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The Wildcrafting Brewer
Primitive beers, country wines, herbal meads, natural sodas, and more
The art of brewing doesn’t stop at the usual ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and water. In fact, the origins of brewing involve a whole galaxy of wild and cultivated plants, fruits, berries, and other natural materials, which were once used to make a whole spectrum of creative, fermented drinks.
Now fermentation fans and home brewers can rediscover these “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, from simple wild sodas, to non-grape-based “country wines,” to primitive herbal beers, meads, and traditional ethnic 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.
The art of brewing doesn’t stop at the usual ingredients: barley, hops, yeast, and water. In fact, the origins of brewing involve a whole galaxy of wild and cultivated plants, fruits, berries, and other natural materials, which were once used to make a whole spectrum of creative, fermented drinks.
Now fermentation fans and home brewers can rediscover these “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, from simple wild sodas, to non-grape-based “country wines,” to primitive herbal beers, meads, and traditional ethnic 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.
304 pages, ebook
Published February 1, 2018
57 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
June 7, 2018
There was a lot of useful information not only on brewing but on how to protect and sustain the environment. It was interesting to learn yeast can come from dandelion flowers.
I found <>i>The Wildcrafting Brewing a very good source to learn how to brew beers, wines, teas from items found in the local forest and the various types of sugar, syrups, molasses, wild yeasts, sodas. Adventurists will enjoy experimenting with the recipes.
I found <>i>The Wildcrafting Brewing a very good source to learn how to brew beers, wines, teas from items found in the local forest and the various types of sugar, syrups, molasses, wild yeasts, sodas. Adventurists will enjoy experimenting with the recipes.
July 16, 2018
gorgeously illustrated book exploring turning your hikes into beer. nom nom nom.
November 3, 2017
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
I've been fascinated with wildcrafting ever since I saw the movie Where the Lilies Bloom when I was about thirteen. I promptly inhaled the book by Bill and Vera Cleaver (I still have the 1974 release) and embarked on an interesting summer stay at my aunt's house in Burnsville, North Carolina, trying things like sodas made with Queen Anne's Lace (aka wild carrot) flowers and baked goods made with wild carrot seeds at the farmer's market. It was a short hop to my wild berries obsession. So I hesitated over whether or not to try this Net Galley offering because, having celiac disease, I feared the disappointment of seeing a whole bunch of gluten-based brewing recipes that would leave me disappointed. Boy, was I wrong! This book is a treasure trove for the alternative beer and winemaker. As a treatise just on growing wild yeasts it's a thrill. And to top it all off, this book is truly beautiful to look at.
This book may not be something an urban dweller will find easy to work with (although if you have a good farmers market there are plenty of workarounds). My only hesitation about recommending it is that, like a real wildcrafter, you had better be very sure about what you're picking and fermenting. The whole debate about thujones in wolfsbane aside, there are a lot of mildly to very poisonous things out there, from pokeweed to bittersweet to yewberry to holly. Some are well known to be poisonous and some are lesser known. For city-raised brewers, having a guidebook or other resource to the plants and fruits you're planning to use is vital. Likewise, as Baudar points out, using these recipes if you're pregnant would not be wise.
With those caveats out of the way, this is a beautiful book that is going to be purchased for my New Hampshire kitchen. One of these days I'll hope to post photos of my version of the Mountain Raspberry/Blueberry soda!
4.5 Stars
I've been fascinated with wildcrafting ever since I saw the movie Where the Lilies Bloom when I was about thirteen. I promptly inhaled the book by Bill and Vera Cleaver (I still have the 1974 release) and embarked on an interesting summer stay at my aunt's house in Burnsville, North Carolina, trying things like sodas made with Queen Anne's Lace (aka wild carrot) flowers and baked goods made with wild carrot seeds at the farmer's market. It was a short hop to my wild berries obsession. So I hesitated over whether or not to try this Net Galley offering because, having celiac disease, I feared the disappointment of seeing a whole bunch of gluten-based brewing recipes that would leave me disappointed. Boy, was I wrong! This book is a treasure trove for the alternative beer and winemaker. As a treatise just on growing wild yeasts it's a thrill. And to top it all off, this book is truly beautiful to look at.
