Hibiscus Mead

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Cheesefood

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I've had some phenomenal hibischus iced teas and I'm thinking that it might make for an interesting mead. Anyone have any experience with hibiscus in brewing? Can I buy hibiscus online? I have three plants trying to grow in my front yard and I haven't gotten one flower in the month they've been in the ground (but one of the plants is ready to break out its first flower any day now).
 
Also, I found a local beekeeper from whom I'm going to buy my honey for my next batch. I want something local. I might find a wild berry tree and pick some berries for a melomel.

BTW, do any of you upstate ILers know what kind of berries those are that grow all over the place here? They look like blackberries but they grow on a tree. They're delicious, and cars are usually covered in berry bird-poop.
 
I haven't tried hibiscus mead yet, but it makes a good wine. I buy my hibiscus from whole foods in bulk it is about $18 a pound. My recipe is for 3 gallons 1/2 pound hibiscus flowers, 6 pounds sugar, two tablespoons acid blend, two tablespoons yeast nutrients, and one packet red star champagne yeast.

Start by bringing two gallons of water to a boil and adding the hibiscus turn the heat of at addition. In another pot invert the sugar by heating it to 250 degrees F with just enought water to liquefy and the acid blend. Once the temp hits 250 add the yeast nutrients and turn of the heat and cover for ten minutes. Next strain the hibiscus water into the pot that has the sugar in it and let it cool. Then mix it and pour all into a 3 gal carboy to off to 3-gallon mark and add you rehydrated yeast.

Rack at 1 month then bottle when clear. Age one year for best flavor.
:mug:
 
Jsin said:
I haven't tried hibiscus mead yet, but it makes a good wine. I buy my hibiscus from whole foods in bulk it is about $18 a pound. My recipe is for 3 gallons 1/2 pound hibiscus flowers, 6 pounds sugar, two tablespoons acid blend, two tablespoons yeast nutrients, and one packet red star champagne yeast.

Start by bringing two gallons of water to a boil and adding the hibiscus turn the heat of at addition. In another pot invert the sugar by heating it to 250 degrees F with just enought water to liquefy and the acid blend. Once the temp hits 250 add the yeast nutrients and turn of the heat and cover for ten minutes. Next strain the hibiscus water into the pot that has the sugar in it and let it cool. Then mix it and pour all into a 3 gal carboy to off to 3-gallon mark and add you rehydrated yeast.

Rack at 1 month then bottle when clear. Age one year for best flavor.
:mug:

Thanks! I'm going to try it, but using the following recipe:

12 lbs honey (local), 1lb hibiscus flowers, 2 tbsp yeast nutrient, dry mead yeast.

I'm going to simmer 3 gallons of water with the honey and skim off all the white stuff. When it's all gone, I'll add the nutrient and flowers and simmer for 30 minutes then strain into my primary. I'll sparge the flowers with 1 gallon of warm water then top off the must to 5 gallons with cool water. Pitch the yeast and let it ferment for 6 weeks before racking.
 
Cheesefood said:
Also, I found a local beekeeper from whom I'm going to buy my honey for my next batch. I want something local. I might find a wild berry tree and pick some berries for a melomel.

BTW, do any of you upstate ILers know what kind of berries those are that grow all over the place here? They look like blackberries but they grow on a tree. They're delicious, and cars are usually covered in berry bird-poop.

I think that you are referring to mulberries. They look a lot like raspberries, but are firmer. They are indeed delicious, and I think that I have seen recipes for mulberry meads floating around.

As a side note, I hear that the leaves of a mulberry tree are mildly halucinogenic. I've never partaken though, so I can't speak from experience.
 
Sweet and floral is the only way to describe it. It's a beautiful flower that makes for some nice flavors and a pretty pink color (Gawd, I feel gay).

Try it sometime. Hibiscus tea is quite popular.

I think Mulberries are what the berries I refer to are called. I'm going to make a mull-o-mel sometime soon.
 
How's this for another bizarre ingredient: Marshmallow Root Mead (marshmallow-mel). I'm going to track down some fresh marshmallow root and add it to the mead boil. Should make for an interesting flavor.
 
Or, perhaps this would work:

Lemongrass-Licorice Root-Marjoram

I used to brew this up for an iced tea when going to the Ren Faire, or really any other hot, out-of-doors event. It's delicious, and really keeps you cool in summer.

