a group of highly aromatic flowering perennial herbs within the genus Mentha and the family Lamiaceae. It spreads via seeds and fleshy rhizomes and grows on humid soils, where it is invasive. Mint originated in the Mediterranean and southwestern Asian regions and is today cultivated internationally, particularly for cooking. There are more than 25 varieties, each with distinctive and distinguishable aromatic qualities. The oil of the herb has a strong aroma and palate presence, and it is used in candies, toothpaste, and other commodities. Mint has a long tradition of use in herbal medicine and has been used in medicinal beers as well. In modern brewing, mint has found little commercial application, although some craft breweries have used it to make some creative and flavorful beers. Mint is more widely used among amateur brewers, who often combine its flavors with those of roasted malts (and sometimes chocolate) to create “mint stouts” and “mint porters.” Other interesting applications have combined mint with its partners in cuisine, such as lemongrass. There are various methods of use, and although dried leaves are available, fresh leaves are generally preferred. These can be boiled briefly in water to make an extract to add to the wort, boiled directly in the wort, or added postfermentation as with dry hops. Commercial mint oil preparations are widely available but rarely used in brewing.

See also herbs.