This book may not be something an urban dweller will find easy to work with (although if you have a good farmers market there are plenty of workarounds). My only hesitation about recommending it is that, like a real wildcrafter, you had better be very sure about what you're picking and fermenting. The whole debate about thujones in wolfsbane aside, there are a lot of mildly to very poisonous things out there, from pokeweed to bittersweet to yewberry to holly. Some are well known to be poisonous and some are lesser known. For city-raised brewers, having a guidebook or other resource to the plants and fruits you're planning to use is vital. Likewise, as Baudar points out, using these recipes if you're pregnant would not be wise.
With those caveats out of the way, this is a beautiful book that is going to be purchased for my New Hampshire kitchen. One of these days I'll hope to post photos of my version of the Mountain Raspberry/Blueberry soda!
December 30, 2019
Цікаво, не обмежується пивом, без надто технічних екзерсисів, але це для зовсім-зовсім початківців. Хоча, чому б не робити собі лимонади...
November 11, 2017
There is a bewildering array of brewing tomes out there from which to choose. It's often difficult or impossible to know which of the myriad 'best ways' of doing things is the right way or most workable way. It's easy for brewers to be discouraged and confused. The Wildcrafting Brewer is unique in my experience because the point of the entire workbook is to experiment, find ingredients in one's local terroir and use controlled experimentation, availability, and creativity to make unique brews and sodas which are based on wildcrafted and locally sourced produce.
Due out 12th Feb, 2018 from author Pascal Baudar and Chelsea Green Publishing The Wildcrafting Brewer is both a workbook and primer along with a healthy dose of anthropology and oral history. It's a weird and very entertaining book full of guidance and experience.
The first chapters introduce the concept of wildcrafting in relationship to brewing along with a general introduction to beers, meads, sodas, wines, and hybrid concoctions which defy categorization. The author spends a great deal of time explaining safe gathering and brewing methods as well as preparing the gathered materials for use in brewing.
About 15% of the content is spent defining the history and methodology of brewing covering equipment and supplies as well as different types of sugars (gotta feed those yeasts and turn the sugars into alcohol).
Next he delves into a study of finding and sourcing yeasts and what the different sorts of yeasts and starters can add to homebrews. All yeasts are not created equal and the author provides a guide for tweaking and adjusting the sugar content to best suit the type of yeast which is being used. As an example, wild yeasts from homemade starter are generally less resistant to alcohol, so they die off at a lower alcohol percentage. If you use a recipe tweaked for a champagne yeast, which is hardy to up to 15% alcohol by volume, the wild yeast will die off long before all the sugars are converted in the wort, leaving an overly sweet resultant brew.
The yeast chapter is especially interesting and thorough, and encourages reflection and experimentation. The entire book has an encouraging DIY feel, but I especially appreciated the interesting aspects of sourcing and finding wild yeasts and making starters from wildcrafted supplies.
The book progresses through adding flavors and different methods for brewing as well as a relatively exhaustive look at sugars and sources, to finding (or making) different types of less processed and refined sugar in wildcrafted brewing.
The specific categories of brews; beers, wines and meads, ethnic drinks and medicinal brews, and sodas get their own chapters with a fairly exhaustive look at each group.
The book closes with an resource list and recipe index.
As a homebrewer, I've never used wildcrafted ingredients in my brews, apart from honey (I'm a beekeeper) and homegrown fruit (I'm a gardener). This book is not really for the 'blind follower' or for the brewer who's interested in cookie cutter brewing which will give identical results consistently. It is, however, a guided look at primitive brewing with wildcrafted ingredients along with a heaping dose of historical reference to our ancient connection with brewed and fermented drinks.
Definitely out of the ordinary, but well researched and beautifully photographed.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
Due out 12th Feb, 2018 from author Pascal Baudar and Chelsea Green Publishing The Wildcrafting Brewer is both a workbook and primer along with a healthy dose of anthropology and oral history. It's a weird and very entertaining book full of guidance and experience.
The first chapters introduce the concept of wildcrafting in relationship to brewing along with a general introduction to beers, meads, sodas, wines, and hybrid concoctions which defy categorization. The author spends a great deal of time explaining safe gathering and brewing methods as well as preparing the gathered materials for use in brewing.
About 15% of the content is spent defining the history and methodology of brewing covering equipment and supplies as well as different types of sugars (gotta feed those yeasts and turn the sugars into alcohol).
