Yarrow Ale

White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has been used for centuries in medicine, it was applied topically for wounds, cuts and abrasions and has natural antibiotic properties. It's been used in beer making since the middle ages and was a major bittering agent prior to the introduction of hops. Yarrow contains small amounts of thujone, which is the same chemical that gives absinthe its mind altering effects. Large doses of thujone are to be avoided, but the amounts found in yarrow are too small to cause damage and adding large quantities would make Yarrow Ale undrinkable. Here's another easy to make "extract" based version of this classic ale!

Yarrow blooms all through summer, it can be found growing on roadsides, parks, and waste land. There are many varieties and the picture here shows white yarrow to help you identify the plant. You can collect the flowers and leaves as they both add to the flavour of Yarrow Ale. The following recipe is to make 25 litres, I divided everything by 5 and just made a 5 litre (1 gallon) demijohn full.



Ingredients

25 litres water
150g White Yarrow blossoms and leaves
1.8kg Malt Extract
450g (1 jar) Honey
Dried or liquid yeast (English Ale Yeast)


Equipment

25 litre (5 Gallon) fermentation vessel
Large saucepan
Long plastic spoon
Sterilising powder


Method

1. Sterilise all of your equipment and anything that will come into contact with the brew, (tin openers, spoons, saucepans, etc).
2. Add the Yarrow blossoms to a pan and add enough water to cover.
3. Bring this to the boil. You can do this in stages if you don't have a large enough pan.
4. Boil the heather for 5-10 mins and then leave it to steep for a hour or two.
5. Strain the Yarrow and pour the liquid into a 25 litre fermenting vessel.
6. If you're working in batches just topping up the fermenter with each batch.
4. Add the honey and stir.
5. Add the malt extract, another kettle full of boiling water, and stir.
6. Top up the fermentation vessel to 25 litres with cold water.
7. You will need this to be about 18-25 C so wait for it to cool.
8. Add the yeast then give it a gentle stir.
9. Leave the mix to ferment for about 6-7 days.
10. Syphon into bottles or a keg making sure you don't disturb the sediment and leaving the heather in the fermentation vessel.
11. You can add a little priming sugar or some more honey at this point if you wish. You shouldn't add more than 27g to a keg though.
12. Store in a cool place to allow it to clear and condition (14-21 days).