BREWING DETAILS
- Parts used: Roots.
- Aroma & taste: A sweet and delicious flavour, but the root is very fibrous.
- Brewing method: Licorice is used in beer to sweetness and promote headiness,
thickness and blackness, which is great for porters and stouts. The licorice root contains glycyrrhizin, a non fermentable sugar which is 30-50 sweeter than sucrose (table sugar). Usually, a smallpiece of root is cut, broken in pieces and boiled.
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTIONThe Licorice plants are shrubs, natives of South-east Europe and South-west Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial, growing to 1m / 3ft in height, with pinnate leaves about 7–15cm / 3–6 in long, with 9–17 leaflets. The flowers are 0.8–1.2cm / 1/3 to 1/2in long, purple to pale whitish blue, produced in a loose inflorescence.
Licorice is a popular root crop mainly in southern Europe. Very little commercial licorice is grown in North America, but a related native species can be found, Wild licorice, or American licorice (G. lepidota), which has similar uses and can be used in beer just as well.