Flowery Teas

I'll be making a wit bier again. After the vanilla didn't quite show up in the STL Wit I wanted to go a different way with my second wit bier. I've decided to try out a few varieties of flower blossoms, or petals, as a tea. My inspiration for this beer has been a number of flower beers that I haven't had a chance to try, and some that I have. The original batch of Goose Island's Fluer is having a large influence over this beer.

(please read more about my flowered teas after the break.)

To make a simple flower tea you can use a french press. This isn't the first piece of brewing equipment that I would buy, but if you intend to make infusions and add them to your beer this is indispensable.

I've started with three flowers(technically 2 flowers and a sepal) to add flavors to my wit bier: Hibiscus, Lavender and Rosebuds.

Hibiscus is a sepal, not a petal in case you were wondering. It adds a distinctive tart cranberry flavor, as well as a deep red color. Rosebuds are the whole bud of a rose. The aroma is flowery and earthy, it is pleasant  The flavor is a bit flowery. The color is pinkish. Lavender is a flower petal. It smells like soap, it tastes like soap, it had a very neutral yellow color.

With each tea sampled on its own I began to blend them to find a natural mix. I started with an even blend, and this had far too much lavender. Then I added a bit of the hibiscus, and a bit more. I ended my blends with about 3 to 2 to 1 of hibiscus, rosebuds, and lavender.

The pictures of the teas were so beautiful I wanted to make a post just for them. Look for the post on the beer eventually.