Beer Forum

I went for a nice hike with the family today in the foothills above Pasadena/Altadena, and I was struck by how fragrant the California Coastal Sage (Artemisia californica) is right now. I've read about it being used in teas and the like for folk medicinal purposes, but it seems like it might also be a nice complement to West Coast hops in a pale ale.

Has anyone tried brewing with this, or any other, native California plant? While called a "sage", Artemisia californica actually more resembles fresh rosemary in both appearance and aroma; this is also the same genus as the "wormwoods" used in vermouth, absinthe, and other herbed/spiced concoctions. Would you suggest adding at the end of the boil? Adding with dry hops post ferment? Soaking in vodka to make an extract? All of the above?

Assuming this Sage is not toxic and will not kill you or simply destroy your liver, I recommend going lite to start with. I used heather in a Scottish Ale and used about 6oz. 3oz at 60 minutes and 3oz at 10 minutes. It had huge heather aroma and taste. I wanted it all about the heather and it was. One or two oz at 10 minutes is probably enough. You definitely want it in 10 minutes to kill any wild bugs.

You can make a 1 liter tea with 1 - 2 grams of sage (5 gallons is about 19 liters. 1 oz is 28 grams. 28/19 is about 1.5 grams / liter). See how you like it. You can even make up a simple wort with DME though it will be rather sweet.