Wormwood, Red Ash, Skullcap and Chamomile Ale
Wormwood, Red Ash, Skullcap and Chamomile Ale
1 oz fresh wormwood
½ ounce fresh red ash leaves
½ ounce dried skullcap
½ ounce dried chamomile
2 tbsp pomegranate seed
2 tsp caraway seed
14 cardamom pods, slit
9 juniper berries, crushed
750 g liquid amber malt
1.2 kg raw sugar
Yeast
Place all except the wormwood and ash in water, bring to a boil, simmer gently for 30 mins. Meanwhile bring 8 litres (about 2 gallons) of water to the boil, add the malt and sugar, stir in and medium simmer until the herbs are done. Drain the herb liquid into the malt mix (reserving the herb) and reduce to a slow simmer. Put the herbs back in the pot they simmered in, add water and bring to a boil. Give them a rolling boil for15 mins, then drain in to the malt (reserving the herb again). Place herb back in simmering pot, and top up the pot with malt mix, putting the malt pot back on the heat to slow simmer. Add the wormwood and red ash leaves, slow simmer for 15 minutes, then drain into the malt mix, this time discarding the herbs.
Pour into the fermenting vessel, top up with cold filtered water to 12 litres (3 gallons), when cool to the touch add the yeast of your choice, or a starter such as a ginger bug, or rely on wild yeast. Stir, cover and let brew until fermentation has ceased (6-10 days). Prime 750 ml bottles with 5 g (1 tsp) of raw sugar, cap, and leave for at least 10 days before tasting. Age will improve.
Take care with this ale – as well as having a fairly strong alcohol content, it will also have some psychoactive component if you have brewed it well.