Next he delves into a study of finding and sourcing yeasts and what the different sorts of yeasts and starters can add to homebrews. All yeasts are not created equal and the author provides a guide for tweaking and adjusting the sugar content to best suit the type of yeast which is being used. As an example, wild yeasts from homemade starter are generally less resistant to alcohol, so they die off at a lower alcohol percentage. If you use a recipe tweaked for a champagne yeast, which is hardy to up to 15% alcohol by volume, the wild yeast will die off long before all the sugars are converted in the wort, leaving an overly sweet resultant brew.
The yeast chapter is especially interesting and thorough, and encourages reflection and experimentation. The entire book has an encouraging DIY feel, but I especially appreciated the interesting aspects of sourcing and finding wild yeasts and making starters from wildcrafted supplies.
The book progresses through adding flavors and different methods for brewing as well as a relatively exhaustive look at sugars and sources, to finding (or making) different types of less processed and refined sugar in wildcrafted brewing.
The specific categories of brews; beers, wines and meads, ethnic drinks and medicinal brews, and sodas get their own chapters with a fairly exhaustive look at each group.
The book closes with an resource list and recipe index.
As a homebrewer, I've never used wildcrafted ingredients in my brews, apart from honey (I'm a beekeeper) and homegrown fruit (I'm a gardener). This book is not really for the 'blind follower' or for the brewer who's interested in cookie cutter brewing which will give identical results consistently. It is, however, a guided look at primitive brewing with wildcrafted ingredients along with a heaping dose of historical reference to our ancient connection with brewed and fermented drinks.
Definitely out of the ordinary, but well researched and beautifully photographed.
Four stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.
January 18, 2018
This is an ideal book for readers interested in experimenting with local or wild ingredients to create beer-like and wine-like fermented beverages, as well as sodas and meads and some traditional ethnic brews. Especially helpful for anyone looking beyond a single or dual flavour in their brewing.
It is an especially wonderful resource for anyone who has wanted to evoke a time and place in a glass, as the author walks the reader through examining and meditating on a place, with examples from his own creations, and some hints as to how he balances flavours.
While the focus is on using wild yeasts, which will typically result in lower alcohol content depending on strains and local conditions, the recipes should also work with commercial yeast varieties.
I had the opportunity through Net Galley to read a digital galley, much to my delight. I had stumbled upon Pascal Baudar a few years ago through my adventures in mead making, and find his posts on Facebook about wild fermentation and wild food a welcome addition to my day.
Reading this is like a conversation in some ways, with gorgeous photography, and clear directions to get you started.
One thing I noticed: some recipes are more verbose than others - The Nettle Beer is the first reference I have seen to keeping the pot lid on when placing the hot wort in a sink of cold water to cool, as well as multiple water changes (the water changes is logical, the lid on makes sense to me, but isn’t something I would have thought of without having been told).
While beer is not really my thing, this is a fabulous resource for anyone interested in brewing anything of local ingredients or that evokes a natural place. Pascal walks the reader through a description of how he might evoke a specific location, and there are recipes that relate to specific places in specific seasons. Representing your own place and time is of course always going to be an exercise and experiment in trying to balance the actual amounts of ingredients, but the recipes are excellent starting points to look at, as they use different types and quantities of bittering-type herbs to achieve hop-like qualities.
The section on wines was extensive (although felt a bit shorter than the beers), meads are briefly touched upon (to any pagan friends reading: these are more akin to small mead, rather than full fermentations for the most part). A few ethnic and medicinal brews are also touched on to inspire further research. Sodas finishes off the lot.
Even if a particular section is not something you intend to brew, read through it as there are methods throughout that can be applied to other fermentation types.
This is definitely going to be acquired sooner than later, as rereading it I keep unearthing more. Without hyperbole, this is the book I have been looking for, to aid in my brewing of beverages that are more than traditional one flavour or two-flavour combinations
It is an especially wonderful resource for anyone who has wanted to evoke a time and place in a glass, as the author walks the reader through examining and meditating on a place, with examples from his own creations, and some hints as to how he balances flavours.
While the focus is on using wild yeasts, which will typically result in lower alcohol content depending on strains and local conditions, the recipes should also work with commercial yeast varieties.
