Pepper Beer help

[IrregularPulse]

I'm thinking of doing a pepper beer for my next brew. I'm picturing a malt forward pale ale with flavor and mild heat contributed by the pepper. I don't know much about peppers though and don't know what one(s) to use. Any suggestions on this? I'll either rack onto the peppers in a secondary or soak the peppers in vodka and add that.

Looking for recommendations on pepper type and quantity for a 5G batch. Standard APA recipe TBD.

 

[Double_D]

I like anchos. They're usually mislabeled as pasilla, dry in the grocery store. They're fruity and have a raisiny aroma with a nice earthy/mild heat balance. You'll probably only need about one two ounce package for five gallons.

 

[IrregularPulse]

That sounds like what I'm thinking of. Thanks. Are they usually available non dried? It seems most things I read about adding peppers, you want to add them fresh. I'll look some more. Thanks.

 

[Double_D]

They're called poblanos when they're fresh.

 

[BeerLogic]

Ancho chilis taste very different from the fresh poblanos they're made from. Something about the roasting and drying process really brings out the fruity and earthy flavors. I think anchos will end up tasting much better in a beer than fresh poblanos.

I use anchos all the time to make adobo sauce. I split the peppers in half and remove the seeds, bring some water to a boil, and let them steep off the heat for about 20 minutes to rehydrate them. You could do this and add the rehydrated peppers and the steeping water to the secondary after it cools. Should be sterile and full of flavor!

If you want a totally different kind of heat, something more along the lines of black pepper than chilis, long pepper is really, really nice. It's a relative of black pepper with similar flavor but much more intense heat. I threw some into a wit once, a quarter ounce I think, and the result was very nicely spicy.

 

[BrewingAggie]

This is great timing. I jut served an Ancho Chili Cream Ale at a beer festival yesterday. I call it Pancho Villa.

The earthy, almost sweet taste from the chilis worked great with the lightness of the cream ale. I used 6 deseeded peppers that I soaked in whiskey. The residual heat was apparent in the aftertaste, but it wasn't too strong. I'm really glad I served it at a festival because I don't know how it would've worked inore than 4 oz servings.

 

[manortc]

I just finished a IPA with Serrano peppers in it. 4 peppers for a week during primary. A prominent fruity pepper smell and flavor, but didn't get a lot of heat from the peppers. About half way through the pint, you start getting a bit of a tingling heat on the back of your tongue. I just cut the stems off and quartered the peppers lengthwise and tossed them in.

 

[bovineblitz]

Anchos are fantastic in beer. I like adding another pepper for more depth of flavor, personally, ancho/habanero is awesome. I did a pepper experiment that might give you some insight.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/5x-pepper-beers-172082/#post2147327

With a paler ale I might go in the roasted fresh serrano direction though. Really it's up to what you prefer from your peppers.

I just finished a IPA with Serrano peppers in it. 4 peppers for a week during primary. A prominent fruity pepper smell and flavor, but didn't get a lot of heat from the peppers. About half way through the pint, you start getting a bit of a tingling heat on the back of your tongue. I just cut the stems off and quartered the peppers lengthwise and tossed them in.

If you do it again I'd def suggest you roast them to the point where they're charred. When cooking with peppers you typically do this with thick fleshed peppers to bring out the flavors and a little heat. I usually do a half-assed roasting on a frying pan rather than doing it properly over an open flame, broiler, or oven, but the principle is the same.

 

[BrewingAggie]

Bovine, your pepper experiment post actually was the inspiration for my ancho ale! Cheers to you my good man!

 

[ztanner25]

I just did a jalapeno cerveza, but it seems like jalapenos aren't quite what you're looking for. Regardless, in a 2.13 gallon batch I used 6 coursely chopped jalapenos soaking in the beer for two weeks in the fermenter. The spice and flavor is fairly potent, but it is how I wanted it to be. It's mellowing out with time and is a very crisp and refreshing ale.

 

[bovineblitz]

Bovine, your pepper experiment post actually was the inspiration for my ancho ale! Cheers to you my good man!

Nice! Cheers!

The ancho is really such a phenomenal chili, I imagine your beer was a big hit.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Thanks for all the response. I'll look at your experiment. I need to come up with a base recipe today as we are ordering ingredients today for this and Ed's Kolsch for a 20G brew day Next Friday.

 

[chip82]

I too have been thinking about making a pepper beer but with wheat as a base instead of a pale ale or ipa. Any comments on how a wheat pepper beer would be?

