The idea of taking an invasive farm
weed and using it to flavor a beer is one that has interested us for
a while. Anyone who has tried our spring seasonal Dandelion IPA can
attest to the unique aspects that unconventional bittering agents can
bring to an IPA.
Very much in the same vein of our
dandelion beer, we wanted to brew a beer bittered with fresh nettles. If
you're familiar with nettles, it's probably because you've been stung
by them. That's their most commonly known characteristic, but a
lesser known tidbit is that they are related closely to hops and were
formerly used as an ingredient in English beers (Thanks, by the way,
to The Homebrewer's Garden as the inspiration for many of our unique
ingredient choices and their interesting origin stories).
We struggled with the nettle concept
for a while, and now we've came up with an angle that excites us: Our
idea is to brew two beers, two big IPA's - one with nettles, one with
mint - that we can mix together at the tap to complement each other
and create something new, something that is more than the sum of its
parts.
Evan told me a piece of backwoods and
botanical trivia that really made this concept work: the pain of a
nettle sting can be alleviated by rubbing mint on it. The two often
grow close together in nature. Nature provides both the sting and the
cure.
Mint as an ingredient is delicate and
difficult to pull off. It evokes images of rich, dark beers: mint
chocolate chip stout-type images. One does not necessarily arrive at
'IPA' quickly. American IPA's are beers known for two things however:
assertive bitterness, and big aromatics.
Sting is a Burton-on-Trent
English-style IPA, bitingly bitter with a minerally character. Cure
is a softer, partially wheat-based American IPA with a minty aroma.
The idea is that when we mix them, we end up with something better,
or at least different, than either of the two base beers. You can
find everything you need for the sting and the cure growing on the
edges of our North Plain Road hop farm, and in many other places
throughout the Berkshires. Cheers!
- Ezra
