chili choices

[sgraham602]

making my first mead...i made a basic mead and have it going in primary. I am going to split it up, keep one gallon plain, and flavor 2 separate 2 gallon portions. One will be a mixture of blackberries and raspberries. The second one I'd like to add some sort of chili to. I've got a variety of fresh chills and dried chills that I've been tasting and smelling. Not sure which one would work best! I get the feeling a dried chili might work better. I'd like a little heat, but want to get more of the chili taste. I'm between a Guajillo, New Mexico, and Ancho. I've heard the Ancho would be almost raisiny sweet. any one have any experience playing with chili peppers in mead???

 

[fatbloke]

I've not made anything like that, but if you Google for capsimel, you should get some idea.

What I do know, is that capsaicin is a fatty alkaloid, and is easily dissolved on alcohol (which is one of the easiest methods of extraction). Hence, you'd not only want to think of the flavour of the specific chilli, but also where it sits on the scale of "schoville heat units", because it might be very easy to over do it.....

 

[BrewerJosh]

I've done a jalapeno capsicumel before, and it turned out peppery (just like the jalapeno) in taste and smell. My friends really liked it, but there wasn't any of the heat of the pepper in it at all, which is what I was going for.

I just dropped a cut up jalapeno, with the seeds and pith removed, into a gallon of honey and water.

Check out this post, it is where I got the idea from.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/habanero-capsicumel-60272/

 

[huesmann]

I just dropped a cut up jalapeno, with the seeds and pith removed, into a gallon of honey and water.

That's why you didn't get any heat. Most of the heat is in the seeds and the pith. The flavor is in the "shell" part.