I had the opportunity through Net Galley to read a digital galley, much to my delight. I had stumbled upon Pascal Baudar a few years ago through my adventures in mead making, and find his posts on Facebook about wild fermentation and wild food a welcome addition to my day.
Reading this is like a conversation in some ways, with gorgeous photography, and clear directions to get you started.
One thing I noticed: some recipes are more verbose than others - The Nettle Beer is the first reference I have seen to keeping the pot lid on when placing the hot wort in a sink of cold water to cool, as well as multiple water changes (the water changes is logical, the lid on makes sense to me, but isn’t something I would have thought of without having been told).
While beer is not really my thing, this is a fabulous resource for anyone interested in brewing anything of local ingredients or that evokes a natural place. Pascal walks the reader through a description of how he might evoke a specific location, and there are recipes that relate to specific places in specific seasons. Representing your own place and time is of course always going to be an exercise and experiment in trying to balance the actual amounts of ingredients, but the recipes are excellent starting points to look at, as they use different types and quantities of bittering-type herbs to achieve hop-like qualities.
The section on wines was extensive (although felt a bit shorter than the beers), meads are briefly touched upon (to any pagan friends reading: these are more akin to small mead, rather than full fermentations for the most part). A few ethnic and medicinal brews are also touched on to inspire further research. Sodas finishes off the lot.
Even if a particular section is not something you intend to brew, read through it as there are methods throughout that can be applied to other fermentation types.
This is definitely going to be acquired sooner than later, as rereading it I keep unearthing more. Without hyperbole, this is the book I have been looking for, to aid in my brewing of beverages that are more than traditional one flavour or two-flavour combinations
October 4, 2021
The Wildcrafting Brewer by Pascal Bauder is enriching my foraging life. He uses foraging for brewing as a way to study, interpret and appreciate the local wildlife. He talks about the magic that is lost in contemporary mass produced products that replace the biologic ingredients that had medicinal and symbolic importantce with synthetic flavors- that replace wild fermentation, a living process with mechanical carbonation, and sweeten them with mass produced, subsidised corn syrup. Grocery store soda pop is dead but wild fermented sodas and beers and wines are living brews, one of a kind nuanced experiences that strengthen and celebrate the local wildlife an our relationship with in.
His writing style is easy to read, exciting and repeats the parts that you need to read over again. The text works just the way a foraging obsession works. And he's all about figuring out how to express the non monetary value of a plant or place. He explains the magic of knowing the wildlife around you so well.
I've been foraging for 4 big medicinal tea projects since spring. I loved drinking my forest tea every Sunday last winter and wished I could make it a daily practice. I quit fermenting Kombucha, because I didn't need the large quantity of sugar in my diet and didn't love the commercial products I was using but I miss the process.... Duh. The answer is simple. Ferment the medicinal teas I've been working so hard to collect. Use wild yeasts. Throw my own fermenting pots. Taste everything!
I'm very happy that my Underworld Tea is now Root Beer from the Rhyzosphere! My Forest Tea is now Marlborough Mead. I've got Monalulu Scrumpy and Blue Finger Fox Wine fermenting. And Sumac and Rosehip Pop. And my Moon Tea will be medicinal menstrual beer! It's taken no time to get all this going. The book is beautifully illustrated and makes me feel like I've found a kindred spirit.
His writing style is easy to read, exciting and repeats the parts that you need to read over again. The text works just the way a foraging obsession works. And he's all about figuring out how to express the non monetary value of a plant or place. He explains the magic of knowing the wildlife around you so well.
I've been foraging for 4 big medicinal tea projects since spring. I loved drinking my forest tea every Sunday last winter and wished I could make it a daily practice. I quit fermenting Kombucha, because I didn't need the large quantity of sugar in my diet and didn't love the commercial products I was using but I miss the process.... Duh. The answer is simple. Ferment the medicinal teas I've been working so hard to collect. Use wild yeasts. Throw my own fermenting pots. Taste everything!
I'm very happy that my Underworld Tea is now Root Beer from the Rhyzosphere! My Forest Tea is now Marlborough Mead. I've got Monalulu Scrumpy and Blue Finger Fox Wine fermenting. And Sumac and Rosehip Pop. And my Moon Tea will be medicinal menstrual beer! It's taken no time to get all this going. The book is beautifully illustrated and makes me feel like I've found a kindred spirit.
