Botanicals have taken root across all beverage categories, including beer—whether it’s a trend grounded in plant-based wellness, botanical-based spirits and cocktails, or the steady interest in locality and sense of place, there appears to be rising interest among both drinkers and producers.
Often bundled with the concept of botanicals is foraging—something already familiar to many small breweries that gather local, often seasonal, ingredients for special beers, and something that may have been part of their ethos from the beginning. As interest grows, it may motivate other breweries to explore what local botanicals could contribute.
Taken broadly, botanicals are just plants and useful substances extracted from them—nothing new for brewers, in a way, because beer already is made from plants. However, as a trend largely driven by cocktails and spirits—gin, most famously—“botanicals” especially implies interesting and flavorful plants, often used in combinations, to create distinctive, locally rooted flavors.
Paths to success vary—not just based on what you want to make, but also on where you’re located. For example, are you on rural land where you can grow and/or forage? Or are you at an urban brewery that can explore partnerships with farms and gardens?
To unravel the options, here are some tips and perspectives—on designing, sourcing, and brewing—from a few breweries that have found success with botanically driven beers.