Habanero Capsicumel

talleymonster · Mar 25, 2008

I "brewed" this several months ago, but I waited until now to post the recipe because I won't post a recipe if it hasn't been tried and tested first.

I just bottled this one tonight, and it's good! It's by far the best mead that I've made to date. I took good notes....but I'm not sure why I never wrote down my staring gravity. And then tonight when I went to take my final gravity I broke my hydrometer

, so no gravity readings.

Here are the ingredients:

1 gallon of spring water
5 pounds of honey (I used clover)
1 habanero chili
1 packet Red Star Montrachet yeast

I brought the water to a temp of around 180 and added the honey. I kept it at 180 for 45 minutes, skiming the film off the top.

Put it in an ice bath to get the temp down to a pitching temp. I pitched at 72*. I thouroughly sanitized the outside of the habanero and quartered it, removing the seeds and core. I know all of the heat is in the seeds, but trust me - it's still plenty warm!
Toss the habeneros in the fermenter and pitch yeast.
Pop on an airlock and forget about it for 6 months.

I bottled it in 6 Grolsch bottles. One of the habanero pieces went up the siphon and into a bottle, so one of 'em will have a real kick to it.

If anybody likes spicy food, you should definitely give this one a try. It's the perfect balance of sweet and hot. I'm going to start another batch of this one as soon as we get into the new house!

scinerd3000 · Mar 29, 2008

very nice. Im a huge fan of mead and i think this is just unusual enough for me to add to my recipe list. thanks

Melana · Mar 29, 2008

Thanks! I'll have to try this...

KopyKat · Apr 20, 2008

Tallymonster,

I have never made a mead but this sounds like one I would like to make and I had a couple of quick questions.

I have read several times that leaving the mead on the lees too long (over a month) with most yeasts will produce off flavors. You seem to have left this for the entire 6 months in the primary. Is that because this yeast will be ok that long in the primary?

Also, I have read that you need to provide additional nutrients but I saw none in your list of ingredients. Did you add none or was it assumed that we would know to do that?

I know I said a couple of questions but I thought of another. You made this in a gallon jug. How much head space did you leave or is a lot of headspace not needed for mead making?

talleymonster · Sep 28, 2008

KopyKat said:
Tallymonster,

I have never made a mead but this sounds like one I would like to make and I had a couple of quick questions.

I have read several times that leaving the mead on the lees too long (over a month) with most yeasts will produce off flavors. You seem to have left this for the entire 6 months in the primary. Is that because this yeast will be ok that long in the primary?

Also, I have read that you need to provide additional nutrients but I saw none in your list of ingredients. Did you add none or was it assumed that we would know to do that?

I know I said a couple of questions but I thought of another. You made this in a gallon jug. How much head space did you leave or is a lot of headspace not needed for mead making?

Honestly Kat I hadn't made a whole lot of mead before I did this one.
I did add a campden tablet, yeast nutrient, and pectic enzyme.

I didn't notice any off flavors.

I filled the jug all the way. Didn't need much headspace.

scinerd3000 · Sep 29, 2008

anything you would change? im picking up honey to brew this any day now as soon as my 1 gal jug frees uo

mnadamn · Sep 29, 2008

hmmm..... I too will have to make this

talleymonster · Sep 29, 2008

Well, the heat of the habanero seems to have gotten stronger...at least to my taste buds. I have the heat tolerance of a 5 year old, so I might use less on the next batch. But that is just me.

PseudoChef · Sep 29, 2008

Heat of the chile is in the veins (the white parts running down the sides), not the seeds - so that could be why it's still really hot.

crazygee69 · Oct 5, 2008

hey, how do you think this recipe would be if i made it with apple cider? sweet and hot or nor very good?

talleymonster · Oct 5, 2008

crazygee69 said:
hey, how do you think this recipe would be if i made it with apple cider? sweet and hot or nor very good?

You been spying on me? That is my next experimental brew. I was going to do it next weekend.
I'm going to use fresh Apple cider. Not sure which yeast yet. We'll have to keep in touch with this one.

BigKahuna · Oct 5, 2008

I can't believe I've not chimed in here and expressed what a TERRIBLE BREW I think this is bound to be.

I'll still try it if we ever have the opportunity...but you're going to need to serve this as a shot! I don't think I'll ever try this one....unless......

eschatz · Oct 5, 2008

Can I ferm 1 gal in a growler?

BigKahuna · Oct 5, 2008

eschatz said:
Can I ferm 1 gal in a growler?

My growlers are all 1/2 gallon but that Cheap ass wine jugs work great.

Talley...what's this mead like 20% Alcohol?

talleymonster · Oct 5, 2008

ouch Kahuna.

