Adding things to secondary

Chefencore · Jul 8, 2011

I brewed 5 gallons of cream ale, and I'm gonna split it up into 1-gallon test batches. I plan on adding jalapeño, habanero, and fresh ginger root. The peppers have been roasted and frozen.
I would rather not boil any of it to keep the flavor the same. Should I soak in vodka? How long? Are the peppers sanitary due to the roast (directly over my gas stove, into a ziploc bag)?

Double_D · Jul 9, 2011

My experience is throwing stuff in secondary works fine. Keep in mind there will be another five people that agree and at least six militant mofo's that say it's an exceptionally bad idea but who have probably never tried it for paranoia of contamination. Of those eleven people on average 4 will have had a bad experience due to their ill understanding of basic sanitation practices. So take my advice with a grain of salt: drop your fruit in, have a beer, and a ball watching it sink and float. Peppers are fruit. Sooo..maybe you should make a split for maximum surface contact. Let us know how it turns out.. I'm interested in the ginger beer. Btw, did you know that ginger juice curdles milk?

King of Cascade · Jul 12, 2011

Put it strait into the secondary…
Risk of infection would be low due to the fact that alcohol is present in the secondary and most of the sugars the wild yeast and/or bacteria will feed on are gone.

birvine · Jul 12, 2011

Might I state the obvious - be careful with the ginger. I thought I liked ginger until I made a beer with ginger root in it. I am using it to water the compost pile.

B

Zamial · Jul 12, 2011

Another thing to think about...peppers are traditionally used to sanitize food, that is why they are in there! I would guess you are in the clear. :mug:

King of Cascade · Jul 15, 2011

birvine said:
Might I state the obvious - be careful with the ginger. I thought I liked ginger until I made a beer with ginger root in it. I am using it to water the compost pile.

B

Ginger is alway harsh for the first few weeks after adding it to the secondary....without sounding too much like Revvy, let it sit for 6 weeks before drinking. It will mellow out.