Sarano Blonde Pepper Beer

Type: All Grain
Date: 1/16/2011
Batch Size: 5.00 gal
Brewer: Steve
Boil Size: 6.41 gal Asst Brewer:
Boil Time: 60 min Equipment: Brew Pot (7.5 gal) and Cooler (48 qt)
Taste Rating(out of 50): 35.0 Brewhouse Efficiency: 75.00
Taste Notes:

Ingredients

Amount Item Type % or IBU
7.00 lb Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.00 %
1.00 lb Cara-Pils/Dextrine (2.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
1.00 lb Caramel/Crystal Malt - 10L (10.0 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
1.00 lb Vienna Malt (3.5 SRM) Grain 10.00 %
0.25 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (60 min) Hops 8.9 IBU
0.25 oz Centennial [10.00 %] (35 min) Hops 7.4 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (20 min) Hops 3.0 IBU
0.25 oz Cascade [5.50 %] (5 min) Hops 1.0 IBU
1 Pkgs Nottingham Ale Yeast (White Labs #WLP039) Yeast-Ale



Beer Profile

Est Original Gravity: 1.054 SG
Measured Original Gravity: 1.056 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.012 SG Measured Final Gravity: 1.007 SG
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 5.49 % Actual Alcohol by Vol: 6.39 %
Bitterness: 20.3 IBU Calories: 246 cal/pint
Est Color: 5.0 SRM Color: Color


Mash Profile

Mash Name: Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Total Grain Weight: 10.00 lb
Sparge Water: 4.74 gal Grain Temperature: 72.0 F
Sparge Temperature: 168.0 F TunTemperature: 72.0 F
Adjust Temp for Equipment: FALSE Mash PH: 5.4 PH

Single Infusion, Light Body, No Mash Out Step Time Name Description Step Temp
75 min Mash In Add 12.50 qt of water at 161.4 F 150.0 F



Mash Notes: Simple single infusion mash for use with most modern well modified grains (about 95% of the time).
Carbonation and Storage

Carbonation Type: Corn Sugar Volumes of CO2: 2.4
Pressure/Weight: 3.8 oz Carbonation Used: -
Keg/Bottling Temperature: 60.0 F Age for: 28.0 days
Storage Temperature: 52.0 F







Racked to secondary with 4 large sliced sarano peppers with seeds.
Taste at bottling: Pepper taste overpowering beer. Not to hot but with a slight bite that goes away quickly. Aroma is very pepper smelling but pleasant.
Two weeks after bottling: malt flavor is coming out and and mellowing out the green pepper flavor. The heat is better and very enjoyable. This is turning out to be a well balance beer.

I like your thinking, hot pepper beer sounds good. Any particular reason you went with the Serrano vs any other hot pepper? Thinking about using a smoked pepper or dried vs fresh. The smoked/dried might avoid the green pepper veg taste. The other thought would be a hot sauce brew (like sriracha sauce not vinegar based like tabasco). Thoughts?

This is exactly what I've been looking for! How long did you keep it in the secondary before bottling? Would you roast the peppers if you did it again or has the green taste gone away?

Jersey..Well I went with Sarano because it pretty much was what was available. I did actually buy a bag of dried chilis but I chickened out because I didn't want it too hot. I don't mind the heat but its gotta have flavor. I actaully like the smoked idea and would have done it if I could find something worthwild.

Mpayson..I think roasting the peppers would be a great taste addition to this beer and I like the smokey flavor idea from Jersey. As for the grean taste, it has pretty much been covered up by the malt. What remains is the pepper flavor with just a dash of heat in your throat. I can see this beer pairing with either a burger or handful of tacos (authentic not Taco Bell). I left it in the secondary for about 5 days. I was afraid of making it too hot.

Sdragon980 said:

Jersey..Well I went with Sarano because it pretty much was what was available. I did actually buy a bag of dried chilis but I chickened out because I didn't want it too hot. I don't mind the heat but its gotta have flavor. I actaully like the smoked idea and would have done it if I could find something worthwild.

Mpayson..I think roasting the peppers would be a great taste addition to this beer and I like the smokey flavor idea from Jersey. As for the grean taste, it has pretty much been covered up by the malt. What remains is the pepper flavor with just a dash of heat in your throat. I can see this beer pairing with either a burger or handful of tacos (authentic not Taco Bell). I left it in the secondary for about 5 days. I was afraid of making it too hot.

