Hi all,
I don’t know if you all know what turkish delight candy bars are, I used to eat them when I lived in Ireland but the flavor from them is amazing. The main ingredient in the syrup is rose petals. Now I’m curious if I could do like a brown ale with rosewater for the flavor. Also is the end of boil or a secondary the best time to add the rose water
I should also note that rose water is made by adding 3 handfulls of rose petals to a pot and cover with water and simmer until half the water has boiled off. then removing the petals.
I would add at packaging. it’s an interesting idea. I’ve got some saison on tap right now, I might get some rosewater and try it.
It would also be interesting to compare the results of rose water made via boiling and ‘dry petaling’ the beer directly.
I didn’t even think of ‘dry petteling,’ I could do a half and half and see how it goes. I’m also considering if a brown ale will match the best of if there might be better options
my first instinct was to do a lighter Belgian where the phenols from the yeast would play with the rose a bit. I would worry about clashes between roast and rose in a brown. but a light northern English style brown might work.
a word of caution: people will sometimes assume the rose is an off flavor unless you tell them to expect it.
FWIW I’d use a very light hand with the rosewater. It could go from pleasant to perfume pretty quickly.
We make a rhodamel (rose petal mead) every year. We freeze rose petals as they blossom throughout the season and freeze them until we have enough or have the time. I have not used rosewater but I suspect the petals would get you a less perfumy aroma then the rosewater, although with the rosewater there is the advantage of being able to dose at packaging. We add raspberries and IIRC some acid. The raspberries make it a perfect color for a rose mead and the fruitiness and acidity go well with the rose. I have been meaning to try this with a saison. Obviously make sure you know the roses haven’t been sprayed.
Disclaimer - I can’t claim to have used rosewater in beer - my exposure to it came from some desserts my wife occasionally makes with rosewater. A very small amount can be pleasant (though I’m not a huge fan), but even a small amount too much can turn it literally into eating perfume. I’m sure the same would apply to using it in beer.
Many of the aroma compounds in roses are also in hops, which means yeast metabolism will change them to some extent. It would be interesting to see how flavor and aroma change based on whether they are used in the whirlpool, in primary, or in keg/secondary.
My only experience thus far is petals in mead steeped in hot water while preparing the must and left in for primary. When bottled a year or more later the aroma is pronounced but not overwhelming. I have also put petals in a cocktail I made for my sweetie on Valentines Day. I believe I simply poured the cocktail into a glass with one or two petals. The effect was subtle but noticeable. there might have been an aphrodisiacal effect as I recall, but maybe that something else…
While I’ve never brewed this one, I’ve got a recipe for a Belgian Blonde that uses both dried rose hips and dried rosebuds. For a 5 gallon batch, 5 teaspoons dried rose hips are added 20 minutes into the boil. At flameout, 5 tablespoons dried rosebuds are added. There’s also a variation listed calling for fresh petals from 5 roses in place of the rosebuds.
I played around with rose hips, rose water, rose petals. Did not like the results. Think potpourri.
Its hard to get it subtle enough for sure and even then its probably not for everyone, but I believe it can be done. Like kefir lime leaves IMO in that it can be perfumy if a very close threshold is passed.
I don’t doubt you are right.
Might taste good in a witbier as the “secret” ingredient…
I would also say that less is more. my wife has used flowers in a few beers- she made a merigold amarillo IPA that was pretty good- although the flowers did add an intense bitterness. She also did a lavender saison. Again very good- however we used less lavender than recommended and it still came out smelling like bathroom soap.
saisons are a good safe playground for flavors of this nature especially when fermented at higher temps to really bring our those fruity, spicy esters. I would just proceed with a REALLY light hand
on the lavender, did you make sure to use the culinary variety instead of the perfume/soap/medicinal variety?