I haven't done Jalapeno but I've done Habanero. Personally, I add 1 to the mash, 1 in the last 15 minutes of the boil, and 2 soaked in vodka in secondary. From what I have read, the mash/boil peppers will leave the pepper flavor without much heat. The peppers added in secondary will add some heat. I've made a peach habanero the past 2 years with this method and both have been excellent in my opinion. I have not kegged this beer. Everything that I have read indicates that the Capsaicin oil will separate and rise to the top so the beginning of the keg will have almost no heat and the end will be very spicy. Not sure if this is true, but it makes sense to me and therefore I have always bottled. Never had an issue with head on these beers either, for what it's worth.
Thanks!! ...for listening!! LOL
Dave, I am not a big fan of any fermentation in the 70'sF so I think I remember I may have run this one at 68-69F. That typically is my upper range with my normal go to temp being 65F on ales.
I am going raise my hand as guilty on the "did I scrub the peppers really well" question. Waxy...probably. You made me think.
I like the way you did your infusion so that's a definite possibility. Another factor is I think the Saison was not the best choice to infuse. Don't laugh but I think I'll try a lower ferm temp Kolsch as my platform next attempt. Either make a vodka/jalapeno tincture or a beer boil like you did to add at kegging.
Oh yeah...and really scrub the wax off!!! Good point.
Although I am not a fan of hot peppers in the beer, I will say that I once had a beer called Cave Creek chili beer and they put a whole Jalepeno right in the bottle. I think they just cut the stem end so that there can be a breach in the skin and the flavor could flow. From a presentation point of view, it was very nice. The pepper was too big to come out of the bottle. I think they got the pepper in the bottle by putting a small amount of water in the bottle (like less than an ounce) and heating it to boiling. Then place the pepper in the top of the bottle so that it seals to the rim. As the water cools, the vacuum effect will suck the pepper into the bottle.Then empty the remaining water, and fill the bottle with beer.
I, too, suffer from no head retention, and until now hadn't been given an answer. Thanks Dave! I'll have to try scrubbing them next time. Do you actually wash them with dish soap?
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