Adding jalapeño during bottling

[hawkeyes]

I will be bottling a cream ale in about a week and would like to try adding some jalapeno's to about 12 of the bottles. As anyone ever added them at bottling? Can I used canned (pickled) jalapeno's? Or should I buy whole jalapeno and roast them? Should I cut them in half? Keep seeds ect.?

 

[JoeBronco]

Soak Jalapenos in vodka, sliced into 4ths or smaller with the seeds and center stripped out. The longer you age the hotter the beer. Be careful, a little goes a long way.

I did this on the same type of beer. We called it the "Screaming Creaming Ale" The beer became undrinkable after about a month and a half. (luckly it was almost gone by then) Just to dang hot and unenjoyable.

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

I'm working on a jalapeno blonde right now. I'll be racking it into a secondary to do mine though. Then I'll clean and slightly roast two fresh peppers over my stove flame, carve a few slits in them, soak them in vodka and toss them into the secondary for 3-4 days until the taste is where I want it. Then I'll keg or bottle it.

Since you are looking to do only a dozen or so you could calculate the priming sugar for the balance and bottle those while holding the balance back in a secondary to pepper up for a few days.

 

[hawkeyes]

I'm working on a jalapeno blonde right now. I'll be racking it into a secondary to do mine though. Then I'll clean and slightly roast two fresh peppers over my stove flame, carve a few slits in them, soak them in vodka and toss them into the secondary for 3-4 days until the taste is where I want it. Then I'll keg or bottle it.

Since you are looking to do only a dozen or so you could calculate the priming sugar for the balance and bottle those while holding the balance back in a secondary to pepper up for a few days.

I would do it this way but I'm wondering what to rack it in. Everything I have is plastic. Are you going to secondary in a plastic bucket or carboy? I'm assuming it would be OK, but I'm curious if the acidic in the jalapeno's would have any affect on the plastic. I may just be over thinking.

 

[hawkeyes]

Soak Jalapenos in vodka, sliced into 4ths or smaller with the seeds and center stripped out. The longer you age the hotter the beer. Be careful, a little goes a long way.

I did this on the same type of beer. We called it the "Screaming Creaming Ale" The beer became undrinkable after about a month and a half. (luckly it was almost gone by then) Just to dang hot and unenjoyable.

How long do you need to soak them in the vodka?

 

[JoeBronco]

From a few days up to a week to kill all the bacteria. I normally dump the vodka back into the beer. All it does is add to the ABV and spices up the brew.

 

[jd3]

I add peppers(jalepeno and serrano) at secondary, and love it. My family all have large vaginas and they can't stomach any heat, so they can't like it. In bottle might produce more flavor than you want in the end.

Mine is a smoked chili porter. It is yummy.

I am however doing a ghost pepper double ipa this year. Hoping to push 100 ibu, 9-10 percent abv and ghost peppers. For no other reason than I can. Everyone needs to have a "you gotta try this" beer. Maybe it will be my "you're cut off" beer.

 

[bleme]

Best of luck. I had a commercial jalapeño beer in college that contained a whole jalapeño. I have no desire to repeat the experience.

 

[kiwibrew]

From a few days up to a week to kill all the bacteria. I normally dump the vodka back into the beer. All it does is add to the ABV and spices up the brew.

incorrect, the alcohol in vodka exracts the flavor, if you drained the vodka you would have defeated the whole purpose of getting the flavor extracted, the amount of vodka you are adding will have minimal effect on ABV

 

[hawkeyes]

So you want to add the vodka for the jalapeno flavor?

 

[kiwibrew]

yes, you soak in vodka for at least 2-3 weeks to extract the flavor, the vodka will then taste like the pepper, just like making any kind of infused vodka. , I don't think the cost/benifit ratio is worth it, but probably some high % ABV like Everclear would probably work even better, vodka is suggested because it is cheaper and is supposed to be essentially tasteless.

You could always make a bunch infused Jalepeno vodka then add a little at a time until you get the heat just where you want it, and remainder would still be useful for cooking things like sauteing onions or other vegetables

 

[JoeBronco]

Kiwibrew - The entire purpose of soaking the jalapenos in vodka is to kill any bacteria. Yes if you keep them in vodka for 2 weeks you will take out most of the flavor/heat out of the peppers, but thats not quite what the OP is going for. IF you keep them in the vodka for just a few days it will kill any bacteria and then you can let the beer soak up the flavor. The OP want to put the jalapenos into the bottles not just the vodka/flavor. It helps if you read the entire thread.

