Hibiscus mead

[user 39926]

Hello all,

After a bit of advice, planing out my next adventure, does this recipe look sound to you ?

I've got some dried hibiscus, just had an experimental tea with it, I think the tartness should do well with a mead, so :

3lbs honey
nutrient
I've got 50 grams of hibiscus, planning to add to boiling water and then let steep for 30 mins.
Mix everything together + water to a gallon.

Then in secondary, mix in some ginger - I've seen 1oz or so recommended, I'm looking for a bit of warmth from this, not an overwhelming hit.

I'm slightly confused over how to handle the hibiscus, I've seen a variety of approaches online - simmer at a set temp for a couple of hours etc. etc.

 

[An Ankoù]

I used dried hibiscus flowers to flavour a rhubarb wine and it's come out ok. With the mead, add the flowers, dry, to the wine when you rack it into secondary and then, several months later, rack it off the petals and into the bottles.

 

[Begbie]

I've made que a lot of hibiscus mead. I simply stepped the dried leaves in boiled water for about 20 mins to half an hour and mixed the tea into the honey and water in the FV. I do find that the fermentation can be quite vigorous, and have had to add a blue off tube.

 

[user 39926]

Thanks both - I've gone with the tea option initially, but I don't know if I have that much hibiscus in - so it's an option to grab some more for secondary along with the ginger