Pepper Beer

[SaltyFaceEvans]

Here in Denver down at the Rock Bottom brewery downtown they have a seasonal local chili beer that was absolutely amazing. It had a bold chili flavor that didn't overpower the beer, it was more like an after taste. I was in love. I think the heat of chili's could potentially ruin a batch if not properly managed when brewing. I plan on making a chili beer in my next batch with the NM green chili's. However I think i will only use the skins and see how it turns out.

 

[johnsonbrad1]

Here in Denver down at the Rock Bottom brewery downtown they have a seasonal local chili beer that was absolutely amazing. It had a bold chili flavor that didn't overpower the beer, it was more like an after taste. I was in love. I think the heat of chili's could potentially ruin a batch if not properly managed when brewing. I plan on making a chili beer in my next batch with the NM green chili's. However I think i will only use the skins and see how it turns out.

Twisted Pine also has a chili beer, Billies Chilis. It was my first (and only) pepper beer, but I was pretty impressed.

 

[BeerLogic]

Not exactly a chili beer, but I once threw a bunch of long pepper into a wit. The result was hot and delicious.

 

[KFH]

I made a nice portwe about a month ago with 8 oz of dark cocoa powder and 3 dried ancho chilis in secondary. It came out fantastic! The heat is noticable, but not overpowering, and it blends very well with the flavors from both the cocoa and the beer itself.

The best part? My girlfriend, who only kinda likes beer sometimes, has declared this to be her most-loved beer ever and has asked me to keep it in stock as much as possible for her.

My only complaint is that the heat is really only prevalent on the back of the tongue, at the finish. I was hoping for something a bit more pronounced. Next time, I'll be adding in a small amount of cayenne powder as well, just to mix things up a bit.

 

[SaltyFaceEvans]

Just finished my first batch of chili beer and i boiled the chili's with the grain and LME extract mixture. Definitely cranks up the flavor and heat even though no seeds or flesh were added, only skins. Next time I think I will dry hop 3 or 4 days in on secondary fermentation and try that out.

 

[nilo]

Would you agree that a fresh pepper (jalapeno or serrano or any other soaked in vodka) would be better on a light base beer like a cream ale or pale ale, while roasted chiles would better fit dark beers like porters, browns or stouts?
I'm concerned that using a charred chili would give a smoked flavor to a light beer and that would be something weird.
Do you guys removed the charred skin off of the peppers before using it? Perhaps that is the trick.

 

[SaltyFaceEvans]

Yes I removed the charred skin from the roasted green chiles I used in my brew. Did not add a smokey taste to the beer, I used 2 row grain.

 

[nilo]

Just posting some experiment I did with jalapenos and serrano peppers.
I took 4 22oz bottles of my latest cream ale that were bottled for a week, carefully opened each and added the peppers to each bottle, then closed with new cap. Left in the fridge for 14 days and these were the tasting results:
1)1 serrano pepper, sliced
2)2 serrano peppers, sliced
3)1 slice, about 1/5 of a jalapeno pepper
4)2 slices, about 2/5 of a jalapeno pepper

1)Smell great and tasted great too, not too hot, just good.
2)Too hot, couldn't drink the whole bottle
3)Smell great and tasted great too, not too hot, just good.
4)Too hot, couldn't drink the whole bottle

I think that adding the pepper to the bottle is an effective way to get a chilli beer, you can vary the amount added to get what you like and don't need to jeopardise a whole batch of beer.

 

[psutimmah]

So I brewed a version of Biermunchers Oktoberfast....i had 2 gallons left over and sitting at a lo temp for a few weeks now. I wanted to do something with peppers so I utilized the opportunity with this malty base to ...well throw some peppers into. I cleaned and sanitized my 3 gallon carboy and roasted 1 of each jalapeno, poblano, anaheim chile, and a green long one which I believe was a green cayenne. I racked the overflow containers on top of this... I did this yesterday and sampled it this morning and wow what a punch of heat at the back end in the throat. It has a great roasted aroma and flavor too which is balanced nicely with the grain bill of the marzen style. I am contemplating bottling now or do I wait another few days will it get hotter?

 

[boneman]

Just posting some experiment I did with jalapenos and serrano peppers.
I took 4 22oz bottles of my latest cream ale that were bottled for a week, carefully opened each and added the peppers to each bottle, then closed with new cap. Left in the fridge for 14 days and these were the tasting results:
1)1 serrano pepper, sliced
2)2 serrano peppers, sliced
3)1 slice, about 1/5 of a jalapeno pepper
4)2 slices, about 2/5 of a jalapeno pepper

1)Smell great and tasted great too, not too hot, just good.
2)Too hot, couldn't drink the whole bottle
3)Smell great and tasted great too, not too hot, just good.
4)Too hot, couldn't drink the whole bottle

I think that adding the pepper to the bottle is an effective way to get a chilli beer, you can vary the amount added to get what you like and don't need to jeopardise a whole batch of beer.

Thanks for the breakdown, very helpful. My first pepper brew, looking to add just a little heat to a trusted porter recipe that is ready for secondary.