What can I use other than hops in my brew?!
p.s. I read somewhere that I could use a little bit of coffee beans and that it would give it a nice bitter, if anyone could post on this it'd be real cool, if there are any other suggestions that are simple like this one it would be a great help
Answers: I'm looking for a simple substitute to hops in my home-brew, as the town I live in doesn't have a supplier so getting them is a hassle. If you can post a recipe for this it would be a big help. I don't want it real complex, I've seen some recipes that involve like 5 different spices and herbs, and I'm not at that level yet.
p.s. I read somewhere that I could use a little bit of coffee beans and that it would give it a nice bitter, if anyone could post on this it'd be real cool, if there are any other suggestions that are simple like this one it would be a great help
Coffee will give you the bitter taste but it won't have the preservative quality of hops. The simplest substitute I've used has been spruce essence. There are a few recipes for spruce beer in Papazian's "New Complete Joy of Homebrewing. If you are a homebrewer, you should have a copy. One warning: cut the amount used from 1 oz per 5 gal. batch to one tsp. Also count on letting the beer age for a year or two to mellow out. Before that, it will taste like Pinesol; after that, wuuuunderfull. If you have access to spruce trees, you can also use the fresh needles.
Well, hops and a certain illegal plant are in the same family, but do you really want to do something unlawful??
I have no clue as to how hemp would do...
http://www.onr.com/user/liberty/Marijuan...
There is NO substitute....it is worth hassle to get some hops even if they are currently expensive. Did you ever hear of mail order beer supplies? BTW a pound of whole beans in a 5 gallon batch of beer will provide some decent bittering, but it is NO substitute for hops.