John J Hall was their first hire, a seasoned production brewer from Goose Island known for his technical expertise, and his first task was perfecting the long-standing 5 Rabbit recipes from Randy Mosher and the team, like 5 Lizard and the namesake golden ale. But the first major seasonal release that really showed his skill was Huitzi. Randy describes the process:



"Making beers with non-traditional ingredients represents a huge technical challenge. Over the last year or so, we're growing in our understanding of these ingredients, each of which has its own learning curve. With this one, the hibiscus is the focus, and based on some research, we changed our extraction approach to draw out less pectin, which formed a haze last year. Not only did we get a dramatically clearer beer, we also got better color and a more elegant aroma, all just by changing the temperature of the "tea" we made in the hop back with the hibiscus. "

Described as a "midwinter" ale, Huitzi blends flavors from hibiscus, honey, ginger and chamomile to produce a restrained but herbaceous and fruitful bouquet in a beer more reminiscent of what's going on in Spain and Italy's craft brewing culture where ingredients like rosemary and mushrooms are all the rage. (side note, look for 5 Rabbit's new Ki'Chun beer made with chanterelles while you're at it.)