Hello again! Just your friendly novice brewer from up north here with a strictly theoretical question (I wouldn't dare experiment yet with my level of experience in brewing). I've read in an article about hops that before the 11th century, Europeans would use all sorts of bitter herbs and flowers like dandelions, marigolds, horehound, burdock root, ground ivy and heather as bittering agents instead of hops. I imagine hops have supplanted these herbs because they've proven to be reliable or something, but I'm curious to see if any of you have heard of, or even tried using these things instead of hops?
I'm curious what a beer brewed with dandelions (not sure if you'd use the roots, leaves, flower or buds) would taste like, but I'm guessing it might be akin to dandelion wine?
I'm a student of history you see, and it's just interesting to find out how the ancients did it. Nowadays we're pretty lucky with all this technology, fine ingredients and equipment... It gets you thinking how our ancestors brewed, you know?
Thanks again for your input!
