There’s no doubt that beer is experiencing a renaissance. According to the Brewers Associationthe number of breweries in the United States has skyrocketed over the past decade, from 1,813 in 2010 to 8,884 in 2020 – an increase of 390%!
But don’t let the numbers fool you: While craft beer may seem trendy, brewing is an ancient art that has been practiced for thousands of years. Some historians even think that grain production and brewing may have been a factor in our ancestors’ shift toward agriculture and away from a nomadic hunter-gatherer existence.
The four main ingredients of modern beer are malted barley, water, yeast and hops – the green, cone-shaped flowers of a plant called Humulus lupulus. Hops give beer its distinctive aroma and bitter taste, balancing the sugars from the malted barley. They also serve as natural preservatives, as hop acids can kill bacteria. One of today’s hoppiest and most popular craft beers – the India Pale Ale or IPA – gets its name from the fact that British brewers in the 19th century added extra hops to beer to keep it fresh during the six-month sea voyage. trip to India.
Like those British sailors, we love hops, both in our beer and in many of our herbal tinctures, where we use them for their calming properties and their support of a healthy inflammatory response. But you might be surprised to learn that hops haven’t always been the star of the show when it comes to beer and brewing.
Beer before hops: Gruit Ales
Before they started using hops, brewers made so-called gruit ales – beers brewed with a mixture of herbs (called a “gruit”) instead of hops. The traditional gruit beer contained a mix of myrica gale (also known as swamp myrtle), yarrow and wild rosemary. Another popular herb used in early brewing? St. John’s wort.
St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) has been used for centuries to heal wounds, support mood, soothe sore muscles and even drive away demons! It also has a long history of brewing. It was especially popular with brewers in Norway and other parts of Scandinavia before hops became widely available in that part of Europe. Traditional Norwegian St. John’s wort beers were quite simple and typically contained only water, malted barley, yeast and flowering St. John’s wort, sometimes with the addition of brown sugar.
In terms of taste, St. John’s wort adds a slight woody note and a bitter undertone to the beer. Also similar to hops, St. John’s wort has both healthy microbial and positive mood-supporting properties. It also gives a reddish tint to the oils, giving the beer a distinctive color.
Would you like to give some St. John’s wort gruit beer as a gift at home? You will find two recipes in Stephen Harrod Buhners’ book Sacred and herbal healing beersalong with more than 100 other recipes for ancient and native beers and meads from more than 30 countries.
More ways to enjoy St. John’s Wort
Of course, you don’t have to brew or even drink beer to reap the benefits of St. John’s wort. According to a study by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the herb can even help people who want it cut back on their alcohol consumptiona benefit that the researchers attribute to the plant’s active ingredient, hypericin.
If you still like the idea of ”brewing” some St. John’s wort, give this a try Recipe for St. John’s Wort herbal tea from Delishably. The recipe calls for the dried herb, but if you prefer to use fresh, simply double the amount.
WishGarden Herbs also includes St. John’s Wort in some of our favorite herbal tinctures and topical treatments. Try our Emotional Ally: A Big Herbal Hug to soothe worries and combat stress. To soothe sore muscles, you can choose our Deep Recovery Musclar-Skeletal (taken internally) or our Arnica oil with St. John’s Wort (applied to the skin and rubbed into the muscle).
Valerie Gleaton is a professional writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Colorado Boulder, where she also earned a certificate in science and environmental reporting.
For educational purposes only. This information has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, or to sell any product.
Feature photo: Mountain rose herbs
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