Instead of a bouquet of flowers that soon wilt, beer-drinking moms might appreciate a beer made with flowers this Mother’s Day. Consider one of these ten flower beers for the occasion, made with elderflower, chamomile, lavender, and beyond.
Milk and Honey
Greenpoint Beer & Ale Company
(Brooklyn, New York)
This light, easy-drinking blonde ale is brewed with New York–grown barley malt, wildflower honey, lactose, and chamomile flowers. The resulting beer is fresh and floral with a creamy mouthfeel, and it’s repeatable at only 4.9 percent ABV.
Spot O’ Tea Pale Ale
BRU Handbuilt Ales & Eats
(Boulder, Colorado)
This English-style pale ale is brewed with wildflowers and Longmont’s Highland Honey Bees honey atop pale malts and white wheat. “We actually make a tea by steeping rose hips and chamomile in hot water,” says Founder and Beer Chef Ian Clark. “Then, we add the tea and orange blossom water to the end of the boil.” This refreshing beer weighs in at just over 5 percent ABV.
Crimson Pistil
Tröegs Independent Brewing
(Hershey, Pennsylvania)
Brewed with Pilsner and Vienna malts and Azacca, Nugget, and Vic Secret hops, Tröegs Crimson Pistil Hibiscus IPA comes out just in time for Mother’s Day. Introduce Mom to the sticky tropical notes of an IPA balanced with the subtle tanginess of hibiscus in this crisp, floral beer that weighs in at 6.2 percent ABV.
Vera Mae
Hill Farmstead Brewery
(Greensboro Bend, Vermont)
This saison is crafted from Vermont organic spelt, American hops, Vermont wildflower honey, and dandelion flowers from the estate’s fields. It’s aged in French oak wine barrels and bottled conditioned. The result is a lightly tart, bright, effervescent, and delicate 6 percent ABV beer. It’s named after Vera Mae, Brewer Shaun Hill’s grandfather’s eldest sister. Hill Farmstead Brewery rests upon the land that she and her thirteen siblings called home.
Wendas, Beltane, and Borage
Propolis Brewing
(Port Townsend, Washington)
At Propolis Brewing in Port Townsend, the focus is on brewing herbal ales with local resources, inspired by Old World tradition. The Wendas Farmhouse Dubbel is brewed with wild heather flowers and Propolis microbes to produce a medium-bodied 7.5 percent ABV beer with tastes of plum, cherry, toffee, raisin, licorice, and soft savory herbs. At 7.5 percent ABV, Beltane Brett Saison is made with elderflower blossoms and has notes of tangerine, pineapple, and tropical fruit. The Borage Golden Saison, as its name suggests, is brewed with borage flowers, a Mediterranean herb, traditionally cultivated for culinary and medicinal uses. The 7% ABV saison tastes of marmalade, lemon zest, light pepper, and a cucumber floral bitterness.
Hibiscus Wit
2nd Shift Brewing
(St. Louis, Missouri)
Tart, refreshing, bright pink, and 5.2 percent ABV, Hibiscus Wit is a great choice for moms who like sour beers or effervescent saisons. Hibiscus Wit is available year-round in cans and bombers. Read more about brewing with hibiscus here.
‘LSD’ Honey Ale
Indeed Brewing Company
(Minneapolis, Minnesota)
This mead-like, copper-colored honey ale is made with fresh lavender, sunflower honey, and dates. It’s lavender-forward both on the nose and in flavor, balanced with notes of dark fruit and rich brown sugar, and registers 7.2 percent ABV.
The Keeper’s Veil Honey Saison
*Burial Beer Co. *
(Asheville, North Carolina)
Some call it an herbal bomb (in a good way); others call it pure springtime bliss. The Keeper’s Veil Honey Saison features local Asheville honey and Riverbend Malt’s 6-row malt and wheat. The crown jewel of this 6.8 percent ABV beer is the addition of seven flowers and herbs from Asheville’s wildflower population: heather, elderflower, lavender, passion flower, hibiscus, rose, and chamomile.
Happy Mother’s Day!