiest to use and can be stored in the refrigerator. Yeast needs both warmth and a sugar source to work its magic, and too much heat will kill it. Storing it in the fridge keeps it alive but dormant.

·        Nutrients: are often mentioned in the older recipes, and some nutrient may be required because yeast needs citric acid to respire. Floating a piece of toast on the brew will work, or if a brew consistently fails, a squeeze of lemon juice may do the trick.

Humans have been brewing beer for millennia, and in that time, we have incorporated countless ingredients into our ferments. From bright, citrusy witbiers to rich herbal gruits, there’s a flavor profile to suit most any taste, and many of the ingredients to achieve it can be found in the home apothecary or kitchen spice rack. The rules of combining herbs for a beer are similar to herbal tea mixing. The herbs chosen should compliment the base beer’s characteristics and not overpower them. It is suggested that no more than 1 gallon of a new recipe be made to test the taste and flavor. Herbs are excellent for aged beer as the bitterness is more stable, and the bitterness from hops declines as the beer is aged.

Herb berries such as blueberry, blackberry, cherry, elderberry, juniper, and raspberry add a fruitiness help balance the maltiness of the brew, and the aerial parts impart herbal notes and often a volatile top note.

Herb flowers and leaves such as agrimony, Thai basil, borage, chamomile, elderflower, elecampane, heather, hibiscus, honey bush, lavender, lemon balm, meadowsweet, mint, nettles, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme, wood betony, and yarrow add a light and flowery flavor to the brew, and offer medicinal benefits.

Herb pods and seeds such as cacao, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fenugreek, grains of paradise, nutmeg, peppercorns, rosehips, and vanilla offer complex, resiny, woody, and sometimes intense flavor to the brew.

Herb stems and twigs such as birch, Eastern red cedar, fir, pine, redwood, rhubarb, and spruce produce a refreshing and resiny flavor and were used historically as an American beer flavoring.

Herb roots such as dandelion root, ginger root, licorice root, mugwort root, orris root, and sassafras root give a depth of flavor and either sweetness or bitterness.

HERBAL BREWS: COCKTAILS: there are nearly endless combinations for herbal cocktails based on what is available and on hand, and which flavors are appealing. Many traditional cocktail recipes call for simple syrup, which is a 50/50 ratio of white sugar and water stirred together over low heat until they form a sweet syrup. An herbal element can be added to the syrup by tossing in a handful of fresh or dried leaves, flowers, or buds, removing from heat, covering, and letting steep for 15 to 20 minutes before straining. For a healthier version, consider replacing half of the white sugar with local raw honey, creating a ½ part sugar, ½ part honey, and 1 part water. Be careful to not overheat the syrup as many of the beneficial compounds in raw honey are lost at higher temperatures. To cut out the white sugar altogether, make a simple herb-infused raw honey. Herbal honeys are delicious added to cocktails, tea, sparkling water, salad dressings, desserts, and many other recipes.

BITTERS: Bitters are used by herbalists and bartenders because of their wonderfully stimulating effect on the digestive system, and the way they add depth and complexity to a cocktail. Bitters are a traditional ingredient in old-fashions, Manhattans, and Mai Tais, and they help with the metabolism of alcohol by breaking down the by-products of fermentation.

Many bitter-tasting herbs support every stage of digestive function, including stimulating the release of saliva, digestive enzymes, stomach acid, and bile, increasing nutrient absorption, peristalsis, and the removal of metabolic waste. Mushrooms also have a bitter flavor, and the molecules that give them their bitter taste interact with the cellular receptors in the digestive tract. Examples of bitter herbs and mushrooms include burdock root, dandelion root, gentian root, licorice root, orange peel, Reishi, and turkey tail mushroom.

Bitters are surprisingly easy to make at home, and often call for common ingredients. Wild Child Herb Shop creates a delicious cocktail bitter recipe using an old ancestral folk method passed down through the generations.

TINCTURES: a concentrated alcohol infusion made by steeping an herb, spice, fruit, flower, or vegetable in high proof alcohol. Tinctures are powerful modifiers, and impart a concentrated single note flavor, so use them sparingly. A drop or two of a tincture is usually sufficient to add flavor to a cocktail. Tinctures can be mixed into cocktails, floated on top, or used in a spray to give a heightened aroma to the drinking experience. Cocktails, mocktails, teas, and spritzers offer a creative and delicious way to consume tinctures, especially if masking the taste behind something sweet, citrusy, or herbaceous is desired. Add a dropperful or two to a cocktail, or create a custom blend with 1 part tincture and 1 part honey. Store the blend in the fridge and add to drinks when desired.

Tinctures are made by simply infusing a spice, herb, peel, fruit, flower, or other flavoring into a high proof neutral spirit such as vodka or grain alcohol. Herbs that are a delicious addition to cocktail tinctures include basil, mint, thyme, and lemon verbena.

