Black Pepper in Belgian Beers

[Protos]

Today I brewed a clone of Saison de Pipaix, strictly following the recipe published in BYO Magazine.
I thoroughly weighted all the spices exactly as they were in the recipe: Bitter Orange, Sweet Orange, Anice, Ginger and Black Pepper.
The resulting wort has a fantastic spicy flavour redolent of Wild Honey, I like it very much. However, it's also unpleasantly hot because of Pepper. Now I see it would have been better to add uncrushed Peppers, not powdered Pepper as I did, but I've newer used Black Pepper in my brews before so I just didn't know and the recipe didn't specify that.

My question is, is Pepper flavour mellowed by fermentation and bottle conditioning? If it stays irregardly, it would be pity to have a nice-smelling beer barely drinkable because it tastes pepper-hot

 

[Dr_Jeff]

The pepper may mellow over time, but I'm doubtful.

Consider brewing another beer with a similar recipe.
Omit some of the spices, the pepper in particular, (the ginger can come across as hot as well), then blend it in the glass.
Pour a bit of this one and top off with the other.

I brewed a batch with star anise, and it was a very long time ago, I still have some and the licorice taste still hasn't mellowed, I really don't know why I am still saving it and don't dump the kegs.

 

[mashpaddled]

It will mellow some but how much is definitely a wait and see kinda thing. I don't think you'll ever get the heat entirely out of it though. I brewed a spiced saison with cardamom, among other spices, and added way too much. It's at least seven years old and still intensely cardamom-y.

You get more extraction out of ground versus crush with some spices because you have more contact area.

IMO black pepper is not a great spice option unless that is specifically what you want. It doesn't add such a great flavor and sort of an abrasive wave of heat. If you want black pepper flavor, there are yeast options that put out that flavor without the abrasiveness. If you want a little of that heat, virtually any other color of pepper adds it with more interesting flavor. Pink peppercorns are the best choice IMO but green can add something interesting, too.

 

[Protos]

Thanks, gentlemen!

I see where the Pepper might be useful in this recipe, in which all the spices are combined and measured masterfully and harmonically. Even Anice, which I outwardly hate in any other product and included only because it's present in every version of the recipe, in this mix and quantity tastes barely noticeable, pleasant and unobtrusive. I believe the recipe would miss an important part if the Pepper was excluded altogether. Even the spicy bite, if it wasn't as extreme, would be a welcome thing.
I think it was my own fault, to add powdered Pepper instead of the whole berries.

Now, indeed, it's just a "wait and see" game.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

How much pepper did you use? I have been considering adding some pepper to a Saison with Belle Saison. Belle is so easy to use and cheap, but is a little bland for my taste in a Saison.

I would not judge too much from a pre-fermentation sample. I suspect some of the pepper will settle out after fermentation.

 

[Protos]

The original recipe demands 0.25 oz Black Pepper in a 5 G batch.
My brews are of non-standard volume, so I scaled my dosing accordingly (and correctly).

 

[MicroMickey]

There's nothing to my knowledge to alleviate what you have now. Some spices like cinnamon and black pepper don’t give up their flavor and aroma easily and can require a minimum of 3 to 5 minutes in the boil. Use the peppercorns whole, use less of them, and add them closer to knock-out than your other spices.. You'll get your recipe dialed in eventually.

 

[Protos]

The recipe suggested boiling all spices together for 15 minutes, which I did.

 

[MicroMickey]

That's the problem with "other people's recipes".

 

[Kickass]

I know you’re following a recipe and probably trying to avoid deviating from it. That said, whole or cracked grains of paradise are a good alternative to pepper.

 

[Willygilly]

Personally I love the flavor of pepper and just sort of put up with the bite. I put it on everything mostly, but never thought of adding it to batch of homebrew. Thanks for the post and GL with the batch. I hope it mellows for you. I may have to try the peppercorns, but I think I'll stay away from ground pepper.

 

[Protos]

Black Pepper is what I see quite often in Belgian recipes. It's not as common ingredient as Coriander or Orange Peel but is way more common than say Clove or Allspice. If you like Black Pepper, just search various Belgian recipes, you'll certainly find a lot of recipes you'll like!
Good luck with your planned peppery beer!

 

[Protos]

A follow up for all those who would ever face the same problem and search for help: RDWAHAB, your beer most probably will be fine.
After three weeks in primary, the Pepper bite mellowed significantly. The Pepper flavour is noticeable in the green beer but it doesn't make the beer hot or undrinkable anymore.
I'm sure it's going to mellow out even more after several weeks of bottle conditioning.