Jalapeno Apfelwein

[brewbies]

Anyone tried adding jalapenoes to apfelwein? Am I crazy for thinking this would be delicious?

I tried searching the forum for some pointers, but came up empty. Preliminarily thinking of roasting a couple of peppers on the grill, slicing them lengthwise, and tossing them in the carboy after fermentation has died down a little bit(say after two weeks).

Looking for any thoughts y'all might have on this.

 

[oldmate]

I say yes, you are crazy. I've used a small birdseye chilli in a ginger beer, which turned out WAY too hot (even though I removed the seeds and the white bit on the inside). Have a search on here for the way people have done it.

I'm just not a fan of chilli If you're having doubts, maybe try a 1gal batch first?

 

[Paymygasbill77]

You shouldn't drink if you're pregnant.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Anyone tried adding jalapenoes to apfelwein? Am I crazy for thinking this would be delicious?

I tried searching the forum for some pointers, but came up empty. Preliminarily thinking of roasting a couple of peppers on the grill, slicing them lengthwise, and tossing them in the carboy after fermentation has died down a little bit(say after two weeks).

Looking for any thoughts y'all might have on this.

Well, I've had spicy apple jelly and it was pretty good IMHO. Make a small batch.

Everyone says your idea is gross until you make it and then it's good.

 

[ciderlover]

I think that sounds delicious.
I'd go for a mix/process that will get end in a high FG, though--you'll probably want something sweet to balance out that heat.

 

[scinerd3000]

make sure you dont bottle with the peppers or its going to be way too hot over time. I have tried small amounts with a habanero just "dry hopped" and it was good so i would assume a jalepeno would be as well. Would deffintly suggest removing the white inner seeds and membrane because thats where the majority of the capsaicin is. Habanero have more of a fruity flavor than jals just fyi....also much hotter so use only a little

 

[Paymygasbill77]

If you want more Jalapeno flavor without bringing in too much heat you might want to try peeling the pepper like a potato and just adding the skins to the mix. Most of the flavor of peppers are in the skin and most of the heat is in the inner wall of the pepper(not the seeds).

 

[brewbies]

Certainly looking for a little heat to carry over in to the finished product with this one. Something like Rogue's Chipotle Ale comes to mind. There's also a brewery local to the area that hits the perfect amount jalapeno flavoring/heat (Prism Brewery's Love is Evol Jalapeno Strawberry Brown Ale).

I'm considering switching up the standard montrachet yeast to something that might have a little more residual sweetness, even though I love the dry finish that it imparts. As for the peppers, I'm pretty scared of habaneroes. I know it's fairly easy to over do it with them. I'll probably stick with jalapenoes, or maybe do some more research and stick with something that's even a little more mild.

I don't have any small one or two gallon containers for a test batch, so I might just go for broke on this one and do a full five gallon batch. I'd hate to have a carboy tied up for atleast a month with only a gallon for the finished product. I guess it all comes down to adding less first. More peppers can also be added, but the heat can't be taken out.

 

[brewbies]

That being said, I'll probably start with four jalapenos(maybe another variety pending more research). I'll take seeds and veins out of two to cut back the heat a little bit.

Also on the fence about whether to grill/roast them or just use them raw.

 

[Ravenshead]

I understand your concern about the heat from habaneros but I think they will have a better flavor profile for a cider/wine than jalapeños. Scinerd3000 is right about the fruitier flavor.

Either way I'd use either pepper raw for a cider/wine. Grilling them will increase their "vegitablely" flavor.

 

[dinnerstick]

i sometimes make ginger beer with medium-heat red chilis, juiced whole along with the ginger, and it seems to be a nice balance between the pepper flavor and the heat, since seeds and the membraney thing they are attached to (the hot bit) are ejected from the juicer pretty much intact. so i'm throwing that out there as an option
the funniest thing about those ginger beers, they are spicy to drink but not overkill, but as a very fizzy soft drink the spicy aerosol droplets from the fizz get right up your nose and down the back of your throat and you sort of involuntarily backfire half a mouthful across the table before you even get the first sip down

 

[Ravenshead]

i sometimes make ginger beer with medium-heat red chilis, juiced whole along with the ginger, and it seems to be a nice balance between the pepper flavor and the heat, since seeds and the membraney thing they are attached to (the hot bit) are ejected from the juicer pretty much intact. so i'm throwing that out there as an option
the funniest thing about those ginger beers, they are spicy to drink but not overkill, but as a very fizzy soft drink the spicy aerosol droplets from the fizz get right up your nose and down the back of your throat and you sort of involuntarily backfire half a mouthful across the table before you even get the first sip down

That sounds great. I love spicy drinks on a hot day. They really clean your palette.

 

[brewbies]

Ohhh man, spicy ginger beer sounds awesome. I'll definitely have to give that a go sometime soon.

I like the idea of juicing the peppers, but alas, I don't have access to a juicer. How many habaneros would you guys recommend? As of now I'm thinking one whole, seeds and all.

Now I'm even thinking some fresh peach would be good in this one. Time to read up on that.

 

[noggins]

Everyone says your idea is gross until you make it and then it's good.

+1

That's the homebrewtalk.com mission statement: "Your new idea sucks, unless you did it already, then it's awesome".

 

[DirtBagRob]

Subscribed! This sounds amazing to me! My favorite dessert in the world is a jalepeno apple pie at a restaurant by my house. My first batch of apfelwein is about a week from being kegged and, thanks to your inspiration, my next batch will have jalepenos in it. For a flavor/heat reference, I recently made an amber ale (5 gal batch) with poblanos. I used two whole poblanos, roasted under my broiler until black. I put them in secondary for about 8 days. I haven't had it cold and carbed yet, but I tried a sample and there was a tiny bit of heat and quite a bit of good pepper flavor. I think it turned out just how I wanted it to. I think with the jalepeno in apfelwein I might go one whole, raw jalepeno and one roasted with seeds and insides removed. If you do it, let me know how you did it and how it turns out.

 

[CidahMastah]

I understand your concern about the heat from habaneros but I think they will have a better flavor profile for a cider/wine than jalapeños. Scinerd3000 is right about the fruitier flavor.

Either way I'd use either pepper raw for a cider/wine. Grilling them will increase their "vegitablely" flavor.

I agree - I think habaneros are better suited for a sweet balance than jalapenos IMO.

Please do try the recipe and post back. I have to say though - I LOVE heat, but I think a cider with peppers in it will be tough to make palatable. I have tried some of the commercial pepper beers and they are good for the first sip or 3, then they get old real fast. I can't imagine drinking 2 in a row ever.

Good luck!