BigKahuna said:
I can't believe I've not chimed in here and expressed what a TERRIBLE BREW I think this is bound to be.

I'll still try it if we ever have the opportunity...but you're going to need to serve this as a shot! I don't think I'll ever try this one....unless......

...unless.... what?

talleymonster · Oct 5, 2008

talleymonster said:
I'm not sure why I never wrote down my staring gravity. And then tonight when I went to take my final gravity I broke my hydrometer , so no gravity readings.

I'll be sure and take some readings on the next batch....and I have a spare hydrometer now, too! :drunk:

BigKahuna · Oct 5, 2008

talleymonster said:
ouch Kahuna.

NO NO NO...Not a dig...Not saying it isn't great....just saying that it's gonna be too damn hot for me.

and the unless......Who knows...I've brewed strange crap before...this may be next?

I've learned that when it comes to brewing...I'll almost without exception try and not say NEVER!

talleymonster · Oct 5, 2008

BigKahuna said:
NO NO NO...Not a dig...Not saying it isn't great....just saying that it's gonna be too damn hot for me.

I feel you. It's a little warm for me, but still drinkable and enjoyable. If it were any hotter I think I would spend all day on the ****ter.

talleymonster · Oct 25, 2008

OMG!!!!

We just opened the last bottle last night. It was way too fargin hot!!!!!!
I think the next batch I will use a less intense pepper, or reduce the amount and let it age a bit. Way too hot now. Like sucking on a pure habanero.

ChshreCat · Oct 25, 2008

Could rack off the chili a bit sooner?

scinerd3000 · Oct 25, 2008

theres always jalapenos.

talleymonster · Oct 25, 2008

ChshreCat said:
Could rack off the chili a bit sooner?

That could work, too.

KopyKat · Oct 26, 2008

I "brewed" this several months ago, but I waited until now to post the recipe because I won't post a recipe if it hasn't been tried and tested first.
I just bottled this one tonight, and it's good! It's by far the best mead that I've made to date.

OMG!!!!

We just opened the last bottle last night. It was way too fargin hot!!!!!!

Are you tasting from the original recipe on the last comment? In the original post you said it "it's good". Splain youself, please.

mnadamn · Oct 26, 2008

As it aged, the heat of the pepper came through more....

Have you thought of a chipolte pepper mead?

talleymonster · Oct 26, 2008

KopyKat said:
Are you tasting from the original recipe on the last comment? In the original post you said it "it's good". Splain youself, please.

We had finished what I thought was the last bottle.

I had several mystery bottles in my closet with no labels on them. I couldn't tell whether they were apfelwein or habanero.

Well upon opening, it turns out I had one more bottle of Habanero. We were thinking it was an old bottle of Apfelwein.

This was the original recipe/batch, and it was very good. I wouldn't have posted the recipe if I didn't think it was worth sharing.
But now, after over a year, it has gotten way too hot for me (or anybody really)

KopyKat · Oct 26, 2008

The heat should have dissipated over time unless you had some of the pepper in the bottle which released more heat in that year.

I just looked over your original post again and ah, ha! I think maybe I found the reason.

I bottled it in 6 Grolsch bottles. One of the habanero pieces went up the siphon and into a bottle, so one of 'em will have a real kick to it.

Is it possible that this was the bottle you just had?

talleymonster · Oct 27, 2008

That's kind of what I'm thinking. I didn't see any pieces at all, but it was a small enough piece to begin with to make it through the siphon, so it is possible.

billtzk · Oct 27, 2008

I want to try this. I will be harvesting the last of my habeneros, jalepenos, tobasco, serrano, red chile, and banana peppers in the next few days before we get our first freeze. I am a pepper lover, and "too hot" is not in my vocabulary.

I'm going to try it with habenero for sure. Maybe serrano too. I will smoke some red jalepenos and try the chipotle too. I assume it would be best to use dried chipotle pepper rather than the canned ones in adobo.

I'll pick up some 3 gallon carboys from my LHBS, as I think I will make 2.5 gallon batches of each. I don't want to risk 5 gallons on an experiment.

KopyKat · Jan 28, 2009

Ok, I am finally going to have a go at this one. I have ordered a batch of honey and am going to reserve 5lbs for it.

Also, did you add 1 gallon spring water to 5 lbs honey? This would be over a gallon so I might have to cut the recipe down to ferment in a gallon jug?

Also, in looking at the mead calculator using 5 lbs per gallon with this yeast producing 70% attenuation, it would be producing a desert mead - very sweet. Is this what it was?

If so, I might want to cut down a pound to this high end of sweet. In wines I like semi-sweet but in meads I have no experience.

talleymonster · Feb 1, 2009

Oh yes, it was very sweet....until the heat came through!

Habanero Capsicumel

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