Elderflower IPA, dry hop with fresh elderflowers?

[yungalb]

Hello!

Last Friday I brewed an IPA that I want to have clear taste of elderflower. I added 50 g of fresh elderflower one minute before flameout. Do you think there will be any noticeable taste from the elderflowers? Or do I need to add some more while dry hopping?

This is my recipe:
Batch Size (fermenter): 9,00 l
Estimated OG: 1,059 SG
Estimated FG: 1,010
Estimated Color: 11,5 EBC
Estimated IBU: 42,6 IBUs
Brewhouse Efficiency: 73,00 %

2,10 kg Chateau Pale Ale (8,0 EBC)
0,25 kg Flaked Oats (2,0 EBC)

10,00 g Styrian Wolf [10,10 %] - Boil 60 min
10,00 g Styrian Wolf [10,10 %] - Boil 15,0 min
10,00 g Styrian Wolf [10,10 %] - Boil 5,0 min
50,00 g Fresh Elderflowers - Boil 1,0 min
18,00 g Styrian Wolf [10,10 %] - Boil 0,0 min

1.0 pkg US-05 Yeast

Mash at 64,5C for 90 minutes, mash out at 75,5C
60 minute boil
4 days dry-hopping 52 g Styrian Wolf

Thanks in advance

Albin

 

[skibb]

I would say go by taste after fermentation finishes, and if you think it needs more elderflower character, add some! At that point, I would be pretty careful adding them to your beer - flowers typically have lots of bugs on them, so possibly sanitizing them in high proof spirits and dumping both the liquid and flowers into the beer would be the safest method.

 

[yungalb]

I would say go by taste after fermentation finishes, and if you think it needs more elderflower character, add some! At that point, I would be pretty careful adding them to your beer - flowers typically have lots of bugs on them, so possibly sanitizing them in high proof spirits and dumping both the liquid and flowers into the beer would be the safest method.

I will taste it when it is time for dry hopping, thanks! Do you think freezing the flowers for 24 hours or so would work as sanitation? Or is soaking them in vodka the way to go? The vodka will not add alcohol or give bad flavors since it is such a small amount, right? Started brewing pretty recently, so excuse me if I have a lot of questions

 

[skibb]

Freezing them will not sanitize them - it could kill some of the bugs but I would personally got the alcohol route. The flavor and ABV contribution should be negligible but to try and avoid using too much alcohol I tend to put whatever ingredient in a mason jar and then cover half of it with vodka - periodically throughout the day I will invert the jar or shake it up to cover the rest of the ingredient and make sure all of it is in contact with alcohol for a reasonable amount of time.