Genral question about chilli beer.

If I was wanting to try a saison that was spiced with ghost pepper extract when would be the ideal time to add it, during the boil or in the fermenter? Any help would be appreciated also the extract in question is oil based.

first off that sounds horrible...i think the chili would end up taking over the whole profile of the saison...
that being said since its oil based i would put it in bottling bucket, since its not an acual pepper you dont need to age the beer on it.

EDIT: maybe in a very low amount itll take somewhat of a corriander/GOP type spice on the back end of your palate. prost!

GenoTap said:

the extract in question is oil based.

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Bad idea.

Why not use actual ghost chilies (maybe even just one)? You could just add them to secondary, I've done that with peppers before.

The oil-based extract is a bit of a concern because you don't know if it will get thoroughly emulsified and distributed into the beer. If you really want to use an oil-based extract, add something acidic to it (a little lemon juice). You could add it at the end of the boil to be sure it gets mixed in, or you could use a secondary where you put the oil in the bottom of the secondary and rack on top of it. You definitely want some good mixing action.

Some people will say adding oil in any capacity will kill the head retention, in my experience that's not really true (2lb of peanuts in 1gal = good head retention, for example... and hops are loaded with oils)... but an alcohol-based extract would be the better method if you want to use an extract.

I had a Belgian Golden Ale at Ladyface that was made with ghost pepper. There was no flavor at all from the pepper, just extreme heat in the back of the throat. Interesting concept, but I was over it long before I finished the glass. I can't imagine having 5 gallons of it.

ktblunden said:

I had a Belgian Golden Ale at Ladyface that was made with ghost pepper. There was no flavor at all from the pepper, just extreme heat in the back of the throat. Interesting concept, but I was over it long before I finished the glass. I can't imagine having 5 gallons of it.

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Could always mix peppers... use some ancho for some earthy peppery goodness and some ghost for the heat. Something fruity like panca to add a berry-like element too.

I did an experiment a while ago and found that mixing was better and more complex for my tastes.

If he's using an extract though I assume all he wants is heat.

Was thinking of adding just a touch since with this stuff a little goes a very very very long way. I thank you all for the input that was constructive and helpful, I'll pass it along to my brewing buddy.

Why a ghost chili? There are so many fantastic chili's out there that have such depth of flavor. Just because it's the highest on the scoville scale doesn't make it the best...and IMO quite the opposite.

bovineblitz said:

Could always mix peppers... use some ancho for some earthy peppery goodness and some ghost for the heat. Something fruity like panca to add a berry-like element too.

I did an experiment a while ago and found that mixing was better and more complex for my tastes.

If he's using an extract though I assume all he wants is heat.

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That's really the thing though. I agree with a mix you can get some nice flavor out of it, but to just go with the bhut jolokia all you're going to get is the capsaicin with no vegetable flavor at all, even if he were using the real thing instead of extract.

I roasted up a bunch of hatch chilies that I'll be adding to a cream ale pretty soon, I expect to get some nice flavor and a little bit of heat out of them.

I dropped peppers into the bottle after soaking them in vodka.
Figured this way I wouldn't ruin an entire batch.

I'm game to mix peppers but my brew buddy has a bottle of "the Source" ghost pepper extract and was toying with the idea of brewing with it. I'll talk mixing peppers with him and just try to make the best thing we can make.

Just be aware that you're going to get a ton of heat with no flavor with that extract. I'm all for spicy stuff, but I like flavor, not just heat.

ktblunden said:

I roasted up a bunch of hatch chilies that I'll be adding to a cream ale pretty soon, I expect to get some nice flavor and a little bit of heat out of them.

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You will not be disappointed.

ReverseApacheMaster said:

You will not be disappointed.

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I'm really looking forward to it. I'm actually thinking of doing a cream ale and a porter with those for a contrast between them.

So no Ghost chilli? Which I believe are now 4th hottest. I was thinking of adding a touch, about 1/8th to the boil.


Martin

I have had a few brews with ghost peppers in them. A couple meads as well. They were tasty. You have to be a chilli head to truly enjoy them however. One commercial brew was called ghost face killha. It was a tad hot but I found it to be very tasty as well.