Below is the recipe for the ale we brewed especially for our wedding. It was a big hit with the guests. In February 1998, a few months before our wedding, we decided we wanted to make a special brew that had a little bit of us in it, so we threw in some of the dried herbs that we had left from the previous year's garden.

Warm Spring Wedding Ale

Ingredients

3 1/2 lbs Extra light dried malt extract

2 1/2 lbs Honey (orange blossom)

2 oz. Cascade whole leaf hops (alpha = 6.0%)

1/2 cup Crumbled dried lemon balm leaves

1/4 cup Dried whole chamomille flowers

1/4 cup Crumbled dried sage leaves

1 tsp Irish moss

1 pkg True Brew liquid yeast - American Ale (1056)

Directions

Heat the malt extract and honey in 1 1/2 gallons water to boil. Boil for 45 minutes, adding the hops 1/2 oz at a time with 45, 20, 5 and 2 minutes remaining. Add the irish moss when there is 15 minutes remaining and the herbs when there is 10 minutes remaining. Remove from heat for the last 2 minutes of the boil.

Sparge to remove all the hops and herbs, and add cold water to make 5 gallons. Pitch the yeast at 80 degrees F and seal in 5 gallon fermenter.

Bottle with 150 ml corn sugar after fermentation is complete. Allow to age in the bottle at least 4 weeks to give the honey and sage a chance to mellow.