 

[bovineblitz]

I too have been thinking about making a pepper beer but with wheat as a base instead of a pale ale or ipa. Any comments on how a wheat pepper beer would be?

Very tasty. I loved mine.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/panca-serrano-chili-summertime-american-wheat-211749/

 

[IrregularPulse]

Going to go with the following. Thanks bovine

11lbs MO
1 pound Crystal 40
1.5oz NB at 60
.5oz NB at 20

Harvested Yeast from an ESB.

I'm thinking of racking this into secondary onto 1 habanero and 3 Anchos.

 

[Bernie Brewer]

I have a jalapeno beer on tap right now. I took Edwort's Haus Ale and put a dozen jalapenos into secondary. The local homebrew club loved it.

 

[Ravenshead]

I just trying a jalapeño beer that was supposedly made with 1.5 lbs of jalapeños late in the boil. The spice was nice but the vegetable flavor of the japs just threw me off. Maybe that was because they were added to the boil instead of secondary.

Either way, I'd look at a fruitier pepper like a habenero. Either that or just a good Cayenne powder in secondary.

 

[IrregularPulse]

I just trying a jalapeño beer that was supposedly made with 1.5 lbs of jalapeños late in the boil. The spice was nice but the vegetable flavor of the japs just threw me off. Maybe that was because they were added to the boil instead of secondary.

Either way, I'd look at a fruitier pepper like a habenero. Either that or just a good Cayenne powder in secondary.

I too don't want a veggie taste. I'm going with Habeneros and Anchos.

 

[bovineblitz]

I just trying a jalapeño beer that was supposedly made with 1.5 lbs of jalapeños late in the boil. The spice was nice but the vegetable flavor of the japs just threw me off. Maybe that was because they were added to the boil instead of secondary.

Either way, I'd look at a fruitier pepper like a habenero. Either that or just a good Cayenne powder in secondary.

1.5 lbs is simply a lot of vegetation. I haven't tried it in the boil so I can't speak to that but I've had success with adding the peppers to secondary.

 

[jjanderton]

I'm thinking of doing a pepper beer for my next brew. I'm picturing a malt forward pale ale with flavor and mild heat contributed by the pepper. I don't know much about peppers though and don't know what one(s) to use. Any suggestions on this? I'll either rack onto the peppers in a secondary or soak the peppers in vodka and add that.

Looking for recommendations on pepper type and quantity for a 5G batch. Standard APA recipe TBD.

Hi Pulse...

If you want to make the peeper drink then you go a heading with the beer and fill the pint glass with a lager and after that you can fill the rest half not to the top with a cola. So, now you have half lager and half cola, then you fill the shot pint glass with chilled Amaretto. Now you going to drop into the beer and ready to look the real messy and then you done it....

Regards John

 

[IrregularPulse]

Hi Pulse...

If you want to make the peeper drink then you go a heading with the beer and fill the pint glass with a lager and after that you can fill the rest half not to the top with a cola. So, now you have half lager and half cola, then you fill the shot pint glass with chilled Amaretto. Now you going to drop into the beer and ready to look the real messy and then you done it....

Regards John

I think you're thinking of a flaming Dr. Pepper maybe? That's half a pint light lager, with shot of amaretto topped with a splash to 151. Light shot, drop into beer, chug.

But no, I'm looking for a spicy pepper beer as is being discussed.

 

[DirtBagRob]

I just finished off a keg of roasted poblano amber and it turned out very well. I used AHS's Anniversary Amber Ale kit and secondaried, for about 10 days, on 2 whole, roasted poblano peppers for 5 gallons. It had a very nice, strong pepper nose (smelled like chilli rellenos), a moderate roasted pepper flavor and no heat (some people that tried it thought they felt a little heat but I didn't). I took the keg to a party and about 20 people tried it and I received only posititve reviews and most of the people there showed up with a case of natty light or busch, so they aren't exactly beer connoisseurs. I debated between the anchos and poblanos and I think I would use anchos in a pale ale to get that fruitiness.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Thanks. I think I am going to go with 2 Anchos and either 1 or 1/2 of a habanero. I want some heat. But not an uncomfortable amount.

 

[Ravenshead]

Go with the whole one. They're hot but small.

 

[KillJoy]

As soon as my Habs and Ghosts ripen, they are going into something VERY similar to this!

KillJoy