February 4, 2025
Lots of inspiration for making natural beverages and gaining confidence around experimentation. A great complement to Sandor Katz's food fermentation books. I like the idea of gathering elements of beverages along the path of a hike and returning to make a beverage from them. From beer homebrewer book readers, this is a nice companion/complement to Gordon Strong's book, 'Brewing Better Beer', which emphasizes the application of alternative brewing approaches based on familiarity with ingredients, processes, and intentions. I bring a depth of experience with brewing, pickling, drying and other preservative and transformative methods for making delicious fresh ingredient non-modern food. Not a technical book aimed at folks who want to develop repeatable results but if you enjoy playing around with fresh ingredients and building your personal culture of food this book may be just what you didn't know you needed to launch yourself into the neglected realm of home beverage making.
November 6, 2017
This is an incredibly beautiful guide to brewing beverages of any kind with local and foraged ingredients. While it's not incredibly technical, it may be too advanced for someone looking for a simple brew book. Baudar teaches the reader how to make your beverage represent the area in which you live and the season in which you brewed it. He uses ingredients I would have never thought were edible or items to use as infusions. One of my favorite parts was that he detailed how important it was to work to preserve the environment while foraging. He mentioned learning about native plants and growing them in your yard, harvesting non-native plants so as to help the environment, and not foraging on protected lands. Although I don't think I'll be foraging and brewing anytime soon, Baudar's book at least let me dream while reading it.
December 21, 2017
Such a beautifully presented book. My congratulations to everyone involved. Such stunning photographs and beautiful layout! It can pass as a coffe table book.
Unfortunately I don't live on the same continent as Pascal Baudar, but there are some recipes I tried. And I have to say I have never brewed anything in my life. Again, the presentation is amazing. There are colour photos to show every step in the process. So in the end it is utterly simple and to my surprise the end product was actually quite ok.
This is one book that will end up on my bookshelf.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Unfortunately I don't live on the same continent as Pascal Baudar, but there are some recipes I tried. And I have to say I have never brewed anything in my life. Again, the presentation is amazing. There are colour photos to show every step in the process. So in the end it is utterly simple and to my surprise the end product was actually quite ok.
This is one book that will end up on my bookshelf.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
March 22, 2021
This is a marvelous addition to my putz, DIY approach to life! I love to be able to use my garden clippings for the things that I craft. My favorites have been lavender simple syrup in homemade lemonade, rosemary and citrus scented vinegar cleaning solution, and the many soaps and bathroom scrubs that I've done. Adding home brewed beverages is a wonderful addition.
This book took all of the easier, known ideas and combined it with things I would have never considered for scenting or flavor options. I can't wait to get fig leaves from my neighbor and give that a try. With full-color and easy to follow instructions, this book offered way more than I ever expected. Bravo.
This book took all of the easier, known ideas and combined it with things I would have never considered for scenting or flavor options. I can't wait to get fig leaves from my neighbor and give that a try. With full-color and easy to follow instructions, this book offered way more than I ever expected. Bravo.
February 8, 2018
The Wildcrafting Brewer is an excellent book for anyone curious about home brewing. This book is full of wonderfully delicious sounding recipes some of which I just cannot wait to try. I am especially fond of the section on homemade molasses and syrups which I think will have many uses in the kitchen! Methods are fully explained and accompanied by beautiful photography making it very easy to follow along, as well as adapt to the native plants in your own area, which I am especially looking forward to.
February 1, 2020
Probably one of the best books on fermentation and brewing I have ever read. This book inspires the reader to try things you have always wondered about, but been to afraid to try.
One of the best things about the book is it does not present brewing as a complex process that only a professional chemist or biologist should attempt, but challenges readers to try their had at brewing as it is that simple.
One of the best things about the book is it does not present brewing as a complex process that only a professional chemist or biologist should attempt, but challenges readers to try their had at brewing as it is that simple.
August 21, 2020
A really far from mainstream book by an individual who really likes what he does.
A very fun read for those interested in making drinks from local ingredients. Some of his favorite sources for wild yeast are pine cones, flowers and berries.
I stumbled across this while I was trying to learn how to make cider. There are a lot of better books on the details of making cider, but this was a fun read.
