The Wildcrafting Brewer

Book excerpt: Primitive beers, country wines, herbal meads, natural sodas, and more "Baudar has elevated the concept of terroir into the realm of extreme beverages, both fermented and unfermented. His book brings to life the innovative quest of the Palaeolithic shaman/healer/brewer."--Patrick E. McGovern, author of Ancient Brews Fermentation fans and home brewers can rediscover "primitive" drinks and their unique flavors in The Wildcrafting Brewer. Wild-plant expert and forager Pascal Baudar's first book, The New Wildcrafted Cuisine, opened up a whole new world of possibilities for readers wishing to explore and capture the flavors of their local terroir. The Wildcrafting Brewer does the same for fermented drinks. Baudar reveals both the underlying philosophy and the practical techniques for making your own delicious concoctions, including: Wild sodas Country wines Primitive herbal beers Meads Traditional ferments like tiswin and kvass. The book opens with a retrospective of plant-based brewing and ancient beers. The author then goes on to describe both hot and cold brewing methods and provides lots of interesting recipes; mugwort beer, horehound beer, and manzanita cider are just a few of the many drinks represented. Baudar is quick to point out that these recipes serve mainly as a touchstone for readers, who can then use the information and techniques he provides to create their own brews, using their own local ingredients. The Wildcrafting Brewer will attract herbalists, foragers, natural-foodies, and chefs alike with the author's playful and relaxed philosophy. Readers will find themselves surprised by how easy making your own natural drinks can be, and will be inspired, again, by the abundance of nature all around them. "With gorgeous photos and clear technical details, this book will be a source of great inspiration."--Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation