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OK, I'll come clean - this is not an ancient recipe, it's my own take on an ancient style of beer as I couldn't find a recipe from the time of the Celts! However, this must be close-ish to what it tasted like and it really is delicious and simple to make. I've adjusted the flavour to the modern palate by using some hops as well as lavender which would not have been available to my Celtic ancestors - but hey, the beers got to taste good, that's the main thing, isn't it?
This beer is a fragrant, creamy, hoppy golden ale with a floral nose. Perfect for those late summer and autumn days. It's alcohol content comes out at around 4.8 ABV - but that's because I like beers at this value, so you can adjust it. I've listed the simple recipe that uses canned malt, rather than the full mash recipe. There's not a lot in it as both are excellent, so I'd use the canned malt approach as the full mash (though even better still) is a lot more effort. If you want the full mash recipe then drop me a line using the contact page.
Ingredients
Buy a lager making kit as this provides the best base, as it is already only lightly hopped. This kit should contain everything you need bar the brewing sugars and lavender. Anyway, the list of ingredients are:
1 x lager making kit
1 x packet of brewing sugars (do not use ordinary sugar as it does not work well for this brew)
1 x large chicken egg-sized bunch of fresh, open lavender flowers which have then been stripped from the stem and then dried
Brewing Equipment
It's all about the equipment, with brewing. You'll need the usual beer brewing stuff (see other guides). However, the quality of this beer is dramatically affected by the temperature it is fermented at, so a temperature/thermostat controlled brew-belt or beer heater is a good idea. You'll also need a bit of net curtain to wrap your lavender in to place in the pot.
How to make "Summer Daze" Lavender Beer
This really couldn't be easier - so don't worry if you're not a cook!
BEFORE YOU START: It is very important to steralise and clean the equipment. The cheapest way to do this is with a dilute solution of household bleach. Just put bleach in your basin and fill it with water - then use this to wash each of your items. Before thoroughly cleaning off the dilute bleach with lots of fresh water, you need to leave an item on one side for 10-15 mins so the bleach can kill all the bacteria. Do make sure that you thoroughly wash off the bleach before using your equipment. Anyway, on the the beer making process:
1. Put your lager malt into a large pan with the specified amount of water and bring to a gentle simmering boil. The easiest way to get the sticky malt out of the can is to immerse the can in hot water before opening it. Once boiling add the brewing sugars bit by bit and stir until they are dissolved.
2. Now you need to add the wrapped lavender and continue to simmer for 20 mins. Do this by wrapping an egg-sized (large chicken egg) portion of stripped dried lavender flowers (from your garden) in a piece of net curtain and tie off the end with a piece of string. Stir the pot occasionally as it simmers. After the 20 mins have elapsed remove the lavender immediately as it can become a very powerful taste if left too long.
3. That's it really, add the brew to your brewing fermentor, fill up with cold water as per the instructions on your larger kit to 4 gallons, check the temperature is 21*C and then pitch in your yeast. Leave to ferment for 7 days at 21*C before moving to your secondary fermentor (bottle or keg). After 2 months in secondary fermentation you'll find it to be delicious - so don't drink it straight away!
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