Ingredients
- 1 gallon (3.78 liters) water
- 1/2 pound (227 grams) fresh dandelion greens
- 1/2 ounce (14 grams) chopped dried dandelion roots (often available from natural food stores)
- 1 pound (454 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 ounce (14 grams) gingerroot (cut finely or grated)
- 1 ounce (28 grams) chopped fresh lemongrass, or 3 lemons (optional)
- 1 ounce (28 grams) cream of tartar
- Yeast (beer yeast or wild yeast)
Directions
- 1. Bring the water to a boil and add the fresh greens and dried roots. Boil for 20 to 30 minutes, then add the brown sugar, the ginger, the optional lemons (juice them first, then throw them in the brew as well), and the cream of tartar. Boil for another 5 minutes.
- 2. Remove the pot from the heat and place it (with the lid on) in cold water. Change the cold water two or three times until your beer is lukewarm (around 70 degrees Fahrenheit/21 degrees Celsius).
- 3. Strain into your fermenter (bottle, pot, or whatever you’re using), add the yeast (wild or commercial), and place an airlock (or clean towel) on top.
- 4. Ferment for 7 days. Start counting when the fermentation is active (this may take 2 to 3 days with a wild yeast starter), then bottle. I don’t use any priming sugar. The fermentation is active, so I like to use a recycled plastic soda bottle to monitor for any excess carbonation and release it if necessary by opening the top slowly. The beer is meant to be drunk young, usually after 7 to 10 days.
- This recipe is adapted from Pascal Baudar's book The Wildcrafting Brewer: Creating Unique Drinks and Boozy Concoctions from Nature’s Ingredients (Chelsea Green, 2018) and is printed with permission from the publisher.
