Chilli mead question

[Hyoscine]

I'm well up for trying my hand at a really hot chilli mead. I hear that the heat diminishes with age so I want the initial mix to be pretty potent, but I don't want to kill of my yeast with some unfermented home made Mace. Can anyone recommend a reliable recipe or a particularly hardy yeast?

 

[Moonpile]

I think I wouldn't add the chilis until after primary fermentation is complete. Yeast variety should irrelevant since they will have already done their job.

Would chilis even kill yeast?

That said I've never (yet) done a chili mead.

Basic Brewing did a video on it though. Check it out.

 

[Melana]

Wow that sounds great!

 

[malkore]

it sounds aweful to me. chili spice and honey flavors just don't seem like they'd meld well at all.

but, i'll be curious to hear how it turns out, and I too would suggest you add the chili's during secondary so you don't have to think about what the yeast might do to interact with the chilis or the capisicum chemicals that produce the heat.

what kind of peppers are you gonna use? habanero? jalopeno?

 

[Hyoscine]

Thanks people. I'm a big fan of the honey-chilli combo, pops up sometimes in Japanese food with delicious results. I think this could be an awesome drink served warm, I'll let you know if the results are tasty.

Eventually I'd like to get a chilli-chocolate mead down, an old school aztac chocolatl style thing but uh, alcoholic. I'm thinking one step at a time is a sensible approach though...

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Edit: Oh, I'm thinking habaneros. Bit brutal, but lovely complex flavours.