I know this from experience, not just here-say. I have brewed about 20-25 gallons of this same type of beer (Cream Jalapeno) I have made a Jalapeno, a smoked Jalapeno, a Habanero beer, a blend of jalap's and Habanero's. The most interesting was a Jalapeno IPA.

 

[JoeBronco]

jalapeno-cream-ale recipe/

If you dont believe me, check out the other people in this thread that did the same thing... 13 pages worth but is good info. This thread is a great way to also see how others did what your trying to do.

 

[hawkeyes]

Kiwibrew - The entire purpose of soaking the jalapenos in vodka is to kill any bacteria. Yes if you keep them in vodka for 2 weeks you will take out most of the flavor/heat out of the peppers, but thats not quite what the OP is going for. IF you keep them in the vodka for just a few days it will kill any bacteria and then you can let the beer soak up the flavor. The OP want to put the jalapenos into the bottles not just the vodka/flavor. It helps if you read the entire thread.

I know this from experience, not just here-say. I have brewed about 20-25 gallons of this same type of beer (Cream Jalapeno) I have made a Jalapeno, a smoked Jalapeno, a Habanero beer, a blend of jalap's and Habanero's. The most interesting was a Jalapeno IPA.

JoeBronco: Have you tried the Dry Hopping method? If so, which method worked best for you?

Also, If I added to bottle. You said you cut them in 4ths, did you add just 1/4 of the jalapeno per bottle? Did you end up with any seeds floating in the beer?

 

[kiwibrew]

Kiwibrew - The entire purpose of soaking the jalapenos in vodka is to kill any bacteria. Yes if you keep them in vodka for 2 weeks you will take out most of the flavor/heat out of the peppers, but thats not quite what the OP is going for. IF you keep them in the vodka for just a few days it will kill any bacteria and then you can let the beer soak up the flavor. The OP want to put the jalapenos into the bottles not just the vodka/flavor. It helps if you read the entire thread.

.

Wow, chill out buddy, I did read the thread, didn't know his heart was set on that as the only method to be considered. I agree you are sanitizing (but research the fruit beer threads lots of people frequently rack beer onto unsanitized fruit with a much greater chance of having wild yeasts and bacteria as well without developing an infection), but you asserted that you add the vodka to boost the ABV, that is what I disagree with. 640 ounces in 5 gal of beer, assume 5% ABV there is 32 oz of etoh, add 6 oz vodka at 40% ABV so 2.4 oz etoh, we have a total of 34.4 oz etoh in 646 oz total volume =5.3% ABV, even after a only a few day soak if you throw out the vodka you are throwing out pepper flavor, that is why you add it not the extra .3 %.

 

[Phunhog]

I just made a green chile blonde. BrewPastor has a whole thread on using chiles. Just do a search. I roasted my Anaheim chile on the BBQ, froze it to break up the cells walls, and added it to the secondary. I do "dip" the chile in starsan but I doubt if it really does anything. I let mine go for 5 days and it is just about perfect. Lots of flavor and just a touch of heat.

 

[JoeBronco]

hawkeyes, If you put them in the bottle, i have found it best to add slivers of jalapenos into the bottles without the seeds or endocarp (the white membrane holding the seeds) in 1/4 or 1/8 works best for me, it really all depends on: heat of the pepper, how hot you want your beer and how large the peppers are. You want them to easily slide out the bottle when you are done drinking but also not too hot it overpowers your beer. taste your peppers before you add them to the bottle. Especially if you roast them! If you are just trying to heat up the beer, the dry hop method in secondary works great.

What are you trying to accomplish with this beer: A super spicy cream ale that has a chili to warn you? A chili beer with peppers in the bottle with just a kick of heat? or a beer that taste like peppers with little heat and a chili in the bottle for flavor?


To Kiwi - I said... And i Quote -

All it does is add to the ABV and spices up the brew.

