5x pepper beers

IrregularPulse said:

I want it spicy but drinkable. Perhaps half the hab?

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I think one hab in 5gal won't be undrinkably spicy. If I'm gauging it right, if you like spicy things it'll be fairly spicy for you and people who only like mild spiciness will have a hard time with it.

You could deseed it to reduce the heat a bit and still get the flavor contribution.

What would you recommend using for just extracting the heat aspect without gaining any of the flavors of the pepper itself? I'm looking for a bit of heat at the back end of the beer without tasting the actual flavors of chilis.

I remember an interesting tip from a Jamaican cook I learned a long time ago. This guy threw several habanero peppers in a stock that was boiling. I thought it was going to be crazy hot, naturally. But he said that because he added them whole, without cutting the skin, the heat really wouldn't enter the stock, but the flavor largely would. Maybe this is a way to get the hab flavor without all the heat? I'll have to try it myself eventually (either in the boiling wort or in secondary), but in case anyone else wants to experiment with this technique, I thought I'd share.

D_Ranged_Eskimo said:

What would you recommend using for just extracting the heat aspect without gaining any of the flavors of the pepper itself? I'm looking for a bit of heat at the back end of the beer without tasting the actual flavors of chilis.

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Cut out the white connective tissue in the inside of the pepper and use that. That is what contains most of the heat, and won't have much flavor on its own.

D_Ranged_Eskimo said:

What would you recommend using for just extracting the heat aspect without gaining any of the flavors of the pepper itself? I'm looking for a bit of heat at the back end of the beer without tasting the actual flavors of chilis.

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Well I was thinking pure capsaicin but it's apparently too dangerous to handle in powdered form.

"Pure capsaicin is so powerful that chemists who handle the crystalline powder must work in a filtered "tox room" in full body protection. The suit has a closed hood to prevent inhaling the powder.
Said pharmaceutical chemist Lloyd Matheson of the University of Iowa, who once inhaled some capsaicin accidentally: "It's not toxic, but you wish you were dead if you inhale it." "One milligram of pure capsaicin
placed on your hand would feel like a red-hot poker and would surely blister the skin," said capsaicin expert Marlin Bensinger."

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Typically whenever I've seen capsaicin extracts they're oil based which wouldn't be ideal for beer. They come in dropper bottles because they're so potent, I suppose a drop or two of oil wouldn't hurt your beer too much.

Alternately you could take a bunch of habaneros and soak only the seeds and white inner lining in vodka, discarding the fleshy part. You'd get some flavor but a TON of heat.

edit: Here's a tutorial on how to extract as much heat as possible: http://www.ehow.com/how_7826415_make-pure-capsaicin.html

Whatever you do, wear gloves.

bovineblitz said:

...Whatever you do, wear gloves.

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And don't take a piss half way through

mattd2 said:

And don't take a piss half way through

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Or get an eye itch!!!

Thanks for the help. I had a porter from Left Hand Brewing Company that had a bit of spice with no real chili flavor that was awesome!

subscribing!

bovineblitz said:

Habanero: Wooh! Good amount of heat in the back of the throat. The delicious earthy flavor hits right before the heat but just barely. For me, it's too much heat on its own about 80% of the time... I like heat but I don't normally like to be bombarded with it. It'd be cool to separate out the heat from the flavor but I'm not sure how to do that... I only used 1/4 of a habanero in a gallon after all.

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I am a huge habanero fan and would love to pack loads of that fruity funky flavor into a beer without the blasting heat. One of my ideas, that I haven't had an opportunity to try out yet would be to obtain some some Zavory habaneros (100 scoville units) or Trinidad Perfume (1000 scoville units). They are not really available commerically so you would have to grow your own. They are mild enough that you could use like a half pound in there easiy! In my mind, I think it would pair great with Citra and/or Galaxy hops.

"Or get an eye itch!!!"

Yeah,... learned those two (mattd2 also) the hot way. Making chicken dijon one night and I figured I'd make it a little hotter with some jalapeños from my garden. Chop, chop, chop and into the sauce ya go. Wash my hands, go take a leak, wash my hands and sit on the couch. Hmmm, little pete and the twins are feeling kinda extra warm. Schist, the peppers. Back to the bathroom, wash, wash, wash. Enjoy a nice spicy meal. Pop the contacts out. Hmm, slight burning sensation. Off to sleep. Next morning getting ready for work, pop the contacts in and holy crap someone put hot coals in my eyes! Now I always wear disposable gloves when using hot peppers/sauces.

I have been experimenting with a blonde ale recipe and habenero, the first time I mashed with 2 fresh peppers no veins/seeds in 5 gals, and then added 2 roasted pepper no veins and about 6 seeds. The beer had a ton of habenero flavor and just a bit of heat.

I have version 2 in the primary now, 4 roasted peppers no veins/seeds in the boil at 30 min, going to follow the original recipe with 2 roasted peppers and about 6 seeds in the secondary. I will post my results from round 2