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Dandelion Beer
Herbal Recipe
The homeliest, least complicated ingredients and methods make this thoroughly enjoyable and economical country beer. It's delicious!
Ingredients and Directions:
Wash a 1-gallon glass carboy, plastic fermentation bucket, or a large, food-grade plastic jug. It's important that this fermentation vessel should not be of metal, and be very clean, with no residue of former food or drink clinging to it, inside or out. Sanitize it with a mild bleach solution (rinse very well till no bleach odor is left) or a Campden tablet.
Put the sugar and the cream of tartar into the vessel.
Wash the dandelion, using any mixture of roots and leaves. Make sure to pluck out any flower stems; they are bitter and inedible. There is no need to peel the roots, just scrub the dirt off them. Chop the roots and leaves coarsely.
Simmer the dandelion material with the grated ginger, in all the water (you'll need a large pot, or split this step into two batches). Simmer for 10 minutes.
Funnel the liquor into the carboy, using cheesecloth to strain it, or strain and pour it into a jug. Stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.
When the liquor is lukewarm, dissolve the yeast in water and add to the vessel.
Fit the airlock if fermenting in a carboy or fermentation bucket; if using a jug, cover it with a clean towel.
All the beer to ferment three days. No need to stir it or interfere with it in any way; just let it sit there and do its thing. Soon enough it will start to fizz.
After three days, sterilize your bottles. Siphon the beer into them and cap.
Wait a week before opening. Chill thoroughly before opening.
Caution: It's easy to get addicted to this brew!
