ya counterflows are the bomb, they let alot of big stuff through and if ya do clog em a bit just fire come compressed air through it. DONE
and plate chillers have about a million areas for crap to build up and never be cleanable.
jalepnos are hit and miss, its hard to judge what they are really going to do to your beer. The more white striations on the pepper the hotter those baby's are gonna be... the less the more earthy the flavor they will impart.
great stuff! The real test for a brewer is if someone will actually pay for your beers, that means they are good. (alot of people wont tell you the truth) lol