How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (2024)

Nettles, also known as Stinging Nettles, are delicious and versatile wild plants. Their signature sting disappears when the nettles are cooked, so they can be harvested as greens, drunk as a mineral-rich tea, or even used to make this delicious nettle beer recipe.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my for more information.

Although nettles are so widely distributed that they are easy to wild harvest, when we arrived on our homestead, we could not find any stinging nettle, although we were wildly successful in foraging for wood nettles. I started some stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) by seed and planted them in a few moist and shady spots.

When I received a copy of Wild Drinks and co*cktails, by Emily Han,I was immediately drawn to the nettle beer recipe. With plenty of nettles growing in the backyard, I harvested the tender tops and began making this simple fermented beverage. Here’s the recipe, adapted with permission from Wild Drinks and co*cktails.

Recipe for Stinging Nettle Beer

Ingredients

8 ounces of fresh nettle tops or 4 ounces dried nettles

1/2 gallon water

1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ale yeast

How to Make Nettle Beer

Step One: Harvest the top few inchesof fresh nettles – you will need 8 ounces for this recipe (I made 1/4 recipe). Be sure to wear gloves to avoid getting stung! If you do not have fresh nettles, you can make this recipe with dried nettles.

How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (2)

Step Two: Place the nettles and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (3)

Step Three: Line a strainer with a fine mesh cloth (cheesecloth will work great) and strain the nettle liquid into a large bowl or crock. Be sure to squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all of the liquid from the nettles. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.

Cool the liquid to room temperature and then add the lemon juice, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid. Cover the bowl or crock with a towel and let it sit at room temperature, out ofdirect sunlight, for three days.

How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (4)

Step Four: After three days, strain your nettle beer through a fine mesh sieve and funnel it into bottles, leaving at least one inch of headspace. We like to reuse Grolsch beer bottles for this purpose (you can sometimes find them at thrift stores, or on Craigslist).

The author advises placing the beer in cool storage for one week and “burping” the bottles daily. However, we opted to not burp the bottlesto maximize carbonation. If you do not burp the bottles, be sure to check on them daily to ensure your bottles will not over-carbonate and explode!

Step Five: After one week, transfer to the refrigerator and drink within one year. Enjoy the lemony-tangy refreshing flavor of your homemade nettle beer!

If you’d like to try your hand at making other wildcrafted and seasonal beverages, check out my posts on how to make homemade sodaandhow to make shrubs, and my book review of Wild Drinks and co*cktails (and other inspiring homesteading books!).

Yield: 1/2 gallon

How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (6)

Tangy and mineral rich, this wild harvested and fermented nettle beer recipe is a delicious drink, reminiscent of hard cider, and easy to make at home!

Prep Time30 minutes

Cook Time15 minutes

Additional Time3 days

Total Time3 days 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces of fresh nettle tops or 4 ounces dried nettles
  • 1/2 gallon water
  • 1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ale yeast

Instructions

  1. Harvest the top few inchesof fresh nettles – you will need 8 ounces for this recipe (I made 1/4 recipe). Be sure to wear gloves to avoid getting stung! If you do not have fresh nettles, you can make this recipe with dried nettles.
  2. Place the nettles and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
  3. Line a strainer with a fine mesh cloth (cheesecloth will work great) and strain the nettle liquid into a large bowl or crock. Be sure to squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all of the liquid from the nettles. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
  4. Cool the liquid to room temperature and then add the lemon juice, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid. Cover the bowl or crock with a towel and let it sit at room temperature, out ofdirect sunlight, for three days.
  5. After three days, strain your nettle beer through a fine mesh sieve and funnel it into bottles, leaving at least one inch of headspace. We like to reuse Grolsch beer bottles for this purpose (you can sometimes find them at thrift stores, or on Craigslist).
  6. After one week, transfer to the refrigerator and drink within one year. Enjoy the lemony-tangy refreshing flavor of your homemade nettle beer!

Notes

The author advises placing the beer in cool storage for one week and “burping” the bottles daily. However, we opted to not burp the bottlesto maximize carbonation. If you do not burp the bottles, be sure to check on them daily to ensure your bottles will not over-carbonate and explode!

Pin it for Later:

How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (7)

More homesteading inspiration!

  • Foraging with Kids
  • 14 Uses for Black Walnuts
  • Wild Ramp Pesto Recipe
  • Fermented Cranberry Salsa Recipe
  • How to Bottle Hard Apple Cider
How to Make Nettle Beer Recipe | Homestead Honey (2024)

FAQs

How much honey to add to beer? ›

Their recommendations for amounts of honey added to a batch of beer (as a percent of total fermentables) are: 3 to 10 percent honey produces a subtle, floral flavor and delicate aroma; 11 to 30 percent produces a robust honey flavor that should be balanced by strong hop flavors, spices, or darker specialty malts; above ...

Is nettle beer good for you? ›

Aside from making a somewhat pleasant drink, stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) are a great source of vitamin C and apparently help alleviate rheumatic pain.

How much alcohol is in nettle beer? ›

Nettle IPA 5.3% abv.

How to use honey in home brew? ›

If you want a subtle honey flavor, add honey between 10 to 30 minutes left in the boil. To best preserve the aromatics of honey and obtain a stronger honey flavor, pre-process honey at low temperatures and add it at the end of the kettle boil so it is exposed to high temperatures for a minimal amount of time.

How do you mix beer with honey? ›

Vigorously stir gin, lemon juice, and honey in a pint glass until honey is dissolved. Fill glass partway with ice. Top with beer and stir gently to combine. Top with bitters, if using, and garnish with a lemon slice.

