Any thoughts on this silly idea for a summer brew???

[ceannt]

I’m losing it…. I keep coming up with off the wall ideas…. Make it stop! I haven’t even finished my last wacky experimental brew!
I was thinking (hence the smell of burning lint...) of what I could brew up for a “lawnmower beer” this summer, and this hair-brained concept hit me up aside the head like a White Freightliner…. (here Bubba, hold my beer and watch this….)
For a 5-gallon batch: A more or less Blonde Ale, say….. uh…. 8 -pounds of Pale Malt (2-row) and a pound of Vienna (?), maybe a small amount, say a quarter pound, of Cara-Pils??? mash around 152 (?)...… some Cascade Hops for bittering (only?), to oh, say around 25 to 28 IBU…. Weirdness begins here: the zest of around four small limes and a roasted (maybe roast them on the grill over mesquite???) green jalapeño chili or three added late in the boil. Say S-05 or Notty yeast… I’ll steep some fresh cilantro in a bit of Tequila for a few weeks, strain it, and add the liquid after fermentation slows down. Prime with Agave nectar? (wonder how much?)……I’ll call it “Tequila Mockingbird”…… At worst I can always marinade chicken in it and fire up the grill….. What do you guys think????
Do they have support groups for this kind of madness? Oh, that’s right… I’m at one now…

 

[Daydreaming]

Sounds like a brew from the minds at Furthermore. I wouldn't call it crazy at all as I could see this turning out pretty well except for maybe the cilantro extract. I would probably add that late in secondary and only add small amounts until the desired level has been reached. I would definitely smoke the jalapenos to bring out a nice chipotle flavor. Good luck with this and make sure to report how it turns out.

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Agreed. For sure add the tequilla in the secondary, not the boil.

That sounds like an interesting beer. Please update when finished!

 

[mitch171]

I would agree add tequila in secondary, but I love cilantro so I would make sure that flavor comes out.

Funny story I always say tequila mockingbird when I am drinking tequila...

 

[ceannt]

Thanks guys for the encouragement…. I was beginning to wonder about my sanity….
Yes, Tequila in secondary….. I would expect the cilantro could easily become very overwhelming (and horribly medicinal tasting) if a guy wasn’t careful…. I was thinking of a very small amount, preferably just enough to notice (and get the character), but not enough to readily identify. I do a lot of cooking with similar flavor combinations, and if I could nail it in a beer…... wow.

 

[mithion]

I don't think you can call it lawnmower beer. It's kinda too classy for that. Sounds like a great idea though. My mouth is already watering for this beer and it's only 9 in the morning.

 

[ceannt]

I agree.... the "lawnmower" aspect kind of got left in the dust..... more of a sit on the porch at twilight watching the fireflies beer....
So, how does the grain bill look?

 

[Tiber_Brew]

So, how does the grain bill look?

Let's have a look...

Your proposed bill:
8 lbs 2-r
1 lb vienna
.25 lbs carapils

5gal

You also mentioned it was a blonde-ish beer target. So...I'd cut down on the vienna, maybe around 6 oz. to half a pound. Maybe throw in some pre-cooked oatmeal, half pound or so? Might give it some smoothness and aid head retention (although the quarter of cara aught to take care of that too). Or perhaps a quarter pound of biscuit?

Speculation aside, if you stick with what you got, cut the vienna in about half, you'll give the beer plenty of character with the rest of your plans.

Beauty of homebrewing, eh?

 

[JLem]

go for it...my only concern would be the cilantro - many people think it tastes like soap (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html)

 

[Tiber_Brew]

go for it...my only concern would be the cilantro - many people think it tastes like soap (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html)

F--k that! I love cilantro! If you like it, try your plan, and let those of us who like cilantro know how it turns out!

 

[ceannt]

Cool, thanks guys!

 

[ceannt]

OK, I think I did over do the Vienna a tad... I rarely brew anything near this light... I ran some quick calcs.... with 8-pounds 2r, 0.5 pound Vienna and a quarter of cara-pils, I should end up at around 1.042 or a little better for my O.G.... that should work.
Do you think I am on the right track thinking no late hop additions? Or do you think say a quarter to a half ounce of Cascades would not clash with everything else going on?

 

[Tiber_Brew]

The late hop addition is up to you. It might flirt with the cilantro a bit, or it could clash. Can't honestly say I've ever combined the aroma of cascade and cilantro together. I'm curious myself.

