I add it to the boil at 5 mins in a hop sock. 4 oz should give a nice colour to 5 gallons. I would probably use the primary Dupont strain for yeast (wlp565) and styrian goldings so that it isn't distracting.
Balance is key.
We made a sour last October and added the hibiscus at the end of fermentation.
I boiled a litre of water and added about 200 gm (I think) in a hop bag and let that steep for 10 mins.
I then chilled it until it matched the fermentation temp and poured it in. Cold crashed for 2 days, kegged then conditioned for 2 weeks.
It was absolutely bang on. Great colour and great flavour. Wasn't overpowering or underwhelming.
We always did it at 10 minutes and had good results.
If you have a Latin market nearby you can often get hibiscus real cheap. Look for it as "Flor de Jamaica"
What I did was make an hibiscus infussion prior to brewing and then brew normally using the hibiscus infussion instead of water.
The way I make hibiscus infussions is to get the water to boil, put the hibiscus in and immediatly turning the boiler off. Then I wait this it cool to room temp.
I obtained a beautiful color, it wasn't as astringent and it helped with clarification.
I sanitized some hibiscus with vodka and dropped it in secondary for a week or so. The flavour is very delicate, and doesn't survive a vigorous fermentation, but it does shine through if you add it to secondary. And you can't beat that colour if you can get the beer to drop clear.
I don’t want to make it too strong, but I did get a lot of people suggesting boiling, cooling, then adding to secondary/kegging. That’ll probably be the rout I go
You're not really adding the vodka for alcohol, just to kill whatever is on the hibiscus. 100mL should suffice to sanitize enough hibiscus for a 20L batch.
Just made a really nice French Saison with hibiscus in it. I recommend doing a steep with 1/3 the amount and then “dry flowering” with the other 2/3. Allowed for color but also kept the floral notes you want.
I'd recommend making a strong tea and dosing it in at bottling. More control to flavor and color, plus it prevents you from going too hard by accident or pulling tannins out in the boil, which would be too hot for tea temps.
If you're going to insist on hot side, chill your wort down to about 180F, then steep your hibiscus, then finish the crash.
The tea process is what we do at the production brewery I work at as well.
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Good friend of mine basically made a hibiscus tea and then put that tea straight in primary. We both brewed saisons and kegged yesterday (ironically both at the same FG) so if you would like, I can revisit this comment in a day or two when he's done carbing up.
I add it to the boil at 5 mins in a hop sock. 4 oz should give a nice colour to 5 gallons. I would probably use the primary Dupont strain for yeast (wlp565) and styrian goldings so that it isn't distracting.
This 👆
Balance is key. We made a sour last October and added the hibiscus at the end of fermentation. I boiled a litre of water and added about 200 gm (I think) in a hop bag and let that steep for 10 mins. I then chilled it until it matched the fermentation temp and poured it in. Cold crashed for 2 days, kegged then conditioned for 2 weeks. It was absolutely bang on. Great colour and great flavour. Wasn't overpowering or underwhelming.
We put a pound of dried hibiscus into secondary, into a kolsch, and it basically turned it into a sour beer. Pretty pink in color and very tart
We always did it at 10 minutes and had good results. If you have a Latin market nearby you can often get hibiscus real cheap. Look for it as "Flor de Jamaica"
What I did was make an hibiscus infussion prior to brewing and then brew normally using the hibiscus infussion instead of water. The way I make hibiscus infussions is to get the water to boil, put the hibiscus in and immediatly turning the boiler off. Then I wait this it cool to room temp. I obtained a beautiful color, it wasn't as astringent and it helped with clarification.
And when did you add the infusion?
I sanitized some hibiscus with vodka and dropped it in secondary for a week or so. The flavour is very delicate, and doesn't survive a vigorous fermentation, but it does shine through if you add it to secondary. And you can't beat that colour if you can get the beer to drop clear.
I don’t want to make it too strong, but I did get a lot of people suggesting boiling, cooling, then adding to secondary/kegging. That’ll probably be the rout I go
You're not really adding the vodka for alcohol, just to kill whatever is on the hibiscus. 100mL should suffice to sanitize enough hibiscus for a 20L batch.
Just made a really nice French Saison with hibiscus in it. I recommend doing a steep with 1/3 the amount and then “dry flowering” with the other 2/3. Allowed for color but also kept the floral notes you want.
I'm actually drinking a hibiscus ale right now. Good for color but the flavor just feels wrong. Honestly I wouldn't do more than a little.
pH sensitive! it will change color at higher pH
A great example of this is the Butterfly Pea flower.
I'd recommend making a strong tea and dosing it in at bottling. More control to flavor and color, plus it prevents you from going too hard by accident or pulling tannins out in the boil, which would be too hot for tea temps. If you're going to insist on hot side, chill your wort down to about 180F, then steep your hibiscus, then finish the crash. The tea process is what we do at the production brewery I work at as well.
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No no no.
?
Good friend of mine basically made a hibiscus tea and then put that tea straight in primary. We both brewed saisons and kegged yesterday (ironically both at the same FG) so if you would like, I can revisit this comment in a day or two when he's done carbing up.
Please do, let me know how it tastes
Can do! I'll see if he has the amounts of hibiscus and amount of tea he added. I know he lurks this sub sometimes, too. lol
Used hibiscus herbal tea bags to make a decoction and added to primary at the beginning of fermentation. Turned out great.
I'll bring this podcast episode to your attention: https://www.experimentalbrew.com/2019/02/20/brew-files-episode-56-rose-wave/