Think it might work in a meth?
 
Yeah, seriously. Now, while I hide my stash...

But as a terminology question - does anyone actually call it methglyn, or is just basically "mead" or "mel"?
 
How did the meads turn out? I have a hibiscus mead in secondary right now... but I am wondering if I am doing this right. I have been using the "no-cook" style. I put the must in the primary and added about 1/2 a pound of dried hibiscus flowers in the secondary. I am debating re-racking it to get the hibiscus flowers out so it can clear and now my husband is having concern about the amount of flowers I put in.... so does anyone out there know if there is a level of hibiscus where you wouldn't recommend drinking it or not drinking it in some quantity? I haven't been able to find anything on the great and wide internet about it being toxic so... I thought I would ask you guys.
 
Holy crap. a post dug up from 4 years ago.

I suggest getting the flowers off the mead soon, I wouldn't keep them in contact for more than a week or two.
 
How did the meads turn out? I have a hibiscus mead in secondary right now... but I am wondering if I am doing this right. I have been using the "no-cook" style. I put the must in the primary and added about 1/2 a pound of dried hibiscus flowers in the secondary. I am debating re-racking it to get the hibiscus flowers out so it can clear and now my husband is having concern about the amount of flowers I put in.... so does anyone out there know if there is a level of hibiscus where you wouldn't recommend drinking it or not drinking it in some quantity? I haven't been able to find anything on the great and wide internet about it being toxic so... I thought I would ask you guys.

The only recommended level of hibiscus that I've read about not reccomended for drinking is if you use too much in a recipe. At .5 lbs you should be okay. From what I understand, they are not toxic. However, you should know that most of the hibiscus bought in stores in the USA are from China. Nothing agianst the Chinese but they don't have a stellar record of food quality control in the past few years. Also know that some of the most regarded mead is Viking Blood which is made with hibiscus -
http://www.mjod.dk/node/48

GTG
 
I got my hibiscus from a tea place... supposedly the flowers come from Nevada, so I guess I am not too concerned about that. They have been in there for a month, so I am going to take the mead off, as suggested. I used "ruby red" blossoms, so the mead is crazy dark. Thank you both for your help. Hopefully it will turn out... it is my first time using hibiscus and supposed to be my first sparkling mead... maybe I bit off more than I could chew :)
 
No worries. The majority of spices I get are from the grocery store... I just couldn't find any there so I had to get a little more creative.
After tasting it last night, it is ok. It really doesn't have the depth I would like it to and I might need to sweeten it a little when all is said and done.
 
I made a batch of hibiscus mead a few years back and it turned out very good except the colour. It went from a rosy pink colour to a liquid gold before I bottled it. I believe it oxided in the carboy from to much headroom space.

I put my hibiscus flowers in a tea to steep before adding the entire tea to the must. It was a real trip to watch those yeasties go to town on the flowers. I thought it was going to bubble over. Never had a must that was so vigorous as that hibiscus mead.
 
I've been thinking about making hibiscus something. There are some recipes for mead, wine, and cider with hibiscus on the internet. Of course, there are recipes for everything on the internet.
 
Hibiscus also has a light butter note personally I grew up eating the petals and using them in a "family secret " sauce they are very floral but in a bit of a bitter way I've actually been thinking of making a braggot with them for bittering ik 1 of my two ipa attempts I actually over did the hibiscus and wormwood along with warrior hops and fuggles and it was like a more floral red hook ipa which I personally do not enjoy but others have said was delicious
 
Just to add a tie bit to this!! If you can't find hibiscus! And you have a rose of Sharon in your yard!! Rose of Sharon is the American hibiscus. If I had known a back side neighbor had it along the sidewalk! I wouldn't have spent the money on a lbs of hibiscus! I have been collecting the hibiscus flowers we have here for 2 batches form now. If my next batch needs to be tweaked some. I do know my home grown hibiscus color's will be lighter! One flower is yellow and some red and the other plant is red with some yellow, where the stuff I paid for is red. No biggy on my part. I my make some tee to see if the taste is same, similar or different. Off my squirrel sighting! And back to rose of sharon!! Just thought I would share that info. I may just go pick the closing flowers to have and try them my self.

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