Many, many years ago, I made a "Peppermint Patty" stout. It was fabulous. I'll have to look through my notebooks to see if I can dig up the recipe. Sounds funky, I know, but it was quite tasty.
Use mint like an aroma hop...throw some in at the very end of boiling (kettle off). .5 oz will be *plenty* for a mint aroma in your beer...careful, it can be potentially overpowering. I don't see why you couldn't use it like a dry hop, as long as the leaves were clean...washed with lots of cold, clean water. Just make sure you want to drink 5 or more gallons of minty-fresh beer, or make a small batch. I'd stick with a stout or porter recipe.
