Homebrew Con 2019

Brewing without Hops: Back to the Future of Botanical Brewing (Room Ballroom BC)

Folks from around the world have brewed beer for thousands of years, and for most of that time, they didn’t use hops! Join brewer, brewpub owner, and author of Against All Hops Butch Heilshorn for a jaunt down the wonderful wormhole of botanical brewing. Learn its rich history, discover what other plants are beer-friendly, and learn how to use them in wonderful brews called gruits. Almost any style of beer can be re-invented as a gruit by using plants like alecost, mugwort, dandelion, and sweet fern to name a few. Come step up your brew game by going back to the future!