Med Bag of Chips

Ham, cheddar cheese, fresh tomatoes, and arugula.

Ham and Cheese Sandwich

Sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, and mustard in a whole wheat wrap.

Fit Turkey Wrap

Ale brewed with Hibiscus and Local Honey (ABV 5.1%).

Heat 3.0 gallons of strike water to 164°F (to target mash temp ~152°F). Add crushed pale malt, flaked corn and Carapils to the mash tun and stir to eliminate dough balls. Stabilize mash at 152°F and hold for 60 minutes, stirring gently once or twice during the rest.

Heat strike water and mash in

After 60 minutes, raise temperature to ~168°F for a 10-minute mash out. Vorlauf until runoff is clear, then sparge with 2.0 gallons of 170°F water and collect enough wort to finish with approximately 6.0–6.5 gallons pre-boil (accounting for hops and evaporation).

Mash out and sparge

Bring wort to a vigorous boil and follow a 60-minute hop schedule: At 60 minutes remaining, add 0.5 oz Cascade (bittering). With 15 minutes remaining, add 1 tsp Irish Moss (or Whirlfloc). At 10 minutes remaining, add 0.25 oz Saaz (flavor/aroma). Turn off heat at end of 60-minute boil.

Boil schedule

After flameout (when heat is off) allow wort to cool for 5 minutes then add the dried hibiscus in a hop bag or steeping bag and stir gently. Add the 1.0 lb of local honey at flameout as well (or split: 0.5 lb at flameout and 0.5 lb at secondary to conserve some honey character). Steep hibiscus in the hot wort for 10–15 minutes for color and tart floral character, then remove the bag.

Hibiscus and honey additions

Cool the wort quickly to yeast pitch temperature (around 68°F) using an immersion chiller or ice bath. Total cooled volume should be ~5.0 gallons into the fermenter. Check gravity—target original gravity ~1.049–1.051 (to give ~5.1% ABV).

Cool wort

Aerate or oxygenate the cooled wort well (shake, stir, or use pure O2) and pitch the ale yeast (rehydrate dry yeast per manufacturer if using dry). Maintain fermentation temperature 66–70°F for a clean estery profile.

Pitch yeast

Allow primary fermentation to proceed for 5–7 days until vigorous activity calms and specific gravity drops substantially (expected FG ~1.012–1.014). Monitor temperature and keep within target range.

Primary fermentation

If you split the honey addition above, transfer to a secondary fermenter after primary (optional) and add remaining 0.5 lb honey and an extra 0.5–1.0 oz of lightly crushed hibiscus (sanitized by steeping in hot water or using previously boiled hibiscus) to boost aroma and color. Let condition 5–7 days. If you added all hibiscus and honey at flameout, skip this step and let beer finish in primary.

Secondary / Hibiscus boost (optional)

After fermentation is complete and final gravity is stable for 2–3 days, cold crash to near 40°F for 48 hours to help clear particulate matter (hibiscus can increase haze). Rack to bottling bucket.

Stabilize and condition

Dissolve 3.3 oz (approx. 94 g) corn sugar in 1 cup boiling water, cool and add to a sanitized bottling bucket. Siphon beer onto the priming solution and gently mix to distribute evenly. Bottle in sanitized bottles and cap. Target carbonation: 2.2–2.6 volumes CO2 (typical for an ale).

Prime and bottle

Store bottles at 68–72°F for 10–14 days to carbonate, then cold condition for 3–7 days before tasting. Let beer age an additional 1–2 weeks for flavors (hibiscus mellows and blends with honey).

Bottle conditioning

Pale Malt (2-row)

Flaked Corn

Carapils / Dextrine Malt

Honey (local, light color)

Hibiscus (dried flowers, calyces)

Cascade hops (pellets, 5-7% AA)

Saaz hops (or similar mild)

Irish Moss (or Whirlfloc tablet)

Ale yeast (Safale US-05 or Wyeast 1056/White Labs WLP001)

Water (brewing)

Water (sparge)

Gypsum (calcium sulfate) - optional

Calcium Chloride - optional

Corn sugar (dextrose) for bottling

Iguana Bait- Florida Keys Brewing Co.

Make Iguana Bait- Florida Keys Brewing Co. Recipe in just 24h . Ale brewed with Hibiscus and Local Honey (ABV 5.1%).

Iguana Bait- Florida Keys Brewing Co.

Descriptors

Tasting Notes

Food Pairings

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