spring brews

[speedie]

Now that it is spring and there are plenty of flowers about have any of you adventurous brewers used any in your brews

I drove by an oval covered with dandelions this morning and thought that there could get used in some sort of amber ale with low hopping rates and a good estery yeast
Either used in the boil say at 5 minutes from end or in the whirlpool
Any thoughts

[Bum]

I've never used (nor tasted) dandelion before. Traditionally you use the leaves and roots rather than the flowers, right? What do they add to a beer and what style will you be using them in?

[speedie]

there will be some sugars from the pollen
there will be some scent from the flower it self
it could go under the style of herb beer

there is a brewery in NZ which uses a particualr flower that they have there and it is well recieved when brewed seasonaly
bum dont know how old you are but there was a brew done on the east coast many years ago
dont remeber the name of the brewery but the name ot the beer was "Wattle Ale"
it used the flower of the wattle tree
good beer from what memerory i have left!

[Bum]

I know Barons did a black wattle ale but that wasn't long ago so probably not the same beer (considering age comes into it)? They just went broke, didn't they? Can still get the beer in shops though if it is a different beer to the one you're thinking of and want to see if it is similar. They also did a lemon myrtle beer but I didn't think that one was as good.

Sounds interesting.

[speedie]

the wattle ale i am talking about was made cicra 1988
about the same time that balmain bock was about!
could have been geoff scharer brews

[RUM57L]

Bum.. has Baron's gone busters? has it been taken over?

Speedie.. the only flower that comes to my mind would be chamomille (spelling) as used in tea.. you might be able to dry them out and use them.. probally have some sort of health benefits too

[gregb]

I think that Rum is on the right track with the tea. Have a look at what gets used in teas for somewhere to start.
Bergamot ( Earl Grey), chamomile, jasmin and yes, dandelion that I can think of off the top of my head.

[Bum]

the wattle ale i am talking about was made cicra 1988

Ah, not the same beer then. Yeah, I am on the young side for remembering beers of the 80s. You should give Barons' Black Wattle a go - see how it compares. It's not amazing or anything but I do remember liking it.

Rum, last I heard was that Barons had gone into voluntary receivership. So not broke as I described but near as bloody well. Still trading but these things don't usually go so well - especially when you think about how much they must have spent on their new brewery.

I dunno about the tea. I've been doing a little bit of reading and it looks like the roots and leaves have good bittering properties so could be a goer as a straight hop replacement. Haven't found much about the flowers used in a beer though. Interesting to hear how it goes.

[chadjaja]

The Rosée d’Hibiscus is a soft spoken wheat beer. The rose colour comes from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavour of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
2006 to 2009 vintages 5.9% abv
2010 vintage 5.0%

i've still got a packet of native pepperberries that I plan to use in a brew but have yet to come up with a recipe to do so.

[speedie]

dont quote me on this but i am prettt sure barons were wholesalers
ie they contracted others to do there brewing

[Bum]

They ended up building their own brewery. Quite an impressive thing from what I heard. Must have had an equally impressive bank loan to go with it.

In any case, they designed the recipes and they were built to their directions. You wouldn't look down you nose at a brewer that employs people to make his beer. What's the difference?

[bullfrog]

Was never much of a fan of Baron's, in honesty. It's a shame if they've gone under, but that's more speaking from a choice of variety perspective, rather than a distinct sense of loss for their products.

[Bum]

I didn't mind their black wattle thingo when I had it but I never went back for more. A lot of people seem to like their ESB but I think it is pretty dull. I really like that they were pretty balls out, you know? Most breweries start with a pale and maybe a pils. They hit the ground running with, what? Six beers? Two of them beers that had no contemporaries? Brave stuff.

[bullfrog]

I didn't mind their black wattle thingo when I had it but I never went back for more. A lot of people seem to like their ESB but I think it is pretty dull. I really like that they were pretty balls out, you know? Most breweries start with a pale and maybe a pils. They hit the ground running with, what? Six beers? Two of them beers that had no contemporaries? Brave stuff.

Agreed, but that speaks again to my point. Without people on the market doing things like that, it's not going to encourage other breweries to branch into avenues they'd previously not considered. Again, not too disappointed that I won't be able to find them on the shelves, just more disappointed at the lack of variety that they pushed everyone else to delve into.

[RUM57L]

Agreed its a shame for any brewer to go busters.

The ESB was on my wish list to try along with the lemon myrtle ... just to say i've tried it i guess.
I'll have to grab some before stocks run out, would be a shame to miss out guess the lesson to be learned is not to take any beers for granted.

The

The Rosée d’Hibiscus is a soft spoken wheat beer. The rose colour comes from the hibiscus flowers added during the brewing process. The aromas and flavour of this tropical flower are very prominent in the beer, giving it a slight acidity and a very agreeable fragrance. It is the perfect thirst quencher on a hot summer day.
2006 to 2009 vintages 5.9% abv
2010 vintage 5.0%

Doesn't sound too bad, maybe put one down after cutting the grass

Any updates on what your planning Speedie?

[speedie]

I had better get picking some flowers before they dry up
Will probably use pacman culture on an old strong ale style
Pale malt, dark crystal, splash of Munich and a dash of black malt
Aim for 1085 OG ferment @ 16 a just generally see what happens

After the ferment I will recoup the yeast and do that RIS
It will save having to wash the yeast
To get the strong stout flavor out
I.e. ale first batch followed by stout

I don’t have any problems with “brewers” contracting other breweries to do there work but am opposed to marketers trying the same approach
It is very hard to make a good living out of commercial brewing

[RUM57L]

I had better get picking some flowers before they dry up
Will probably use pacman culture on an old strong ale style
Pale malt, dark crystal, splash of Munich and a dash of black malt
Aim for 1085 OG ferment @ 16 a just generally see what happens

Wow sounds great Speedie,

let us know how it turns out

[Bum]

Will probably use pacman culture on an old strong ale style
...
Aim for 1085 OG ferment @ 16 a just generally see what happens

I just ran these numbers through MrMalty's yeast pitching calculator assuming your standard 400L brew size...um...how big were you planning on your starter being for a beer with such a high OG?

[speedie]

200 litre brew for trial @ 1085-90 all grain
there is a substansial deposit of white yeast cells on bottom of demijohn now
have already grown up to 22 litre culture will decant off beer and re innoculate with fresh wort to 15 litres and let it run until saturday
should have a really good cell count by saturday and very active fermentation
my thoughts are copper in colour about 50 ibus then 500 grams of fresh picked flowers at 5 minutes from boil end
hope that balance is about right
will sparge off the remaining grains to collect a low og beer
sort of partigyle stuff
will keep posted also may take some photos of brew day
cheers speedie

possible name is "wicked dandilion ale"

[Lachy]

i've still got a packet of native pepperberries that I plan to use in a brew but have yet to come up with a recipe to do so.

Likewise... I recall James Squire came up with a seasonal release, from memory a pepperberry amber ale. It wasn't bad. I've got wattleseed to do a Barons Black Wattle Dark Ale, but again, I'm still short of a decent recipe to use.

I always loved the Barons lemon myrtle wheat... I've brewed a fairly accurate kit n kilo copy three or so times over the last two years and it's always been a winner with friends. Very refreshing in hot weather.