Nettle Beer

We have so many nettles it sounded like an interesting thing to try... it is raining today, so it was something we could do mostly indoors (Doug and Poppy braved the elements to collect the nettles and I made the brew)

1 large bag stuffed with nettles (some recipes say 1kg)

5 litres if water

430g of sugar for brewing

20g of sugar for secondary fermentation in the bottles

Juice of 2 lemons

50g cream of tartar

1/2 sachet of beer or cider yeast

Large pan (approx 10 litres or more)

Cram the nettles in to a pan with the 5 litres of water. It might be a tight squeeze, but as soon as they start cooking they pack down a lot.

Bring to the boil (can take some time) and boil for 15 mins

Strain the liquid in to another pan or bowl

Mix in the 430g of sugar and stir until dissolved

Add the cream of tartar and lemon juice then leave to cool

Pour in to a demi john and when the liquid is cool enough add the yeast (follow yeast packet instructions for starting and pitching temperature)

Add an airlock and leave until fermentation completes (3-5 days or possibly more depending on temperature)

Syphon out of the demi john (leaving the yeast residue behind) in to a container (pan, bowl etc)

Melt the 20g of sugar in a little boiling water and add to the liquid.

Bottle and cap as you would for beer.

Ready to drink in a few days.

I was thinking it might be a bit greener - I suspect it might be if the nettles were boiled less... apparently boiling damages the chlorophyll. I will let you know how it tastes in a while. Initial indications aren't too great :)