Fruit spirits are sooo last year

[Elen Sentier]

BR, I was writing another chapter of the book this morning which involves ivy and noted this from my researches ...

"[FONT=&quot]Ivy ale is a highly intoxicating drink. It was still brewed at Trinity College, Oxford, up to the 1960s and may still be both there and by home-brewers. The ivy bush was an old sign of a wine tavern in England; we have one not far from us here in Hereford. [/FONT] "

How's about you have a go? Would love to try some if you do

 

[British Red]

I'll ned to research it Elen.....leave it with me.....Ivy I have!

 

[British Red]

Sounds like its ground Ivy (rather than climbing ivy) used as a bittering agent

I have a desk calendar called "Forgotten English" by Jeffrey Kacirk, and there
was an interesting entry for April 11th. It was a word called "alehoof", which
is apparently a botanical word. Kacirk quotes Daniel Fennig's "Royal English
Dictionary" (1775) which defines alehoof as "the ground-ivy [Glechoma
hederacea], so called by the Saxons because a chief ingredient in their
malt-liquor instead of hops".

Alehoof checks out as a name for ground ivy - many herbs were used before hops - notably horehound

 

[Elen Sentier]

True, oh king, live forever . Any chance of any alehoof (saxon beer) then ???

I didn't know hoarhound was used for beer, coughs yes but didn't know about beer. I have that in the garden here ... hoarhound, I mean, not coughs !!!

 

[British Red]

Might be able to next year - I suspect the plants are a bit old and tough at this time of year. Would need a good source. A batch of ale needs a good few ounces of bittering agent (hops etc.), I certainly don't have enough right now, but it could be done

 

[Elen Sentier]

Looking fwd to it

behind every creative woman there's usually a very talented cat ...

 

[British Red]

Well, we have progress on the rhubarb beer - it seems to be clearing fairly well - so its now just down to a question of whether the taste is worth it!


clearing bottle by British Red, on Flickr

I'll leave it another month or so to properly condition and we will found out