I never said how much ABV, all i said is "these are what will happen if your dump the vodka into the beer" Dont claim someone is "incorrect" when you didn't completely read or understand the statement in question.

 

[hawkeyes]

I'm looking for some spice with a kick of heat. What would you suggest?

 

[JoeBronco]

If you dont want a lot of heat, try not to add the pepper to the bottle. The beer will only get hotter the longer it ages. Unless you plan on drinking all the beer in a short amount of time, Add the peppers and vodka to the beer and taste occasionally until you get the beer where you want it. Pull the pepper off the beer and bottle/keg.

In a 5 gallon batch i get two cases. I normally do a case of beer regularly that have been tasted and aged with peppers to my liking. The other case i will add peppers and experiment (different peppers and amounts).

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

I would do it this way but I'm wondering what to rack it in. Everything I have is plastic. Are you going to secondary in a plastic bucket or carboy? I'm assuming it would be OK, but I'm curious if the acidic in the jalapeno's would have any affect on the plastic. I may just be over thinking.

I secondary in a 5 gallon Better Bottle. There can't really be much acid from a couple of peppers in 5 gallons of beer. I plan on a very brief soak in vodka just to kill any surface funk there might be. This is how the guys at my LHBS do it and there's tasted great. No heat, just great aroma and flavor and that's all I'm looking for. As you can see there are several methods, this is just what I'm using. Good luck.

 

[hawkeyes]

I secondary in a 5 gallon Better Bottle. There can't really be much acid from a couple of peppers in 5 gallons of beer. I plan on a very brief soak in vodka just to kill any surface funk there might be. This is how the guys at my LHBS do it and there's tasted great. No heat, just great aroma and flavor and that's all I'm looking for. As you can see there are several methods, this is just what I'm using. Good luck.

Are you thinking of just soaking overnight? Also, you going to add the vodka? I will be doing this over the weekend. Thanks!

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

Are you thinking of just soaking overnight? Also, you going to add the vodka? I will be doing this over the weekend. Thanks!

Nope, I'm thinking minutes for the soak and I will not be adding the vodka, although I will probably shoot it!

 

[CPFITNESS]

I have recipes for a couple of saisons that add jalapenos in the boil and the difference in spicyness they say is attributed to the amount of sugar that is in the mix. if i had it in front of me I'd elaborate. This probably isn't much help because it sounds like your beer is already in the fermenter. I don't know that the added visual of a jalapeno falling out of your bottle is necessary for most people so i'd be more inclined to do a recipe that involved them in the boil or in the secondary rather than trying to put it in the bottle. Also, i've had jalapenos that weren't spicy at all and some that were raging hot so give them a try before you put them in the brew.

 

[wagz]

So I was motivated by this thread to try a pepper beer, I was ready to keg an IPA so I pulled 2gal into a keg, and put 2 chopped habanero's in (after a soak overnight in vodka, it went in also) its been 48 hours, and I did a taste test. It has a strong burn, so I pulled the bag with the peppers out. Will the heat mellow with some age or will this remain a BOE (burn on exit) beer?

 

[bleme]

I've always found the more liquid a heat source is, the less effect it has on exit.

 

[JoeBronco]

So I was motivated by this thread to try a pepper beer, I was ready to keg an IPA so I pulled 2gal into a keg, and put 2 chopped habanero's in (after a soak overnight in vodka, it went in also) its been 48 hours, and I did a taste test. It has a strong burn, so I pulled the bag with the peppers out. Will the heat mellow with some age or will this remain a BOE (burn on exit) beer?

Yes, The heat will mellow with time. BUT! You put it in an IPA. IPA's are not ment to be aged as the hops will fall out. I would put an additional half gallon from your original batch (assuming you had a 5 gallon batch) into your 2gal SpicyIPA to mellow it out.

 

[lou2row]

If someone wants the cool factor of the pepper in the bottle without it getting hotter as it ages; there are jalapenos that are extremely mild. You will probably have to grow your own, and add some heat from other peppers pre bottling. Most of the seed catalogs I get have a version of them.

 

[Hoosier-Brewer]

I put my blonde on peppers in the secondary last night, will taste it on Sunday and see how it is. I had a ghost pepper beer at my LHBS today, it was good, but damn hot!