How much honey do I need to prime 5 gallons of beer? ›

Use 1 cup of honey per 5 gallon batch to replace the priming sugar, follow the same procedure outlined in your beer recipe kit instructions to prime your beer and put it in beer bottles. Boil the honey in 8-16 oz. of water and pour it into the bottom of your bottling bucket and rack your beer into the honey solution.

Can you drink too much nettle? ›

The dose of nettle tea should be limited to 300 mg one or two times daily. Nettle should not be taken if you are taking any medications, herbs, or other supplements. Before continuing, consult your doctor if any side effects are observed.

When to pick nettles for beer? ›

When is the best time to forage for nettles? Nettles are best eaten when the leaves are young and tender, so pick the fresh young tips of the plants in early to mid spring when they're at their seasonal best. You can also pick them later in the season when they're growing well, but before they flower.

How to make homemade nettle tea? ›

-Clean your nettles under cold running water and place into a tea pot or tea strainer to brew. – Allow the nettle tea to brew for 2-3 mins in hot water before straining and serving. You can also make cold brewed nettle tea by leaving chopped nettles in a 500ml of water overnight.

What beer has the lowest alcohol content? ›

Samuel Adams: Just The Haze

A 0.5% ABV IPA that has been brewed and then de-alcoholised to retain as much flavour as possible. Just the Haze recently won a Gold Medal for Best Non-Alcoholic in America at the Great American Beer Festival.

How much honey should you add to beer? ›

A good place to start experimenting is with one to two pounds of honey per 5-gallon batch (~0.5–1 kg/19 L) of mid-gravity beer. One pound (0.45 kg) will tend to impart a fairly subtle flavor, while two pounds (0.91 kg) will yield a much more pronounced and noticeable contribution.

How much honey to raise ABV? ›

The Simple Answer. Each pound of honey added to a gallon of must (the pre-fermentation honey and water mixture) adds about 5% of potential alcohol when fermented completely.

What is beer made with honey called? ›

Mead (/miːd/), also called hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops.

How much honey should I add to my drink? ›

Ideally, the water should be warm. It can be hot, but it should not boiling. Adding honey to boiling-hot water will destroy the good enzymes in honey that make it so healthy. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30 grams) of honey into the mug.

Why do you put honey in beer? ›

Honey is a versatile brewing ingredient that can be used in a broad range of styles to contribute flavor, increase alcohol content, and it can even serve as the priming sugar for bottle conditioning.

How do you add honey to alcohol? ›

There are two ways to go about it. If you're making a single serve, add all your other ingredients and then add the honey using a bar spoon. Taking your time, stir in the honey slowly until it's all dissolved off the spoon and into the co*cktail. Shake and strain as normal.

How much ABV does honey add? ›

It is roughly 5% ABV per pound of honey per gallon of mead. A little over 3 pounds will get you semisweet around 14% ABV. Every pound of honey per gallon will add about 0.035 to your gravity.

References

Top Articles
Vegan White Bean Mac and Cheese (GF) - Rhian's Recipes
Pickled Ginger Recipe | Elephantastic Vegan
Lifewitceee
Nco Leadership Center Of Excellence
Online Reading Resources for Students & Teachers | Raz-Kids
Soap2Day Autoplay
Paula Deen Italian Cream Cake
Palace Pizza Joplin
Dark Souls 2 Soft Cap
Declan Mining Co Coupon
Https://Store-Kronos.kohls.com/Wfc
Baywatch 2017 123Movies
Puretalkusa.com/Amac
Gdlauncher Downloading Game Files Loop
Las 12 mejores subastas de carros en Los Ángeles, California - Gossip Vehiculos
Aris Rachevsky Harvard
Craigslist Pearl Ms
SuperPay.Me Review 2023 | Legitimate and user-friendly
Used Safari Condo Alto R1723 For Sale
R. Kelly Net Worth 2024: The King Of R&B's Rise And Fall
Bellin Patient Portal
Drift Hunters - Play Unblocked Game Online
Puffin Asmr Leak
Proto Ultima Exoplating
Kamzz Llc
The Latest: Trump addresses apparent assassination attempt on X
L'alternativa - co*cktail Bar On The Pier
Tmj4 Weather Milwaukee
Mg Char Grill
Lil Durk's Brother DThang Killed in Harvey, Illinois, ME Confirms
Sitting Human Silhouette Demonologist
How does paysafecard work? The only guide you need
Weekly Math Review Q4 3
Blue Beetle Movie Tickets and Showtimes Near Me | Regal
Pawn Shop Open Now
“Los nuevos desafíos socioculturales” Identidad, Educación, Mujeres Científicas, Política y Sustentabilidad
5 Tips To Throw A Fun Halloween Party For Adults
Thelemagick Library - The New Comment to Liber AL vel Legis
Gold Dipping Vat Terraria
Tunica Inmate Roster Release
VPN Free - Betternet Unlimited VPN Proxy - Chrome Web Store
Former Employees
Saline Inmate Roster
Busted Newspaper Mcpherson Kansas
Free Crossword Puzzles | BestCrosswords.com
Coffee County Tag Office Douglas Ga
Lesson 5 Homework 4.5 Answer Key
Jeep Forum Cj
Tyrone Unblocked Games Bitlife
Karen Kripas Obituary
Cool Math Games Bucketball
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Arielle Torp

Last Updated:

Views: 5881

Rating: 4 / 5 (41 voted)

Reviews: 88% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Arielle Torp

Birthday: 1997-09-20

Address: 87313 Erdman Vista, North Dustinborough, WA 37563

Phone: +97216742823598

Job: Central Technology Officer

Hobby: Taekwondo, Macrame, Foreign language learning, Kite flying, Cooking, Skiing, Computer programming

Introduction: My name is Arielle Torp, I am a comfortable, kind, zealous, lovely, jolly, colorful, adventurous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.