If yes, then I'd suggest go light on it. Like you said, about half ounce wouldn't hurt the beer's feelings, but you might detect the faint presence.

If no, then you've got plenty of flavors going on post fermentation that will round off the flavor profile (in what way? well, we're all curious!).

I wish you luck, my friend! Keep us posted!

 

[Tiber_Brew]

It's been a couple weeks, any updates?

 

[ceannt]

Not yet..... still playing with the recipe. I'm bottling my latest batch (see the "pulled pork" thread) tomorrow evening, and I'll order the ingredients in a day or two after I'm done "tweaking". Should be interesting to see how it all works out......

 

[HokieBrewer]

I wouldn't prime with agave nectar. It's not going to add much flavor at that point. I'd just prime normally with corn sugar or table sugar to ensure you have the carbonation levels you want.

 

[ceannt]

That's pretty much what I was thinking.... I did a little looking into the stuff, and apparently everything ferments out.... so, corn sugar it is!

 

[BraveSirRobin]

This past weekend I got into a disagreement about cilantro, it seems to be one of those foods that you either love or hate. I personally dig it so I'd love the recipe. Also, there is a brewpub in Madison that serves a jalapeno beer as well. I went to find the link for you but evidently it's not on tap anymore. (It was just a couple of weeks ago when I was there.) Here is a link to the Brewpub's restaurant as well as one for a writeup I found about it. It might be of a little use for you.

http://thegrumpytroll.com/brewery.html
http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=26830

 

[azscoob]

I just had a Cilantro Blonde beer last night at our homebrew meeting, I felt that it came through quite well in the beer, not soapy tasting at all, so I would give that cilantro idea a go!!

 

[the_bird]

I'm pretty sure it's a physical thing with cilantro, like, some people's taste receptors perceive it as one thing and others perceive completely differently (i.e. as soap).

 

[azscoob]

The pickled ginger you get on your plate with sushi, now THAT tastes like soap!

 

[ceannt]

so, maybe I'm not as crazy as I thought........ can't wait to get this going!!!
Thanks for the links BraveSirRobin, sounds pretty cool. and thanks to everyone else for the encouragement!

 

[Boerderij_Kabouter]

Chile beers are pretty common. I would look into a few recipes on the web to get a feel for how to use it and what amounts work well. I am not a fan of chile beers personally, but can see the allure.

You guys need to get me some soap that tastes like cilantro or pickled ginger, I love both!

 

[ceannt]

Update time!
I brewed this up on June 12th. Grain bill was:
8-pounds 2-row Pale Malt
0.5-pounds of Vienna Malt
0.25-pounds cara-pils
Mashed at 152 for an hour.
1-ounce of cascades 60-min.
0.25-ounce Cascades for 5-min.
Zest of 4-limes and 4-roasted jalapenos for 10-min.
(Jalapenos were sliced in half longitudinally and roasted for 30-min. at 350.)
S-05 yeast (re-hydrated).
I was really pressed for time and I neglected to take an O.G. reading before I pitched the yeast….. oh well. It was a pretty smooth brew-day, so I expect it was around 1.045 or so.
Seems to be coming along just fine…. Nice vigorous fermentation in three hours, and went crazy for a day and a half. It has slowed down considerably since, and is looking good. I can’t wait to taste the first gravity sample…….
I started an infusion of 3/8-cup Tequila (my old buddy Jose) with approx. 2 TBS chopped cilantro, ½ TSP black pepper and 5- thin cross sectional slices of fresh cayenne pepper (out of my garden). I will strain and add this a week or so prior to bottling.
I’ll keep y’all posted…….

 

[Tiber_Brew]

Thanks for the update. Sounds like it could be tasty.

Let us know either way!

 

[ceannt]

Update #2:
I took a gravity sample on July 4 (1.011, so it won’t be too much longer now). The pepper character was a little less than I desired so I roasted one of my homegrown jalapenos (hottest ones I have ever had!) and a cayenne, put them in the freezer for a couple of hours and added to the fermenter. I also added the infusion (after pouring through a coffee filter). I’ll see what it does here in a week or two…..

 

[Tiber_Brew]

About the pepper thing: I've noticed with spice beers that some flavors are suppressed until proper aging. You might've found that your pepper flavor was hiding a bit until later and you might now have too much of it. I've never brewed with peppers, so I'm just speculating. Meaning, there might be some more overpowering flavors and/or aromas that mask the pepper presence, and when/if they rescind a bit, you'll detect more of the peppers.

Thanks for the update! Keep 'em coming!

TB