Any of y’all homebrewers in the south may appreciate this… I’m trying to make a big red mead! Something lightly carbed and sessionable. I have found a cream soda mead recipe online that utilizes flavoring syrup but I want to try and avoid that if at all possible. Here is my recipe idea so far, any critiques are very welcome:
2 Gallon Batch
Half pound hibiscus flower
6lbs orange blossom honey
1 lemon zest and juice (seconday)
2 oranges zest and juice (seconday)
1 vanilla bean (seconday)
Lavin 71b-1122 rehydrated with GoFerm
Pectic Enzyme, bentonite for clearing.
Going to make a hibiscus tea out of 2 gallons of water, complete primary fermentation, rack to secondary on to fruits for a week or so. I did an apple pie mead with just a split and scraped vanilla bean in secondary that turned out to be somewhat of a vanilla bomb that mellowed after aging… would you recommend a vanilla bean tincture instead? Or maybe just half of a bean instead of a whole one.
Hoping the hibiscus imparts that deep red color with minimal flavoring. In my research the flavor has been described as a combo of “lemon and orange oil along with vanilla”. Should I add tart cherries as well? I know that will get my color but don’t know about the flavor.
Hibiscus has a unique flavor that is not quite citrus, not quite berry, and not quite floral, but I could see any of those used as a descriptor. I use 1 oz/gallon in my Hibiscus saison, and it turns out a vibrant pink. The hibiscus lends some tartness and fruitiness that compliments the saison yeast, but isn’t adding a super strong flavor at that usage rate. You’re using 4 times that in your mead and I think you will probably get a nice flavor contribution at that level.