Beer Style: Spice, Herb and Vegetable Beer
Epic Brewing Co.’s Utah Sage Saison clone
The initial aromas are all herb, with a low floral and fruity hops aroma underneath. I didn’t perceive much in the way of grist aromatics until I took my first sip, and then it all really came together. The rich malts lingered on the tongue and the savory herbs filled the nose, with peppery phenols accenting everything beautifully.
Beets by Drie Saison
Beets impart the flavor of fresh soil and a fantastic magenta color to beer. Beets were my answer to rescue a Brett saison with objectionable sulfur. I hoped the renewed fermentation from the sugar in the beets would drive off the volatile aromatics while the aromatics would complement the spicy and earthy wild yeast character. I peeled and shredded three beets on a box grater and racked five gallons (19 L) of beer onto it for an extended secondary. It worked!
Southern Tier Brewing Co.’s Crème Brûlée clone
This inventive brew brings all the flavor of the classic hard-coated custard dessert into a creamy, dreamy beer.
Bluejacket’s Mexican Radio clone
A spiced stout brewed with oats and lactose, then finished with vanilla beans, ancho chili peppers, cinnamon sticks, and roasted caco nibs. A truly innovative stout.
Weyerbacher Brewing Company: Imperial Pumpkin Ale clone
This hearty, full-bodied, spicy pumpkin ale is rich with cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and clove.
Southern Tier Brewing Company: Warlock clone
Warlock is a jet-black, high-ABV spice beer. The rich cocoa flavors are well-balanced by the residual cinnamon and ginger notes, with complementary flavors of vanilla, nutmeg and clove.
Smuttynose Brewing Company: Pumpkin Ale clone
“This beer was designed to have some nice sweetness created by a mix of caramel malts and we wanted a decent hop presence as well. Over the years we’ve reduced the amount of cloves we’ve added as that one spice always seems to be the one to throw things out of balance. If I was brewing this at home I’d go easy on the clove and add more in later batches if needed.” ~ David Yarrington, Brewmaster
Captain Lawrence Brewing Company: Pumpkin Ale clone
This beer is brewed with pureed pumpkins that are added directly to the mash, while pumpkin pie spices are added to the end of the boil. The finished amber ale is malty and smooth.
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!: Route des épices (Spice route) clone
This is a malty rye ale spiced with peppercorns. It features rich chocolate and rye grain flavors, a medium body balance and a peppery finish. If you want the peppercorns to stay in the fermenter, you can bag them with the final hops addition. If you follow that process, the cooled wort with the peppercorns can go right from the kettle into the fermenter.
Brasserie Dieu du Ciel!: Rosée d’hibiscus (Pinkish hibiscus) clone
Very pink, very floral, very crisp and light bodied — very drinkable! This beer’s color and aroma are quite eye-catching and aromatic. Look for dried hibiscus flowers at your local food coop, health food store or from any local or online dried herb retailer.
Närke Kulturbryggeri: Tanngnjostr & Tanngrisnir clone
Berith Karlsson, from Närke Kulturbryggeri, said of this smoked doppelbock spiced with juniper twigs, “being a double bock lager, (it) is named after the two goats pulling the wagon of Thor, the god of thunder.”
Fort George Brewery’s Spruce Budd Ale clone
A true spring beer. Be sure to harvest the spruce tips as they are emerging from the buds and the needles are still a light green color.