HERBAL MEAD: basic ingredients for making mead and a few optional ingredients:

·        Water: Use filtered or distilled water to make mead.

·        Sugar: Yeast needs food in order to produce alcohol, and several types of sugar can serve this purpose. Brown turbinado sugar is the best option because it ferments cleanly, and has a caramel-like flavor.

·        Local Raw Honey: The essential ingredient in mead.

·        Herbs: Herbs have traditionally been added to mead to add both flavor and health-supporting value. A mead made with herbs is called a “metheglin.” An especially well-loved brewing herb is meadowsweet, used from at least medieval times until the present. Other herbs can also be used, including lemon balm, hibiscus, ginger, hops, vanilla, rose, dandelion, and rosemary.

·        Fruit: Use fresh and ripe fruit in season to get the best flavor and quality possible.

·        Yeast: Any yeast fed by sugar content will lead to fermentation. A strain used to produce sweet mead is ideal.

The following ingredients aren’t absolutely required for simple mead brewing, can be helpful to have on hand, and can be purchased at a brewing supply store:

·        Campden Tablets: small tablets of a sulfite used to sterilize ingredients in mead that the fermentation process can’t metabolize. These tablets will kill bacteria and wild yeast, so they are added to recipes before yeast. A second tablet can be added to stabilize the fermentation before bottling.

·        Yeast Nutrient: a powder that can be added to the fermentation to provide yeast the essential vitamins and minerals not naturally present in fruit, sugar, and honey.

·        Tannin: If you make mead with fruits or herbs that already are astringent, such as blackberries or lemon balm, tannin is not needed. However, adding a pinch of the powder to brews that aren’t already astringent will help balance the flavor.

·        Acid blend: a powder used to balance flavor and add crispness to very sweet mead.

HERBAL MEAD: EQUIPMENT: can be purchased at a brewing supplier:

·        Large stainless-steel stockpot with 2 or 3-gallon capacity

·        A digital scale

·        Cheesecloth or thin muslin cloth

·        Muslin drawstring bag

·        Strainers: Large and small sizes, with fine stainless-steel mesh

·        Long-handled metal spoon

·        Sanitizing solution

·        Thermometer

·        Airlock

·        Canning jars

·        2-gallon, food-grade bucket with a rubber-lined hole to fit the airlock

·        1-gallon glass jar with a lid that can accommodate the airlock

·        Funnel

·        Racking cane and tip

·        Siphon hose with a clamp

·        Glass bottles

·        Bottlecaps or wine corks

HERBAL BREWS: MEAD: BASIC STEPS:

·        Prepare a sweet liquid.

·        Add yeast and stir frequently and well.

·        Allow to ferment.

·        Bottle. 

HERBAL BREWS: WINE: While we often think of wine coming from grapes, fruit and flower wines can be just as satisfying.  Wine has been around for as long as humans have documented history. The ancient Egyptians were the first to document in great detail the technology and technique of winemaking, a process that seems to have been mastered as early as 5,000 years ago. The cultivation of grapes began long before that, and excavations in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan have unearthed pips from cultivated grapevines carbon-dated at 8,000 B.C.E.

Traditionally, wine played more than just a social role. From the writings of Pliny to Zhang Ji, to the Eclectics, we find ample evidence that wine was an essential medicine. Medicinal wine has been used for millennia in Chinese medicine as agents for “promoting people’s health and corporeity, and enriching people’s restorative culture”. For over 2,000 years, wine was the primary antiseptic used for bathing wounds, purifying water, and cleaning surgical tools. Ayurvedic and Muslim physicians noted its affinity for supporting digestion and assimilation, calming anxiety, and easing depression.

HERBAL BREWS: MEDICINAL WINES: a staple of home herbal practitioners, medicinal wines are a tasty alcoholic concoction that gets even the most stubborn client to take their medicine.

HERBAL BREWS: SANGRIA: fresh fruit and wine belong together! Sangria mixes dry wine with the sweet taste of seasonal fruit and creates the perfect drink to share with a group of friends. The classic sangria recipe originated in Spain, and it is the Spanish term for mixing fruit and wine. Popular in Europe for centuries, the drink has ties to the Middle Ages. Since water was unhealthy to drink, people drank fermented beverages as they had a lower risk of causing illness. Red wine sangria made its way over into American popularity when the drink was served at the Spanish World area during the 1964 World’s Fair in New York.

Red, white, rose, or sparkling wine can be used as the base, but red is the most traditional way of enjoying sangria. Add in some brandy or rum, fruits and herbs of choice, and some spices. When adding fruits, use what is in season, and flavors that are already present in the wine. Some examples are oranges, lemons, raspberries, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, mango, peaches, and pineapple.