hop substitute

[brewjohn]

On our local radio gardening phone in some one had problems with a weed "Horsetail "
( Equisetum arvense ) and a listener rang in to say they could be used in place of hops in the brewing of beer ? That's a new one on me. Any one heard of that before or has even done it !!

[Wolfy]

While that my well be true - for some particular local area - it may also not be too helpful or practical, a few hundred years ago before hops were so ubiquitous in beer, I think pretty much anything and everything was used - especially if it was found locally, in plentiful supply and cheap/free.
Gruit was pretty much made from anything and everything - even if the exact recipe was usually a secret.

Out here I believe one of the first things they used for bittering beer was tomato plant leaves - may have worked, but I'm not sure I'd want to use them in my own beer.

[brewjohn]

Thanks for that. I have done some checking and it is used as an herbal cure for for folk with water problems. Its a Diuric ! Its also mentioned it has not to be taken for any great length of time !! Ale does that to me without any help !!