Green Chile beer

I am thinking of racking a gallon of Pale Ale into a 1 gallon secondary on top of 2 cut up frozen roasted green chilies. Has anyone ever tried this, or is this a stupid idea idea?

Haven't run across it, but just about every other pepper and peppercorn has been used, so I won't call it a stupid idea. My guess is it would depend on the hopping, so give it a try and let us know the results.

I have tried a beer that was created by Brewpastor (If I'm not too mistaken)

Pancho Verde Chile Cerveza - Rio Grande Brewing Company - BeerAdvocate

IIRC, this was his brewery and they had a green chile beer. I did enjoy it, but would not personally want 5 gallons of it sitting around; it was much more spicy than I was expecting.

In other words, it can be done, and I encourage you to try it if you like green chile flavor and heat

You are correct Neal, that one was made by the brewery Brewpastor owned.

I recently went out to the brewery that does the contract brewing for that beer now and they fire roast their green chiles on site and add it to the beer, in secondary IIRC. I haven't done it myself, but I have been tempted to put a gallon of blonde or cream ale on a couple chiles to see how it comes out. I say go for it and let us know how it tastes.

brewpastor puts 500 to 600 grams of chillis in his beer, per five gallons. I will be adding chilli's to 2.5 gallons of Haus Ale and plan on addding 300 grams of fresh roasted peppers.

I'm not sure the grams but it sounds like 2 roasted green chillies for 1 gallon might be way to much.

Weizenheimer said:

I'm not sure the grams but it sounds like 2 roasted green chillies for 1 gallon might be way to much.

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It really depends on how hot the chiles are and how hot you want the beer. It is a bit like alpha acids, Saaz and Magnum are not the same. Mild chile allows a lot more to be used and thereby getting more flavor and less heat.

As far as Rio Grande Brewing Company goes, I have been out of there for 10 years. Its now owned by the good folks at Sierra Blanca. I don't know anything about their recipes, but assume they aren't the ones I created. We too roasted our chiles on site and I believe it makes a huge difference.

Chile beer can be great if done with care. We won 2 GABF medals for it back in the day.

So I just added 4 Anahiem and 1 Jalapeno to 2.5 gallons of Ed's Haus Ale. The beer recipe is changed a bit in that I added a few more/different hops then the original recipe calls for and I missed my OG by a whole point.

The peppers weighed 366 grams before I roasted them on the stove. I removed just the stems and they weighed 233 grams. I rough chopped them and dumped them into the secondary.

I only have 5 gallon secondary containers so I ended up with a large amount of empty head space. Hope the oxygen doesn't effect the beer too badly.

Sounds very similar to what I was thinking. Since Ed's haus ale is a 6 gallon recipe I always end up with an extra gallon to experiment with. My peppers are out of the garden and then roasted in a basket over my propane burner. For sanitation reasons I figured I'd use some of these that I did a few months ago and froze. Will freezing them first kill off any nasties or is there a better way to sanitize them?

That sounds great.

I made a green chile beer a few years ago, 5 gallons and a one pound container of Bueno mild green chile. Not much heat but HUGE green chile smell and great flavor.

I'm drinking a green chile beer made exactly the way OP suggested. For 5 gallons, I used 2 anaheim chiles (flavor/aroma) and 2 serrano chiles (heat), roasted, chopped, and frozen. The chile flavor/heat was noticeable but not strong, and has faded a little over several weeks in the bottle. The combination of peppers is great - the chile smell and flavor followed by a kick in the back of the throat. I'll double the anaheims and add another serrano next time. OP, using 2 chiles for 1 gallon may be a bit much; I'd start with 1 chile and adjust the next batch. FWIW, someone on this forum has suggested boiling the chopped chiles before adding to secondary to release more chile flavor. I'll be doing that next time, too.

I just bought a sixer of Rio Grande Brewing Pancho Chile Verde Cerveza and it is very nice. I am a huge chile head so I was disappointed at the heat. Just a very slight heat hit at the back of your throat. My SWMBO is wimp and thought it was just a medium heat. But, the roasted chile flavor was great. It tasted like the smell you get standing next to a chile roaster.

