Fresh hibiscus

[jiMithing83]

I've got some huge hibiscus plants in my backyard, and my wife loves a hibiscus beer we used to get in Chicago. So I'm thinking of harvesting some and making her a great summer quaffer. Anyone have tips? Should I dry it? Rack onto fresh petals in secondary? Make a tincture? How much to use?

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Soulshine2]

I've got some huge hibiscus plants in my backyard, and my wife loves a hibiscus beer we used to get in Chicago. So I'm thinking of harvesting some and making her a great summer quaffer. Anyone have tips? Should I dry it? Rack onto fresh petals in secondary? Make a tincture? How much to use?

Any advice is appreciated.

interesting . hibiscus beer. can you please describe the flavor.

 

[jiMithing83]

A little floral, but more tart. Almost like light cranberry.

 

[McKnuckle]

I drink a lot of strong hibiscus "tea" - I use quotes because it's really not tea at all, just a hot beverage steeped with dried hibiscus flowers. I have no idea how fresh petals would work. If this were me, I'd experiment with your plants using simple hot water first.

For a drink using dried petals, I'll use about 1/4 cup by volume of dried petals in a 10-12 oz mug. Steep in hot water for 4-5 minutes using a tea filter or a French press so you can separate the liquid. It will be quite red and very tart, but also a little sweet. You may already realize this since you compared the flavor to cranberry.

You can also make a cold tea by steeping dried petals in a larger volume of water in the fridge overnight.

I would experiment with these options to determine how to approach quantity, temperature, and time variables when making your beer.

 

[jiMithing83]

I drink a lot of strong hibiscus "tea" - I use quotes because it's really not tea at all, just a hot beverage steeped with dried hibiscus flowers. I have no idea how fresh petals would work. If this were me, I'd experiment with your plants using simple hot water first.

For a drink using dried petals, I'll use about 1/4 cup by volume of dried petals in a 10-12 oz mug. Steep in hot water for 4-5 minutes using a tea filter or a French press so you can separate the liquid. It will be quite red and very tart, but also a little sweet. You may already realize this since you compared the flavor to cranberry.

You can also make a cold tea by steeping dried petals in a larger volume of water in the fridge overnight.

I would experiment with these options to determine how to approach quantity, temperature, and time variables when making your beer.

Excellent feedback, thank you. Maybe I'll pick up some store-bought dried leaves as a baseline to compare. [emoji482]