Hot Peppers: Boil or Secondary?

[brent1395]

I'm going to be brewing a hot pepper beer, either a porter or stout. I want to get some pepper flavor in addition to plenty of heat. I'm thinking either serrano or habaneros, and possibly some anaheims as well to get some more pepper flavor without additional heat.

Would it be better to add the peppers to the boil or should I "dry-pepper" them in the secondary?

Thanks

 

[khugs21]

i have only added pepers after fermentation has finished. i soak them in a neutral spirit such as vodka for a few days prior to adding them. works well and be carful with the habaneros. i made a beer with only a few of them and it was way to hot!

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[Indian_villager]

The capsaicin in the peppers (heat) are alkaloids and will extract better in the presence of fats or alcohols. If it is heat you want secondary (so you already have the alcohol to extract and dissolve). if it is flavor I'd lean toward boil.

 

[etrain666]

After the ferment. This way you can add to taste. I recently brewed a hab/jalapeno beer. Started with one Hab, not enough after one week. Added another, and then again to get the flavor where I wanted it to be.

 

[aiptasia]

I'd add some to the boil at the 10 minute mark for pepper flavor. For heat, add them to the finished beer like a dry hop. Make sure you taste test that beer every single day until it hits the right amount of heat. Once it does, pull out the peppers (use a hops bag) and bottle/keg it.

 

[deserteagle]

Just bottled my Ghost Pepper dark ale. 2 weeks dry hopped with 1/2 a fresh picked pepper in one gallon secondary.
Heat was about perfect. Didn't drown out the malt and hops. But very spicy. Not a lot of pepper flavor though. May need to try in the boil next.

 

[LymanBrewing]

A very (VERY) good Serrano Pepper beer made by the dudes at Saugatuck Brewing add their peppers to the boil. IIRC they seed and rib them before adding. There is a nice pepper flavor, without adding too much heat.

I've had a Chipotle beer from Latitude 42 (Portage, MI) recently that was WAY too hot. I'm a chile head, but this beer was way too hot for more than a taster; ruined my palate for about 15 min.

 

[highmtbrewer]

when i did my chipolte porter i added 6 chopped peppers to 6 oz rum and let that sit for about 2 weeks while the beer was in primary then added the extract to taste at bottling so i could control the heat to taste

 

[donovanmaxwell]

Have you guys tried adding peppers to something like a saison or a lighter beer of some sort? I'm just curious about other options besides porters/stouts. There is always a steady supply of serrano peppers in my house, so I'm looking for something different to brew. I'm just not sure where to take this yet.

 

[te-wa]

did a robust porter with an anaheim in the secondary for 2 weeks, then kegged and added a small habanero in a hop bag. left it in for 4 days, just the right amount of heat for me. the pepper and chocolate was a great combo.

if i were to do that recipe again, i'd add 2 roasted anaheims and leave them in secondary for a month. then a habanero for the same 3-4 day timeframe. it was kinda neat, the pepper only hit about 5 seconds after you tasted the amazing chocolate and roasted malts.

 

[Zuljin]

I've put sliced habaneroes in a gallon secondary of a plain wheat beer. It was two or three. Seeds and all. Good pepper flavor and enough heat to feel it without sweating.

I also made a cherry, honey wheat wine (like a barley wine, but with wheat) where I set aside a gallon to be secondary with a few crushed birds eye peppers. I liked that better, and I think it's because I like those peppers better. They aren't as acrid as habs.

 

[Zuljin]

Oh, yeah. The bulk of the pepper flavor was near the end of a sip, and the heat came right after swallowing.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I made a smoked pale ale and used 2 jalepeños in the boil and then "dry peppered" with 2 jalepeños into secondary for 2 weeks. Had a nice smoked flavor from the malts and a nice heat addition from the peppers. I just blackened the peppers then diced them and threw then into boil/secondary respectively.


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[brent1395]

Thanks everyone.

After reading these replies, I think I will add a diced habanero or two to the boil with 15 minutes left to get some flavor, then add jalapeños to the secondary to get some heat. I think I'll bake the jalapeños in the oven for a bit to sanitize them and add some roasted pepper flavor to the beer. I haven't decided yet if I will add anaheims or not, I'll probably wait to taste it in secondary before deciding.

 

[ZombieBrew83]

Have you guys tried adding peppers to something like a saison or a lighter beer of some sort? I'm just curious about other options besides porters/stouts. There is always a steady supply of serrano peppers in my house, so I'm looking for something different to brew. I'm just not sure where to take this yet.

I made a Jalapeno Cream ale over the winter that was a real hit with everyone that tried it. I used a simple cream ale recipe with 5% flaked corn and 5% flaked rice and an ounce of Willamette at 60 min.

I slit and roasted five fresh Jalapenos for 20 min at 300 deg. I tossed these into the kettle with 10 min left in the boil. I used the same prep procedure for my "dry pepper" addition after fermentation. Only that time I soaked the roasted peppers in vodka for a couple days and then tossed the peppers into a hop bag in the fermenter. The heat really does change by the day. I think I left my peppers in the fermenter for a week.

The finished product had a good amount of heat. The cream ale base really came through and made it taste like nacho chips and spicy salsa. Pretty much everyone that tried it loved it. Even those that don't normally like spicy foods.

 

[DC_0602]

When adding peppers to the secondary, do you leave the seeds in or out? Mesh bad or no mesh bag?

 

[LymanBrewing]

How hot are the peppers? If they're not all that hot you'll want to leave a few with seeds and ribs in. However, seeds can lend itself to harsh bitterness if you use too many. Mesh bag will help with cleanup, but not needed.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I'm doing my first using Habeñros and everyone has suggested removing the seeds and pith, rough chop the flesh and add to a mesh bag with marbles that have been sterilized and suspend midway down into your fermenter or keg. Taste every 12 hours or so, until you get to the flavor, aroma and heat you want.

 

[DC_0602]

How hot are the peppers? If they're not all that hot you'll want to leave a few with seeds and ribs in. However, seeds can lend itself to harsh bitterness if you use too many. Mesh bag will help with cleanup, but not needed.

Thinking about using Habanero's for a Pale Ale thats a week into the fermentor.

 

[LymanBrewing]

No seeds or ribs imo. Roast a few to see if you look like the aroma and flavor. I think it might add a nice complexity.

 

[LymanBrewing]

Oh, and taste every day or two. Nothing g is worse than a beer that's so hot that you can barely get through it.