Hibiscus Ale

[Tony]

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
----------------

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
-----

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

 

[donburke]

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

do you think they will be noticable over the citra ?

 

[Tony]

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.

 

[Tony]

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

 

[raven19]

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.

 

[kelbygreen]

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

 

[Charst]

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.

 

[Ross]

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

 

[ShredMaster]

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...

 

[jel]

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

 

[brettprevans]

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

more threads on experiances here shred

 

[Tony]

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

 

[keezawitch]

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

 

[Tony]

yeah mate, im sure it will

 

[Tony]

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

 

[raven19]

Mmmm drinkable pink stain?

 

[angus_grant]

Go the Pink!

 

[Robbo2234]

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

 

[Charst]

perhaps a french name:

deux en le rose, une en l'odeur

 

[Nevalicious]

Smash a pint of pink bits??