# Hibiscus Ale



## Tony (12/2/12)

Hi all.

Just thought i would start a thread to document the life and times of an experiment i have going.

I bought the dried Hibiscus flowers a year or so ago with grand plans, but you know what its like. I found them in a box a couple weeks back and thought.... Mmmmmm forgot about them.

So i raided the grain bag box and found a few almost empty bags that needed to be used. knocked up a 34L batch of "beer" hopped with 90g of Citra (which i wish i had saved for my APA now) and dropped a kilo of the flowers in the hot wort at flame out.

soaked and stired for 10 min and split between 2 x 17L cubes.


Recipe:

Hibiscus Bomb


Recipe Specifics
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Batch Size (L): 34.00 Wort Size (L): 34.00
Total Grain (kg): 6.70
Anticipated OG: 1.044 Plato: 10.89
Anticipated EBC: 7.0
Anticipated IBU: 34.4
Brewhouse Efficiency: 70 %
Wort Boil Time: 60 Minutes


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential EBC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
59.7 4.00 kg. Weyermann Bohemien Pils GErmany 1.038 4
29.9 2.00 kg. JWM Traditional Ale Malt Australia 1.038 6
10.4 0.70 kg. JWM Wheat Malt Australia 1.038 4



Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
20.00 g. Topaz Pellet 16.20 17.0 20 min.
30.00 g. Topaz Pellet 16.20 12.7 8 min.
40.00 g. Topaz Pellet 16.20 4.7 2 min.


Yeast
-----
?????????????


Notes
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Added 1KG Hibiscus flowers at flame out to soak for 10 min before running t
o cubes




The dry hibiscus flowers:







boil before adding flowers:






boil after adding flowers:






Wort colour before adding flowers:






Wort colour after adding flowers:







So........ i have a starter filled with farmhouse ale yeast going nuts, and it will most likly be pitched in the next couple days.

I will keep you all informed 

cheers


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## donburke (12/2/12)

did you notice any change in the smell after adding the hibiscus ?

do you think they will be noticable over the citra ?


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## Tony (12/2/12)

Oh mate....... it changed completly.

The Hibiscus dominated... and its a sweet but tart kind of rose petal and rubarb smell and flavour.

think raspberrys. sweet but tart.

I have been told they add a real tartness to the beer and when i chew on the dry flowers, they are quite puckering.

Cant wait to get a batch in the keg.


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## Tony (12/2/12)

think of adding a kilo of galaxy hop flowers to 34 liters hopped with 90g of Citra...... you would notice them hey


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## raven19 (12/2/12)

Jon made a hibiscus wit and took out a few gongs with it at SABSOSA and nationals this year too iirc. I reckon he would provide some great insight into using this addition in a beer.


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## kelbygreen (12/2/12)

hmm this is interesting would love to try this if it works out tony!! raven yeah would go good with a wit maybe not 1kg of it though lol


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## Charst (12/2/12)

thanks for the pic I've been seeing these in a lebanese shop local to me being sold by the kilo and i was wondering what they were. 
Been planning an edible flower Saison for a while with Lavender, Rose and Camomile. 

So it look like this is going to be added to the mix.


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## Ross (12/2/12)

We have our Hibiscus Saison (8.7%) on tap at the brewery & currently on tap at The Hideaway Bar, Brumswick Street in the City.
1kg of flowers in 50L & it's very intense, so guessing yours will be even more so Tonhy...

cheers Ross


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## ShredMaster (12/2/12)

Do you use only dried Hibiscus? 

I have about 10 hibby bushes around the house and I'm sure I can gather a shitton of flowers, reckon they'll be any good?


It sounds interesting and I'm keen to give it a whack...


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## jel (13/2/12)

As Raven has said, I was surprised to win a few awards with a hibiscus wit recently - second place at SABSOSA and first place at AABC in the speciality section.

I was concerned about losing too many of the aromatics and colour adding the hibiscus to the boil, so instead made a tea using the flowers and added at bottling. From another forum:


> ...i added the hibiscus by steeping approx. 15 g/l in boiled water (still at 90 deg C plus) for around 15 minutes and adding the strained 'tea' to the wit beer at bottling with the bulk priming sugar ( i bottle all my beers).


 Thread here:
http://brewadelaide.com/forum/index.php?to...msg4849#msg4849

Cheers
Jon


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## brettprevans (13/2/12)

ive been keen to do one also after tasting Dieu Du Ciel Rosee D’hibiscus last summer. 

more threads on experiances here shred


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## Tony (13/2/12)

Ross said:


> We have our Hibiscus Saison (8.7%) on tap at the brewery & currently on tap at The Hideaway Bar, Brumswick Street in the City.
> 1kg of flowers in 50L & it's very intense, so guessing yours will be even more so Tonhy...
> 
> cheers Ross



Shamless advert and you cant even speel my name right 

Im gunna pitch it today or tomorrow... will keep upi informed.

cheers


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## keezawitch (13/2/12)

that sounds really interesting, looking forward to seeing how it goes. The color is a knockout do you think it will retain the color.


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## Tony (13/2/12)

yeah mate, im sure it will


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## Tony (13/2/12)

Just dumped it in the fermenter, and pitched the farmhouse ale yeast.

Pushed it in the corner of the garage to do as it may!






Its PINK.

I think a naming competition is in store here..... pink beer deserves some fun 

cheers


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## raven19 (13/2/12)

Mmmm drinkable pink stain?


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## angus_grant (13/2/12)

Go the Pink!


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## Robbo2234 (13/2/12)

Sink The Pink Ale
Or 
Valentines Ale and you can sell it for three times the price tomorrow!!


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## Charst (13/2/12)

perhaps a french name:

deux en le rose, une en l'odeur


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## Nevalicious (14/2/12)

Smash a pint of pink bits??


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## jyo (14/2/12)

ShredMaster said:


> Do you use only dried Hibiscus?
> 
> I have about 10 hibby bushes around the house and I'm sure I can gather a shitton of flowers, reckon they'll be any good?
> 
> It sounds interesting and I'm keen to give it a whack...



Hey, Shred. AFAIK they need to be _Hibiscus Sabdariffa_ like these: HERE Don't poison yourself!!  

After trying a hibiscus blonde in the 2010 case swap I have had one of these on the to do list....


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## winkle (14/2/12)

How about Fifi la Rose (not to be confused with Fee Fee la Rose)?


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## chunckious (14/2/12)

Pinking in the Red.


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## np1962 (14/2/12)

Charst said:


> perhaps a french name:
> 
> deux en le rose, une en l'odeur


 :lol: 
I was thinking the same thing but couldn't work out a way to say it that didn't sound crude.
Think you cracked it!


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## Tony (14/2/12)

I had "The Salmon Hunter" in mind 

Oh and a correction........... i said i used a kilo of Hibiscus...... i neglected to add the work "Half" in front of that.

500g in 34L people, FYI 

cheers


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## Tony (17/2/12)

4 days in the garage in 27 deg heat with the farmhouse ale........ its down to 1.010 and still a couple points go get yet i recon. Will leavit it till next week and test again to be sure.

Smells like pot puri and citrus zest!

Tastes awsome

and love the colour:


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## brettprevans (17/2/12)

Pink pint, pink passion, hipinkus (play on hibiscus and pink).


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## Womball (4/6/13)

I brewed a Hibiscus Blonde with turned out very nicely. What BJCP category would you enter this in??

"9.2 Spice, Herb, Vegetable" or "9.7 Other"


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