A 21st century good life in Bristol: part 7 - nettle beer

I’m sorry to say but I find a bit of home brew is an essential part of coping with life’s ups and downs.

Previously I wrote about making your own beer and later in the year, we’ll be featuring the great Bristol forager Andy Hamilton’s more expert approach to cheap, tasty homemade ales.

But I can’t wait for that, so I was on the lookout for an even cheaper beer method than the kit. And I like the sound of getting my revenge on 39 years of nettle stings by turning these vengeful denizens of the hedgerow suburbs into quaffable beer potions.

So while taking a mini holiday in a forgotten corner of the countryside between Monmouth and Abergavenny, I stumbled into nettle heaven – the valley of the River Trothy (a very fine minnow river).

Donning a pair of rubber gloves (not a great country look), I spent a sun-drenched couple of hours picking the tips of nettles and serenaded by blackcaps and nuthatches while my wife and son snoozed back at the hired cottage.

Back in Bristol, I couldn’t lay my hands on Andy Hamilton’s recipe published in Countryfile Magazine but I found this one – made from nettles foraged from London’s Battersea Park. I used to live near there and know it well, so it felt right.

I used just 8 litres of water (due to small pan size) and half the sugar (1lb 8oz). And I don’t think the timing particularly matters – I boiled my nettles for about 25 minutes.

Then I added the sugar and cream of tartar and then allow to cool. I have a small brewing bucket so this was perfect for the fermenting stage. Once it reached room temperature, about 18°C, I added yeast and covered it.

I left it for about four days before bottling – it was lively stuff and escaped over the kitchen floor.

A week later, I tested it. It was deliciously fizzy, beautiful looking, slightly lemony and totally refreshing. Surprisingly wonderful although far more like sparkling wine than beer. Goodness knows how strong it is. It was a little on the sweet side so perhaps I could have let it ferment a few days more.

And, aside from the gas for cooking and time it took to pick the nettles, it cost 80p for about 12 pints. I’ll leave it another month before testing again.

And I’m determined to make more.
 

Fergus Collins

Fergus Collins is the editor of Countryfile Magazine and enjoys growing, foraging and harvesting his own food from his home in Bristol.