Against All Hops

This revolutionary brewing guide features unique botanical beers brewed without hops for a distinct, invigorating flavor. The technique is highlighted by George "Butch" Heilshorn, who brews this ancient ale regularly for his popular brewery in Portsmouth, NH, Earth Eagle Brewings. This throwback to traditional German brewing is technique-based and full of unexpected flavors that will blow a brewer's mind and palate. Butch serves the beer to packed crowds of beer enthusiasts. This back-to-the-future brewing features gruits -beers brewed with little or no hops- that rely on foraged roots, herbs and spices to flavor beer. These unique ingredients give the beer earthy, herbal notes instead of hops, fruit and spruce. At the brewery, a forager collects from woods, swamps and seacoasts for ingredients that provide an expression of locale; a reflection of time and place. Home brewers and professionals, looking for different flavor choices, can expand their horizons and push their brewing to new places with this outside-the-box technique for great beer. This book features 12 main recipes plus a myriad of variations and suggestions, with 60 photographs.