I have a batch of BM's Centennial Blonde ready for secondary this weekend. I think I will try some chile's in a couple of gallons.

Brewpastor, if we throw them in right off the roaster, will that be sanitary enough? Or would a dunk in Tequila work?

I have never had a problem with bugs from the chiles. Save the chile for the bugs in your gut!

Brewpastor said:

I have never had a problem with bugs from the chiles. Save the chile for the bugs in your gut!

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I will get some of this going. BrewPaster, come out to the Balloon Fiesta next month and taste some of it. I have been brewing up a storm to get ready. I will have an Irish Red Ale, a Robust Porter, a very light colored Blonde with a few bottles of Chile Verde Cerveza.

Are you a member of the Dukes of Ale?

AirRageous said:

I will get some of this going. BrewPaster, come out to the Balloon Fiesta next month and taste some of it. I have been brewing up a storm to get ready. I will have an Irish Red Ale, a Robust Porter, a very light colored Blonde with a few bottles of Chile Verde Cerveza.

Are you a member of the Dukes of Ale?

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20 years as a Duke! I will have to take you up on the fest. If you fly over Corrales drop in!

You guys mind if I join you guys at Fiesta? I usually get out there on the weekends and crew for my in-laws. They are usually at space H8.

I've been a Duke for almost two years (although I've been missing some of the meetings lately).

Buffman said:

For 5 gallons, I used 2 anaheim chiles (flavor/aroma) and 2 serrano chiles (heat), roasted, chopped, and frozen. The chile flavor/heat was noticeable but not strong, and has faded a little over several weeks in the bottle. The combination of peppers is great - the chile smell and flavor followed by a kick in the back of the throat. I'll double the anaheims and add another serrano next time. OP, using 2 chiles for 1 gallon may be a bit much; I'd start with 1 chile and adjust the next batch.

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+1

I do a chile ale with 4 habaneros the last 10 minutes of the boil (5 gallon batch), then 2 Poblanos roasted & peeled in the secondary (no need to sterilize). It's fantastic, not too hot, as my non-chili-head friends attest, and has great chile flavor. But - I'm going to up that to three Poblanos next time. The chile flavor fades too quick.

I'd do one Anaheim, Poblano or Pasilla for one gallon, and maybe half a habanero (de-veined so it's not too hot). I prefer the citrusy flavor of habs over serranos, especially when paired with Cascades.

By the way, don't overdo the hops. They shouldn't overpower the chile.

BrokenBrew said:

By the way, don't overdo the hops. They shouldn't overpower the chile.

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+1. My green chile base beer is a blonde ale with Sterling hops.

I have used a variety of base beers, everything from a light lager to a golden ale to a Belgian Pale Ale. To me the key is balance that lets the chile come through. I agree that hops should be restrained. I like light to no esters, and think a bit of corn sweetness can be nice. Roast, toast and biscuit flavors can also be good and I even have made Chile Northern Brown, Dunkel and Bock. I personally prefer spicy hops.

I've had some good green chile beers over the years... The best are usually the ones made with recently roasted chiles as they present the sweetness that really brings out the flavor we're all addicted to.
Honestly though, I find the really hot varieties mostly undrinkable. Too much capsaicin makes my taste buds go on strike...

Hmmmmm balloon fiesta beer tasting at 6:00am.... I'm in!

leboeuf said:

The best are usually the ones made with recently roasted chiles as they present the sweetness that really brings out the flavor we're all addicted to.
Honestly though, I find the really hot varieties mostly undrinkable.

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+1 to freshly roasted. I roast just before I add to the secondary. I think the smoky, sweet flavor dissipates quickly, especially if refrigerated.

+1 to not too hot. I'm a major chili-head, but not in beer. Just enough to have a little bite. Any more, and it's not beer, it's salsa. I drink beer with my chips, not dip them in it. That said - I love the flavor of habaneros. It's easy to get that fruity, citrusy flavor w/o a lot of heat by getting rid of all the white stuff (the placenta) and the seeds, and just chopping up the outer layer. That's where the flavor is, but not much heat.

after reding this thread, I picked a nice ripe pepper from the garden,blistered it in a pan,chopped it up and put it in a 1gal. jug of blond ale.:rockin:

hope its good.I got alot of friends that like peppers.

Doog_Si_Reeb said:

You guys mind if I join you guys at Fiesta? I usually get out there on the weekends and crew for my in-laws. They are usually at space H8.
.

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Works for me. I will be out there flying the entire time. I will be piloting one of the Wells Fargo Bank balloons at all the events doing the corporate thing (launch site J-2). My personal balloon will be there also with a friend flying it. The beer tasting/enjoying will be at launch site V-4 but I don't know yet what days will be best.

I had a green chile beer at Eske's brewpub in Taos a few years back. Let's just say I didn't order a second pint...

Michael Jackson creates Steve Eske with creating the green chile beer. Sad to hear your sample was less then satisfactory.

leboeuf said:

Hmmmmm balloon fiesta beer tasting at 6:00am.... I'm in!

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Maybe not quite that early. Usually after flying at about 9am. Unless the weather is bad then we will start earlier.

Brewpastor said:

Michael Jackson creates Steve Eske with creating the green chile beer. Sad to hear your sample was less then satisfactory.

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Didn't know it had such the historical value. I do commend the style but wasn't happy with that instance. Perhaps I just wasn't in the right gastronomical state that day? Who knows? I don't mean to dismiss it, it just wasn't right at the time...

Every brewery has a bad batch or 12.

Got to meet BrewPastor face to face at the Albuquerque "Dukes of Ale" homebrewers club. Nice to meet you and hope we can get together and cook us up a batch soon.

I brewed some of BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde last weekend and it was ready to rack to secondary today. I roasted up a pound of mild green chiles on the grill and dropped them in the carboy. That is 7 large Big Jims. Racked the blonde on top of them and put it back to bed in the brew closet. I can't wait to see the result. I think I will name this one: "El Diablito Verde" (The Little Green Devil)

I'll be tasting my beer tonight, from the carboy, if all goes well.

How long do those of you that have done this, leave the peppers in the beer? I already hit my FG.

secondary for about 2 weeks.

cool, thanks!

Yuck.

I bottled this today. One week ago I dry hopped, with pellets, one ounce of Willamette hops.

The beer smelt weird. kinda vinegary, kinda spicy.

I've always been able to drink my beer when I bottle. Not this time.
It tasted sharp and dry and spicyer then I would have thought. (I am a chili head, so my heat sensors are pretty high up the chart)

There is NO sense of hops at all. Infact, I don't even know if I'd put it in the 'beer' category. I probably wouldn't know it was beer in a blind taste test.

I sure hop this gets better somehow....

I have read of people adding peppers to each bottle when bottling, has anyone tried this?

I want to make a batch, but I don't want five gallons of it. I was thinking of using jalapenos into a couple bottles of a heffe.

I made a Kolsche and "dry hopped" a gallon of it over a couple of nice Hatch Chilis I roasted. Let them sit for a week. Tasted yesterday while bottling and you could taste the Hatch Peppers but not much heat.
Thinks it will be good in a month or so but if not, I only have 12 bottles.

It is official! This batch turned out great. I rushed it to get it ready for the big Balloon Fiesta here in Albuquerque and after just 2 weeks in the bottle, it is by far my best tasting brew out my total of 10. I have friends who want me to brew and sell them an entire 5 gal. batch of the stuff. Of course I would never "sell" any of my homebrew. That would be illegal ....

I took some of this to the Dukes of Ale Homebrewing Club here in Albuquerque last night. It was definitely a hit. Brewpastor gave me some very nice compliments although he thought it needed just a little bit of heat to it. I used very mild Big Jim chiles. It has a very nice aroma and taste, just now heat.

I have another batch ready for secondary this weekend and will experiment with combining mild Anehiem chiles and medium Big Jims.

It really was a good batch. Great chile character and aroma, well balanced in a nice clean and crisp beer. Really well done.

Hey guys, out of curiosity, when do you break out a bottle of this? I would assume it pairs well with a Mexican meal, but very curious how else you've used it?

Intriguing recipe. Congrats on it coming out so well.