Elusive ingredients

[tonight_we_fly]

I was in Glasgow the other week with work, and was really pleased to find that two of my favourite brewers have both opened pubs there, Brewdog and Williams Bros. But I'm straying from the point here before I've even started...

Williams Bros. do a really interesting heather ale (Fraoch) which I'd like to have a go at making. I have something resembling a recipe, but the only problem seems to be getting hold of the ingredients. In particular, I'm looking to get hold of heather tips and sweet gale (otherwise known as bog myrtle).

Just wondering whether anybody has ever tried something similar, and may have any helpful suggestions as to where to get hold of these ingredients? I haven't had much luck with brewing shops so far, and in fact even when I search for "sweet gale" on Google shopping, the only hits which come up are bottles of Fraoch itself and postcards of wild heathland scenes!

Does anybody have any brilliant ideas?

 

[RobWalker]

heather is a very popular garden plant and a good spreader so you shouldnt have mucj trouble finding it. as youll need 40g max, im sure a neighbour will be easily convinced for a few bottles of the final product!


i think bog myrtle goes by another name too, maybe check wikipedia?

 

[PD]

I'm sure you could get Bog Myrtle as a plant for your garden, at a price a lot cheaper than the oils I've seen advertised.
Depending on the amount you need it might be worth planting a specimen and snipping the tips off for your brew.
For heather take a bag and some secateurs and visit the countryside

 

[Cononthebarber]

I made a heather ale a while back with honey, heather and Yarrow. It was pretty tasty...recipe HERE :thumb:

 

[PD]

I can vouch for its tastiness. I got a bottle in the last bottle swap !

:thumb:

 

[tonight_we_fly]

Thanks for all of your comments. It sounds like the general consensus is that I should go out and pick it myself; which I guess leads into a new question, being does anyone know where I can find heather and bog myrtle growing in Central London!?

I don't really have the capacity to grow it at home unfortunately, great suggestion though, that would have been a nice idea.

Seems bizarre that many American homebrew suppliers seem to sell it, but as far as I can see none of the home based ones. However, I think a trip to the garden centre may be my next tactic now...

Thanks again for your responses, and for the recipe!

 

[abeyptfc]

I brewed a good extract heather ale with fresh picked heather. will post the recipe when i get home from work. apparently the heather starts growing from the south upwards, IO had to wait till July/August time before it was showing up at my caravan in Argyll. I'm sure the bog myrtle is found next to the heather. see if you go on youtube and search Fraoch a cook on the wild side, theres a part where he makes heather ale with Bruce Williams - the guy from Williams Bros.
:hat:

 

[RobWalker]

Thanks for all of your comments. It sounds like the general consensus is that I should go out and pick it myself; which I guess leads into a new question, being does anyone know where I can find heather and bog myrtle growing in Central London!?

I don't really have the capacity to grow it at home unfortunately, great suggestion though, that would have been a nice idea.

Seems bizarre that many American homebrew suppliers seem to sell it, but as far as I can see none of the home based ones. However, I think a trip to the garden centre may be my next tactic now...

Thanks again for your responses, and for the recipe!

again, gardens! loads of people have heather as ornamental plants, they are very common - bog myrtle you might try embankments by A-roads, canalsides, neglected but civilized areas like that. big open fields rarely have anything worth picking, but public parks that arn't too well looked after, nature reserves etc, bingo!

 

[PD]

picking plants on Nature Reserves Rob..... :nono: :nono: :nono: