Hibiscus flowers in a wheat beer

[MR. Zak]

So I really want to brew with hibiscus petals but tried to do this once before and had no luck getting it to work as I had hopped. If any one has any suggestions that would rock

Cheers
Z

 

[david_42]

Hibiscus isn't all that strong. When I use chamomile, I make a tea and add it in the keg. You could do the same in the bottling bucket.

 

[Sciyan]

Here my recipe for my belgian wit beer with hibiscus. I tried to clone the "Rosée d'Hibiscus" from Dieu du ciel.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/dieu-du-ciel-rosee-dhibiscus/59877/

Mine is more a left over recipe

I used 100g of hibiscus at 10 min before the end of the boil. The color in the fermeter is perfect red ! The smell is awesome. Can't wait to see how it's gonna taste. I also inted to filter it to give it a crystal clear look and drink it in a wine glass !

0,20 kg Rice Hulls (0,0 SRM)
2,00 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (1,8 SRM)
1,05 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (3,5 SRM)
0,38 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40,0 SRM)
0,23 kg Vienna Malt (3,6 SRM)
0,12 kg Wheat, Flaked (1,0 SRM)
16,00 gm Amarillo Gold [8,00%] (60 min)
16,00 gm Amarillo Gold [8,00%] (15 min)
15,00 gm Coriander Seed (Boil 5,0 min)
15,00 gm Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5,0 min)
100,00 gm Hibiscus (Boil 10,0 min)
0,45 kg Honey (1,0 SRM)
1 Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944)

 

[emjay]

I had a Rosée D'Hibiscus a few weeks ago. I know it's one of those beers that people tend to be pretty divided over (especially for a Dieu du Ciel brew), but I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought it was pretty fantastic, and the color is just amazing.

Is the base beer supposed to be a wit though? It was difficult for me to tell, but I really wasn't thinking "wit" while drinking it. Either way, let me know how closely that beer matches the original!

 

[Sciyan]

From what I remember, On the side of the beer it was written beer made with wheat and spices.

But next time I buy one at the store at the corner, I'll update this thread.

 

[Sciyan]

Fermentation is not over yet... It takes forever... Is it possible that the honey as something to do with this ?

 

[cstarner]

I did a Biere de Garde with Hibiscus and the flavor was evident right after boiling but after fermentation it was gone. I would suggest making a tea before bottling and adding it then.

 

[Sciyan]

Like a dry hoping but with hibiscus ?

 

[cstarner]

Make a tea with the hibiscus and add it to your bottling bucket. You could try and boil some with your priming sugar/DME and then add the mixture to your bottling bucket also.

 

[JesseRYC]

I have brewed a hibiscus pale ale that came out fantastic. I just added the dried petals as I would with dry hopping in the secondary. I added 2 oz per 5 gallons. Let me just note that the hibiscus flavor was very present, which i found to be quite delicious, but if u want it to be a more subtle flavor then I would use less.

 

[Sciyan]

I had a Rosée D'Hibiscus a few weeks ago. I know it's one of those beers that people tend to be pretty divided over (especially for a Dieu du Ciel brew), but I was very pleasantly surprised. I thought it was pretty fantastic, and the color is just amazing.

Is the base beer supposed to be a wit though? It was difficult for me to tell, but I really wasn't thinking "wit" while drinking it. Either way, let me know how closely that beer matches the original!

I had a Rosée d'Hibiscus yesterday and here what it's written on the bottle : White beer brewed with wheat, spices and hibiscus.

It's not written it's a wit beer, but we're close to.

 

[Sciyan]

Here my recipe for my belgian wit beer with hibiscus. I tried to clone the "Rosée d'Hibiscus" from Dieu du ciel.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/dieu-du-ciel-rosee-dhibiscus/59877/

Mine is more a left over recipe

I used 100g of hibiscus at 10 min before the end of the boil. The color in the fermeter is perfect red ! The smell is awesome. Can't wait to see how it's gonna taste. I also inted to filter it to give it a crystal clear look and drink it in a wine glass !

0,20 kg Rice Hulls (0,0 SRM)
2,00 kg Pilsner (2 Row) Ger (1,8 SRM)
1,05 kg Wheat Malt, Ger (3,5 SRM)
0,38 kg Caramel/Crystal Malt - 40L (40,0 SRM)
0,23 kg Vienna Malt (3,6 SRM)
0,12 kg Wheat, Flaked (1,0 SRM)
16,00 gm Amarillo Gold [8,00%] (60 min)
16,00 gm Amarillo Gold [8,00%] (15 min)
15,00 gm Coriander Seed (Boil 5,0 min)
15,00 gm Orange Peel, Bitter (Boil 5,0 min)
100,00 gm Hibiscus (Boil 10,0 min)
0,45 kg Honey (1,0 SRM)
1 Pkgs Belgian Witbier (Wyeast Labs #3944)

I finaly bottled my hibscus beer last weekend. My first impression was that this beer is very close to a white zinfendel (pink wine). It's exactly what I was looking for. I'm very happy about it. If you want it with more beer caracter, increase the malt and decrease the hibiscus to ~75g.

 

[terrenum]

I finaly bottled my hibscus beer last weekend. My first impression was that this beer is very close to a white zinfendel (pink wine). It's exactly what I was looking for. I'm very happy about it. If you want it with more beer caracter, increase the malt and decrease the hibiscus to ~75g.

Just curious how it turned out?
Was it slightly sour like the one from Dieu du ciel?
Did you dry hopped with Hibiscus?
Do you think a tea would be a better idea for flavour and a bit at flame out for the color?
Let me know I also want to clone this

 

[Sciyan]

It's not that sour, but it definitely taste hibiscus. The main objective was to make it attractive to women, and it turn out very well for that .
I didn't dryed hop with hibiscus and I don't know about the "tea" option.
For the color, I think it was perfect that way and it took a couple minute to extract the color from it, so if you add some hibiscus at flame out, I don't think you'll get anything good from it. Maybe some flavor, but no color for sure.

 

[phodog]

I disagree, I use Hibiscus in a wheat (Am) and a Belgian Pale, and always get great color and flavor with dry hop only additions. Also I frequently make a cold tea with Hibiscus and artificial sugar and flavor and color are never a problem, but it does take a few (10) minutes.

 

[mcbethenstein]

I made a raspberry hibiscus Weiss. By far the girliest beer I've made so far. The raspberry is the main flavor, but the hibiscus is definitely detectable. I made the tea. I heated up 2 cups water to boiling, let it cool to about 170ish, then added 2 large tea bags filled with loose hibiscus flowers from my local Mexican food store. The tea was added with the frozen raspberries and my fermented beer was racked over it in secondary. It sat there with the berries and tea bags for 20+ days. I haven't done it without the berries, but I can imagine a pinkish tinge to the beer with just the hibiscus. I sweetened with xylitol & erythritol at bottling. I absolutely love this beer.

 

[Chris7687]

For those who are dry hopping... how do you "sanitize" the flowers? I saw some people mention soaking in vodka, but wouldnt the vodka draw out most of the flowers flavors?

 

[phodog]

the vodka does draw out the flavor, after steeping a few days add the vodka and toss the flowers.

 

[TopherM]

I've done FOUR OUNCES of camomille flowers as a 60 min addition in the boil and it came through pretty strong. All of the hibiscus recipes I've seen suggest about the same, maybe an ounce more, with 1/2 @ 60 and 1/2 @15 to add a noticable hibiscus flavor. Good luck!

 

[terrenum]

Why do you add sweetener to your beer? Is it because the hibiscus is sour? Or simply for the style. Could you manage to have residual sugar instead of adding stuff

 

[phodog]

Sugar won't add sweetness to a beer, unless you kill the yeast first as sugar is 100% fementable. It will add alchohol and dryness, if more than 15 to 20 per cent often cidery flavors occur.

 

[emjay]

Just curious how it turned out?
Was it slightly sour like the one from Dieu du ciel?
Did you dry hopped with Hibiscus?
Do you think a tea would be a better idea for flavour and a bit at flame out for the color?
Let me know I also want to clone this

The one from Dieu du Ciel is the only one I've tried, but it's freaking delicious.

Sugar won't add sweetness to a beer, unless you kill the yeast first as sugar is 100% fementable. It will add alchohol and dryness, if more than 15 to 20 per cent often cidery flavors occur.

He specifically stated *residual* sugars - as in, the sugars that remain after fermentation, which can be left in higher quantities by manipulating various aspects of fermentation (especially stopping it).

Also, the cidery thing isn't true. First of all, that only applies to sucrose (table sugar). Secondly, it doesn't even apply to sucrose - it's more myth than reality. Not your fault though... it's an oft-repeated one around here.

 

[terrenum]

Sugar won't add sweetness to a beer, unless you kill the yeast first as sugar is 100% fementable. It will add alchohol and dryness, if more than 15 to 20 per cent often cidery flavors occur.

What I meant by residual sugar is actually sugar that can't be converted or non fermentable sugars. You can achieve that with a higher mash temperature for instance.

 

[emjay]

What I meant by residual sugar is actually sugar that can't be converted or non fermentable sugars. You can achieve that with a higher mash temperature for instance.

Those sugars add body, not so much sweetness.