Grains of paradise ??????

So I am thinking about doing a Sam Summer clone for my next all grain batch. The recepies I have come across seem to call for 2 oz of "Grains of paradise". I have now learned what that is but as one would imagine difficult to find. That being said between the difficulty in finding these grains of paradise coupled with wanting to make this recipie a wee bit my own can black pepper be substituted ? If so in what form ? Whole corns, or ground ? Anyone have any ideas or knowledge in this area ?

You should be able to get Grains of Paridise at your brew shop or online. Two ounces sounds like way to much for a beer. I used 1/4 tsp finely ground using a mortar and pestel and it was way to much in a 6 gallon Orange Pale Ale. Not peppery, just overwhelming.

A little goes a long way.

Purely hearsay on my part, but people add coriander and black pepper in modest amounts to sub for GoP. I would also caution that spices really go a long way in your beverage. You can always add a bit more next time!

I put about a teaspoon in a ziplock bag and crush them with a hammer or something (1 gallon recipe.) Toss it in anywhere from 5 minutes to flameout depending on how long you let your wort steep afterwards. I have heard that toasting them on a pan releases more of the flavors but have not tried this. I have used many spices such as GoP and coriander and have to say, while it has a nice name, Grains of Paradise was nothing spectacular in the brew. Then again, I keep all the spices very low after a went crazy in a pilsner and left it undrinkable for almost 4 months.

Just to confirm, you mean to GRAMS, right? That is the standard size packet you are likely to find at a brew shop.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/paradise-seeds-2-grams.html

Oops yes grams. It was a late night post. So a small amount of crushed pepper would be ok ??