Nettles, also known as Stinging Nettles, are delicious and versatile wild plants. Their signature sting disappears when the nettles are cooked, so they can be harvested as greens, drunk as a mineral-rich tea, or even used to make this delicious nettle beer recipe.
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Although nettles are so widely distributed that they are easy to wild harvest, when we arrived on our homestead, we could not find any stinging nettle, although we were wildly successful in foraging for wood nettles. I started some stinging nettles (Urtica dioica) by seed and planted them in a few moist and shady spots.
When I received a copy of Wild Drinks and Cocktails, by Emily Han, I was immediately drawn to the nettle beer recipe. With plenty of nettles growing in the backyard, I harvested the tender tops and began making this simple fermented beverage. Here’s the recipe, adapted with permission from Wild Drinks and Cocktails.
Recipe for Stinging Nettle Beer
Ingredients
8 ounces of fresh nettle tops or 4 ounces dried nettles
1/2 gallon water
1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon ale yeast
How to Make Nettle Beer
Step One: Harvest the top few inches of fresh nettles – you will need 8 ounces for this recipe (I made 1/4 recipe). Be sure to wear gloves to avoid getting stung! If you do not have fresh nettles, you can make this recipe with dried nettles.
Step Two: Place the nettles and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
Step Three: Line a strainer with a fine mesh cloth (cheesecloth will work great) and strain the nettle liquid into a large bowl or crock. Be sure to squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all of the liquid from the nettles. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
Cool the liquid to room temperature and then add the lemon juice, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid. Cover the bowl or crock with a towel and let it sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for three days.
Step Four: After three days, strain your nettle beer through a fine mesh sieve and funnel it into bottles, leaving at least one inch of headspace. We like to reuse Grolsch beer bottles for this purpose (you can sometimes find them at thrift stores, or on Craigslist).
The author advises placing the beer in cool storage for one week and “burping” the bottles daily. However, we opted to not burp the bottles to maximize carbonation. If you do not burp the bottles, be sure to check on them daily to ensure your bottles will not over-carbonate and explode!
Step Five: After one week, transfer to the refrigerator and drink within one year. Enjoy the lemony-tangy refreshing flavor of your homemade nettle beer!
If you’d like to try your hand at making other wildcrafted and seasonal beverages, check out my posts on how to make homemade soda and how to make shrubs, and my book review of Wild Drinks and Cocktails (and other inspiring homesteading books!).
Nettle Beer Recipe
Tangy and mineral rich, this wild harvested and fermented nettle beer recipe is a delicious drink, reminiscent of hard cider, and easy to make at home!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces of fresh nettle tops or 4 ounces dried nettles
- 1/2 gallon water
- 1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon ale yeast
Instructions
- Harvest the top few inches of fresh nettles – you will need 8 ounces for this recipe (I made 1/4 recipe). Be sure to wear gloves to avoid getting stung! If you do not have fresh nettles, you can make this recipe with dried nettles.
- Place the nettles and water in a pot and bring to a boil on the stove. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
- Line a strainer with a fine mesh cloth (cheesecloth will work great) and strain the nettle liquid into a large bowl or crock. Be sure to squeeze the cheesecloth to extract all of the liquid from the nettles. Add the sugar and stir to dissolve.
- Cool the liquid to room temperature and then add the lemon juice, then sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid. Cover the bowl or crock with a towel and let it sit at room temperature, out of direct sunlight, for three days.
- After three days, strain your nettle beer through a fine mesh sieve and funnel it into bottles, leaving at least one inch of headspace. We like to reuse Grolsch beer bottles for this purpose (you can sometimes find them at thrift stores, or on Craigslist).
- After one week, transfer to the refrigerator and drink within one year. Enjoy the lemony-tangy refreshing flavor of your homemade nettle beer!
Notes
The author advises placing the beer in cool storage for one week and “burping” the bottles daily. However, we opted to not burp the bottles to maximize carbonation. If you do not burp the bottles, be sure to check on them daily to ensure your bottles will not over-carbonate and explode!
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Can I re-use Kombucha bottles or do I need to invest in those pop top bottles you are using for your recipe? Also, how do we know how much Alcohol is in the drinks with 1/4 cup of sugar? I note that in another comment you said to add sugar or let sit longer for Alcohol increase, but I’m curious as to how much MORE sugar or how much LONGER to allow to sit for true beer? Thank you.
The pop top bottles are just one option, but you do need to use something durable with no fissions. Whatever bottle option you choose, pay close attention to the level of carbonation, occasionally “Burping” the bottle, and storing them in a safe, out of the way location so if they do explode, you are not harmed. We often use coolers for this purpose. As for the alcohol level, you would need to have a hydrometer or refractometer and do the measurement of the alcohol level to know the exact amount.
Lovley recipe! Just Wondered IF this recipe could be done with other herbs? Like chamomille or any other one😊
Yes, you could definitely make this recipe with different herbs. Nettle has a rather “earthy” flavor, so it is a good choice for a “beer” but any edible herb could be brewed up and fermented. You could even take a look at my homemade herbal sodas recipe and try one of those!
Nettle beer is a great countryside brew! I miss making it, I’ve not quite found a good source of nettles here or been successful in growing them! I try to make traditional English countryside brews each year. This year it will be elderberry wine!
Yum! Have fun making the wine!
Very nice! Why not measure the specific gravity, then you wouldn’t need to “burp” the beer? https://learn.kegerator.com/specific-gravity
Thank you for the tip!
Hello! Is this an alcoholic beverage? Or might it be safe for kids?
This particular recipe was very mild – I would have let my kids drink it. If you add more sugar and allow it to ferment longer, you will get a higher alcohol content.
Hi Terri You do all,make Beer,out of Ichy plants move cross country,I got apt garden cherry & Beef steak tomatoes Bell & 2 hot peppers,still looking for Home stead,summer Wi 86* Take from Jeff Schwersinske