A very fun read for those interested in making drinks from local ingredients. Some of his favorite sources for wild yeast are pine cones, flowers and berries.
I stumbled across this while I was trying to learn how to make cider. There are a lot of better books on the details of making cider, but this was a fun read.
January 3, 2021
If you are wanting to learn to ferment beverages, this is the way to go. Pascal shows a cut and dry methodology that isn't so fussy with all the new gadgetry that you could get into in the brewing world.
To sum up his ideology:
- pick some branches off of a tree
- throw in unwashed fruit
- sugars
- water
And you can start your first brew today. He's much more nuanced & articulate in this, so I suggest you pick this up and read it.
To sum up his ideology:
- pick some branches off of a tree
- throw in unwashed fruit
- sugars
- water
And you can start your first brew today. He's much more nuanced & articulate in this, so I suggest you pick this up and read it.
January 20, 2021
This is intended for the curious non-brewer. There are a lot of fast-ferments and solid starting information.
A contemporary of Katz, Buhner, McGovern, and Mosher, you can see their work in his. This book is much more approachable than Buhner’s Sacred and Healing Beers.
The down side for me is that California foraging is not available. Some local knowledge will be needed to truly harness this practice.
The Brewer’s Garden works as a good supplement to these pages.
A contemporary of Katz, Buhner, McGovern, and Mosher, you can see their work in his. This book is much more approachable than Buhner’s Sacred and Healing Beers.
The down side for me is that California foraging is not available. Some local knowledge will be needed to truly harness this practice.
The Brewer’s Garden works as a good supplement to these pages.
November 2, 2025
I've recently discovered Pascal. I wish I had earlier for what inspiration he's sparked. Great food science, safety, and ingenuity for getting to know the land you live on. While this one is less useful for me as I'm not much for alcoholic drinks, there are some great recipes and other ideas including sodas, basic syrups, and more. You're given a template, but it really encourages you to get outside.
November 9, 2017
very neat, all kinds of things I had no idea you could use for food, yet alone brewing! (Pinecone syrup?!) definitely has me thinking of trying some new flavourings for my next batch of mead.. also for cultivating my own yeast.
very informative, well put together and written. would definitely want this on my kitchen bookshelf.
very informative, well put together and written. would definitely want this on my kitchen bookshelf.
November 15, 2017
A fun and unique take on brewing beer, wine, mead, sodas and more using ingredients found in your natural surroundings. Baudar distills his obvious knowledge into easy-to-read sections, and his passion and enthusiasm are evident on the page. Can't wait to try a few of these recipes!
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 27, 2018
I love this book and love the author's philosophy. I have elderflower yeast that I've used in my last two wild wines and I love using my own local terroir. The wines I've made with his methods are less predictable but more fun. Not for the faint of heart or for fans of chemicals and modern wine-making methods.
December 31, 2017
Pascal's adventurous approach to making sodas, beers, wines, and more is quite inspirational! I kept bookmarking recipes to try and then realized I probably should just work from recipe one and move forward!
May 6, 2020
Brilliant beginners manual on wild fermenting and creating natural concoctions. Lovely aesthetics of the book, light content full of ideas. Pascal's love for what he does shines through the book and inspires you to see, love, and taste nature.
September 22, 2021
Apparently fiending for boozy drinks has been a chronic and universal part of the human experience! This book lays bare many methods, and more importantly guiding philosophies, which helped a curious beginner like me make sense of it all.
September 15, 2022
A really fun and inspiring read! I love Baudar's easy-going approach to making fermented beverages, which mostly boils down to "just keep tasting what you're making, and if you like it, drink it!" The photos are just beautiful. For someone who hates following recipes, this is a great book.
October 17, 2017
Stunning. Inspiring. Aesthetically pleasing. This book is a work of art. Something to know though: it is a very niche subject matter and definitely a better piece for an advanced brewer.
June 4, 2018
Tasty recipes and clear instructions to inspire
April 19, 2020
A great book on making fermented drinks.
December 14, 2020
Great reference book!
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January 19, 2022Very interesting book.
May 27, 2023
Gorgeous photography, lots of history, many simple recipes and instructions. I love the section on gruits. I could just stare at this book and the pictures of rustic, primitive, and country brews.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews