Jalapeno beer

I was asked this question and I don't know the answer but this sounds like an intriguing brew so I wanted some input.

I have a couple Mr Beer kit
beers and I'm thinking of making one w/a pepper snap to it. Would it
be best to add a couple jalapenos to the boil (not sure at what point)
which doesn't last long due to the kits use pre-hopped extracts. Or
should I put em' in the fermenting barrel? For a 2 gallon batch, how
many should I use to get a nice sharp bite but not have it be
overwhelming?

I would roast the peppers in the oven (350 till skin splits) and add them to the secondary. I've never done a pepper beer but I make a kick a$$ salsa and I roast the peppers to bring out the flavor. Also adding spices and fruit to the secondary always works for me.

Here's a hyperlink to a search for pepper beers.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/search.php?searchid=1701988

I tried one not too long ago, its nice if somebody give you one but I would not want two gallons or for that matter two cases. It was hotter than Brittany Spears was about two years ago.

I could see this as a good joke beer.

• Give one to a drunk slob
• Give one to somebody who's been eating your hot salsa (thinking this would quench the hotness)
• Leave this to a beer stealing/mooching roomate w/o a label attached.

Better yet I'm guessing its good for cooking.

I like hot food. I like cold beer. Beer isn't meant to spicy hot.

$.02

+1 to what king of cascade said. i think letting them soak in the secondary would really let the taste soak in

Throwing them into the boil is asking for disaster I think.

I could just see it. You have a boil over, you go to stir, *SLOOP* the wort gurgles and slops, splashing jalapeño oil into your eyes, and you go down a sobbing, crying mess while your wort turns into a foam fountain on your stovetop.

I've had a lager bottled with a jalapeno inside... not the most pleasant experience, but definatetly interesting.

Redweasel said:

I've had a lager bottled with a jalapeno inside... not the most pleasant experience, but definatetly interesting.

Click to expand...

I thought the whole point of beer was to alleviate that god-awful burn that peppers put into your mouth.

I just don't see the appeal in spreading the hot stuff to my cold beer.

If that floats your boat though, awesomeness. I'd pass on a bottle with a jalapeño in it, but it's because the next day I know I'd be seeing the ring of fire like Ezekiel, only I'd be doing it in the bathroom.

I know I love the flavor of chilis in my chocolate, so I was considering a chocolate stout with some roasted chili flavor in it. No real heat to speak of, but that nice smoky chili flavor in the background.

We shall see Maybe it'll be an excuse to get a couple of 3 gallon Better Bottles and split a batch for some testing.

-Joe

http://***********/feature/605.html

"I like to think chilis react like hops: They contribute different degrees of flavor and aroma, depending on when and how they are added to the batch.

Add the chilis to the bottle if you want the drinker to know it's there, and if you want the chili flavor to increase as the beer ages. The alcohol in the beer will leach out the hot and the fruity-spicy pepper flavor over time, and it won't get overly harsh. This will also give you a fair amount of hot peppery aroma. The ultimate in "dry-hopping"!

Alternatively, you could add the chilis to the wort during the last 5 minutes of the boil and continue to steep them in the wort for 15 minutes after shutting off the heat. This method will get the spicy flavor into the beer, like a late-boil flavor hop addition. Little aroma will remain, but this will contribute a solid, clean hot flavor if it's done with finesse.

A third possibility is to put the chilis into the primary fermenter as you pitch the yeast and leave them there until you rack to secondary. This will give you good heat, good pepper-as-fruit flavor, and enough chili aroma to balance the beer aromas. This is the method that adds the most to the beer's complexity. A fourth possibility is to add the chilis to the mash.

The pluses and minuses of these methods are worth considering: A bottle of beer with a chili in it is a statement, a challenge. A drawback, one best solved by using the second method above, is the sanitation question. Do you know where your chilis have been? Putting them into finished, fermented beer is probably safe, as the alcohol will likely kill off anything nasty. But 5 minutes of boiling and 15 minutes of steeping will do even better. "

I've made several chili beers with success, and one failure.

One thing to be aware of: what really makes the chilis hot?

Really hot: chop up the peppers and place them in the boil.

Medium hot: remove the seeds, chop and add to boil.

Flavorful: remove the veins on the inside, chop and add to boil.

The first batch I made I put a small jalapeno in each bottle. I sliced the sides too. After 6 months in the bottle they were so hot I never could finish even one 12 oz bottle.

Tthe last batch I made I used Seranno's with the seeds and veins removed. They have a really nice flavor, very little heat. Very nice brew. Next time I will double up on the chili or leave the vein in 1 of the chili's to add just a touch more heat.

Recipe upon email request: [email protected]