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Smoke with a little heat.. you could use Spanish Smoked Paprika. Dont laugh not all paprika is the flavorless red stuff in the back of the spice cabinet. Smoked Paprika has as much smoked intensity as chipotles but much less heat. Spanish varieties can be found from sweet and mild (dulce) bittersweet medium hot (agridulce) and hot (picante). The picante according to my wife & 7 year old is "hot". Being a chili head, it is still mild to me. I would think the vodka infusion method with some sort of filtering for the ground spice. Adding to the mash might work too. Going to have to put this into the schedule for this summer. BTW I like La Dalia brand "agridulce" version when making chorizo. Cheers

JerseyJoe said:

Smoke with a little heat.. you could use Spanish Smoked Paprika. Dont laugh not all paprika is the flavorless red stuff in the back of the spice cabinet. Smoked Paprika has as much smoked intensity as chipotles but much less heat. Spanish varieties can be found from sweet and mild (dulce) bittersweet medium hot (agridulce) and hot (picante). The picante according to my wife & 7 year old is "hot". Being a chili head, it is still mild to me. I would think the vodka infusion method with some sort of filtering for the ground spice. Adding to the mash might work too. Going to have to put this into the schedule for this summer. BTW I like La Dalia brand "agridulce" version when making chorizo. Cheers

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Hmmm, Your making me think of revisiting this batch in my brew schedule and adding the smoked paprika. That would add another demension to the beer. Vodka infused paprika or vodka infusion into the beer? I wonder what it would add if you added vodko infused woodchips? Maybe cinge the wood edges to put the smoked flavor into the beer?
This is why I love Homebrew.com! Its lets me take me beer brewing up a notch.

I was planning on using the vodka technique rather than peppers strait into the secondary, until I saw your recipe. Now I may split a batch (vodka vs fresh) when racking to secondary. The Vodka infusion is used as a way of extracting the flavors from a herb, spice or flavoring (yes oak chips) in a sanitary way without adding the actual spice or flavoring to the boil/mash/fermenter directly. Besides avoiding batch spoiling bugs, some delicate flavors wont stand up to the abuse of a boil even if added at flame out. The technique described in several books (radical brewing, brewing classic styles) is to put 2-3 oz of vodka in a sealable jar, add your flavor item, seal jar well and let sit (room temp)for a couple of days/weeks. The amount of time depends on what you are trying to extract into the vodka. You will be amazed at the amount of flavor you can get. Use for fresh cedar, heather, cooked bacon, bbq, paprika, chamomile, citrus zest, spices, nuts. There isn't enough alcohol to effect a 5 gallon batch much. An added plus you can add infused vodka in steps to bottling bucket at bottling so you can taste and control the blend better. There are some additional steps to bacon/bbq to remove fat. To your point about infusing vodka on it own: a spicy bacon vodka martini would be awesome (cherry tomato as the garnish). Let me know how it turns out, Ill do the same. Cheers

JerseyJoe said:

The other thought would be a hot sauce brew (like sriracha sauce not vinegar based like tabasco). Thoughts?

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Sriracha sauce, when combined with anything sweet comes out as super-garlic-y and not very hot. Try some on an apple slice, the earthy garlic is predominant. I would think that in beer it might be the same. I dont knwo about tabasco.

A vodka infusion of steeped peppers seems like good advice.

I had this beer today in a homebrew competition and was very impressed. It has a strong aroma from the fruitiness of the pepper, but no maltiness as expected from an American Amber Ale (style it was entered in the fruit beer category under). It has a good fruity taste you expect from fresh peppers and just the right amount of heat for a pepper beer. It got promoted to the mini best of show for it's category and only took second due to the fact that the fruitiness of the pepper overpowered the american amber style and the coffee chocolate stout that won balanced it's three characteristics (coffee, chocolate, and stout) better. A very good beer and I would really to try it again once he increases the malt and bittering hops to make it balance out a little bit better.

Its already on my brew schedule to do what you mention. Now where did my notes go...

Nice job sdragon! Congrats on 2nd place. Thanks for sharing the tasting notes manortc and the recipe sdragon.

Would you say that the pepper flavor comes through because it isn't too malty? Or would say the peppers would taste better in a amber done more to style i.e. malty?

I plan to head the direction of more balance and try your Serrano idea in close style an american pale ale. Grain bill is close to yours: 8 and 3/4# Pale Domestic , 1/2# Munich, 1/2# Cara Munich, 1/4#Cara Vienna, hops are nugget 60m, cascade 15m, Kent G 5m (3/4ozea) fermenting with Wyeast London ESB. Serrano's in the 2nd.

Will let you know brewing next weekend.

I think the pepper flavor was strong enough to still come through even if there was more malt and caramel aromas and hop bitterness in the flavor of this beer. It may be tough to get this balance just right with getting enough of the beer to show through the peppers without having too much in the beer.

I agree, I think the peppers will come through either way. I was planning on bumping up the pale malt and vienna a bit plus maybe adding a little Munich.
After reading my notes, I actually used my own hops in this beer but I think I'll stay with the same hops but adding a little more at the beginning and end of the boil.
The one thing that I have always felt about this beer is that it seems light. I wanted a little bit more body to it. I'll find it though.