Ginger & Black Peppercorn / Kimchee Beer - Critiques?

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sboyajian

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A friend of mine, who has been wanting to brew beer with me, asked if we could create a "Kimchee" beer. At first I think he was messing with me, but I'm actually really interested in trying it. I told him the only thing I wouldn't add was Cabbage.

I've never worked with additions outside of your standard dry hops, chocolate or espresso..

I wasn't really sure which direction to go, but I kind of felt the pepper corn and ginger would best lend itself to a light saison. Thoughts?

Grain Bill
5 lb Extra Light DME
1.5 lb Pilsner
.75 lb CaraPils

Hop Schedule
1 oz Brewers Gold (60 min)
1 oz Saaz (15 min)
1 oz Saaz (5 min)

Additions
3 oz Ginger Root (10 min)
1 Cayenne Red Pepper (15 min)
3 oz Ginger Root (Secondary - 14 Days)
3 Cayenne Red Pepper (Secondary - 14 Days)

WLP568 Belgian Style Saison Ale Yeast

(edit: changed pepper corn to cayenne red pepper)
 
That is a crap ton of peppercorns. I've added peppercorns to 3 saisons and I;ve always stayed under 10gram (less than half oz). that is also the most ginger I;ve ever seen in a beer recipe, id recommend starting with 1oz and mayb you can make a tincture to add in the fermentor if you want more

I think cascade wouldnt be great in this. Stick with noble hops like saaz for their subtle spice profile. it will mesh well with your theme

Isnt kimchee that fermented korean (maybe japanese im ignorant) food? Do you think the bacteria int hat would ferment the beer further?
 
Yes, kimchi (I spelled it wrong before) is a korean dish. spicy pickled cabbage.

Apparently very strong on the ginger and pepper, which is why I boosted it up. I saw some Kimchi recipes that had upwards of 5 tablespoons of pepper flake.

Having never worked with either, I wasn't really sure where to start. I am thinking maybe the best thing would be to make a 3 gallon batch and after fermentation split it up among three 1 gallon jugs with different addition levels (maybe 1/3, 2/3, and full).

You are probably right with replacing the Cascade with more Saaz. I was hoping the citrus of the cascade would help balance the smell you'll get from all the spicy additions, but it might just smell ... off.
 
I modified the original post to reflect a change to the pepper. Going to use actual Cayenne Red Peppers.
 
Why not korean chili flake? This is what I use when I make kimchi:
http://www.amazon.com/Korean-Pepper-Coarse-Powder-Pounds/dp/B005OJUSZE

Edit: I also wonder, would you want to make this beer sour? This seems like an incredibly difficult beer to make.

Ha! We actually looked at that exact powder. Right now it's still a toss up, but I kind of like the idea of actual chili's.

Are you asking if I would consider making it as a sour? I've never made one.. wouldn't even know where to begin.
 
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Would be interesting to try. I'd need more equipment tho. I've never made a sour, or even really looked into the process.

Personally, I've never had Kimchi. He grew up on it.
 
Then I suppose I will call it Ginger Pepper Beer. I don't generally drink sours so I'm not about to begin a whole new process and equipment to satisfy the curiosity of a Korean friend. ;)

It'd be cool to see someone try it.
 
That's probably the best route. I'm a pretty experimental brewer but I can't see myself tackling this one. If I did I'd probably just "pitch" a few cups of kimchi into primary and let the lacto go nuts.
 
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