Hibiscus Rose Hip Blonde

I realized that this is the time of year where I would have already picked huckleberries and service berries from my property in Alpine if I still lived there and the only thing left to harvest would be the rose hips from all of the wild roses surrounding the house. Annually after the first frost I would pick the rose hips and dry them in the oven for use in tea and brewing. Since I no longer live there I brew with different plants available to me locally like chokecherries. I went down to my LHBS and bought a package of dried rose hips for $4 and started formulating a recipe. I decided to develop a red color in a pale beer by adding a good amount of dried hibiscus flowers harvested from the backyard. I have used hibiscus in small amounts in the past but this is definitely my most aggressive application of the flower. Hibiscus is tart and somewhat astringent and is popularly used in teas--Celestial Seasonings calls any tea that includes hibiscus, Zinger, and has trademarked the term. I supplemented my homegrown hibiscus with two tea bags of Sudanese Hibiscus and will use more in secondary if the color is not where I want it. Staying with the floral theme I used a good amount of dried chamomile flowers from the garden as well. I thought a blonde beer would make a nice  base for flowers and give a good opportunity to achieve the ruby/twilight color I am looking for.

Hibiscus Rose Hip Blonde Recipe:

Specifics:

60 minute boil

Anticipated OG 1.050

Anticipated FG 1.012

Anticipated IBU 25.5

Anticipated SRM 5.52 (prior to flower additions)

Grain:
7 lbs. US 2-Row
1 lbs. White Wheat Malt
1 lbs. Munich
.5 lbs. Carapils
.25 lbs. Acidulated
.25 lbs. Golden Naked Oats

Hops:
.5 oz Czech Premiant (7.1 AA) at 60 min
.5 oz East Kent Golding at 30 min
.5 oz Hallertau at 15 min
.5 oz East Kent Golding at 5 min
.5 oz Hallertau at 5 min

Yeast:
SafBrew T-58

Spices:
3 oz Rose hips at 5 min
3 oz Chamomile at 5 min
3 oz Hibiscus plus 2 bags Sudanese Hibiscus tea at 5 min
1 g Grains of Paradise at 5 min
2 g Indian Coriander at 5 min

-all spices crushed, all flowers dried

Notes:
Brewed on 10/19/11 by myself.
Collected 7 gallons of preboil wort but due to low propane supply I didn't get a strong boil and only lost 1 gallon of liquid in a 60 minute boil instead of 1.5 gallons expected. Didn't extend boil due to concerns of bitterness adjusting OG to 1.046; SRM 5.05; IBU 23.4.