Spicy Beer (and I ain't talkin' hops)

[funkapottomous]

So a local brewery's pro-am competition is coming up, and this year instead of just making it, kegging it, and sending it out to certain bars/having it available on tours, they're going to can it and sell it in stores.

So my brewbuddy and I are brainstorming about something that would be a little off the wall that would win, and the thought of adding a couple of peppers into a good solid beer popped into my head.

something like a chili porter or a jalapeno IPA.

My porter recipe is pretty solid and has gotten rave reviews, and I was thinking if I added some kind of chili pepper (maybe a serrano) it would give it enough kick to make someone who was tasting it go "woah!" and want to mass produce it.

has anyone tried this, or had any success?

 

[whatsleftofyou]

One of the guys in my club makes an awesome jalapeno cream ale. The problem he's had is that even though he uses the same technique and amount of peppers each time, the heat can vary wildly due to the peppers themselves being different. I doubt that your local brewery is going to want to tackle that since obviously they'll want to make a very consistent product to distribute.

 

[Howie]

So a local brewery's pro-am competition is coming up, and this year instead of just making it, kegging it, and sending it out to certain bars/having it available on tours, they're going to can it and sell it in stores.

So my brewbuddy and I are brainstorming about something that would be a little off the wall that would win, and the thought of adding a couple of peppers into a good solid beer popped into my head.

something like a chili porter or a jalapeno IPA.

My porter recipe is pretty solid and has gotten rave reviews, and I was thinking if I added some kind of chili pepper (maybe a serrano) it would give it enough kick to make someone who was tasting it go "woah!" and want to mass produce it.

has anyone tried this, or had any success?

For a dark beer, I'd think dried peppers would be the way to go. You could build a pretty complex profile and heat level by using a variety of different peppers. Anchos, New Mexicos, Guajillos, Chipotles, Cascabels, etc. I'd also think the underlying flavors in dried peppers (dark fruit, etc) would play nicely with a porter.

 

[rifraf]

Brewpup in the DC area makes a Chipotle Porter that is amazing....

Cayenne pepper would be the best way to control consistent heat, and soaking seedless/stemless peppers (roasted or not) in alcohol to make an extract can be used to control pepper flavor.

 

[funkapottomous]

Brewpup in the DC area makes a Chipotle Porter that is amazing....

Cayenne pepper would be the best way to control consistent heat, and soaking seedless/stemless peppers (roasted or not) in alcohol to make an extract can be used to control pepper flavor.

For a dark beer, I'd think dried peppers would be the way to go. You could build a pretty complex profile and heat level by using a variety of different peppers. Anchos, New Mexicos, Guajillos, Chipotles, Cascabels, etc. I'd also think the underlying flavors in dried peppers (dark fruit, etc) would play nicely with a porter.

I think chipotle porter might be the winner.

 

[moti_mo]

I do a cayenne stout that tastes great. I just sanitize the outside of the peppers in a star san solution for a couple of minutes, slice them lengthwise into halves, and then toss them into the secondary. I usually start small (3 - 5 peppers) and taste every week or so, then add more if I want more heat/pepper flavor.