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Need pepper ideas for a commercial beer we are making

Which variety would you like to see utilized?

  • Total voters
    33
wheebz

wheebz

I am doing a small batch on our pilot system next week, and I would like to do another pepper beer. Last time I did one, I utilized Aji Charapita peppers, and the result was fantastic, but its time for something new. This will be scaled up to a 15bbl batch in time, if it all goes well.
 
I wanted to put the question in this section, as opposed to the beer section, because I want to see what the growers would like to see, as opposed to the alcoholics, not saying that they aren't one in the same for some of you.
 
If you have any ideas as to what else you would want to see, please let me know.
 
I would also hopefully like to get volunteers that could help me obtain some of these peppers, and I would like to be able to get them by next Thursday. I can pay for shipping and pay for all of the peppers obviously.
 
So lets hear it, lets see what you got.
 
In the pepper community we're aware that there are hundred of hot peppers, but if you ask the average Joe how many hot peppers there are, on average there will be three: jalapeno, habanero, and ghost chili.  Jalapeño isn't really all that interesting or scary, and ghost will scare most people off, but habanero is very well known and just hot enough to give it the right kick, without pissing off a customer because their face is melting off.

Now I don't think that habanero is the best tasting, so you might actually try to do a blend of peppers that includes habanero.  That way you can brand the beer with a pepper that has mass recognition.  Your ingredients list could say "habaneros (and a blend of other peppers)".  I often see that with spices in an ingredients list.

I think the key here, is for a commercial beer your main goal is to sell units.  And if you brand it as "Fatalii Beer" you'll get a few really excited people buying it, and everyone else wondering if Fatalii is a new type of hops.  Just my $0.02
 
BTW: there is a cider company here in Wa that makes a cider with habanero (its wonderful) and our specialty beer shop has a hard time keeping it in stock
 
Good Luck!!!
 
Agree with turbo, the masses just dont live in this world. Need to use a pepper that has recognition, and one that put a heat level with it. Of course if just for you and your buddys then i would base it of thier heat level. What will be your plan to introduce the pepper. mash, fementing, bottle??
 
What type of beer are you paring this with, that might make a difference too.  Real heavy beers like a stout you may want a different pepper than that paired with a light pilsner IMO.
 
I have tried the chili beers on the market and even made some of my own using serrano...I justed added to the bottle so i didnt compromise the whole batch.
 
I'll vote habanero..many types for you to chose from
 
Seriously, I think that the Fatalii and the Datil kind of go hand in hand. In other words they're pretty close in taste and heat and i think they'd both probably go great in a Berliner Weisse or Belgian lambic. The Sweet Citrus flavor would give a great contrast to the Sour of the beer. As for naming, as Turbo said most people won't recognize the name of the pepper outside of the 3 he mentioned, well in Florida they'll know what a Datil is, but if you just leave it as a Chili beer and just show it as a chili pepper in the ingredients then most will just think that it's one of the 3. You can then play up the pepper on your website for those who are really curious about it.
 
We've actually talked about this before and how you really aren't going for a lot of heat in a Chili Beer, really more like just a scratch or tickle in the back of the throat, so you're not going to be using a lot of peppers in it. I'd contact some one like Judy, pepperlover, about getting some peppers. your going to want someone who can give you a continous supply. Also are you wanting to sue fresh or dry peppers, you're going to want someone who can supply both.
 
JMHO, Bro :) 
 
I was going to say ghost or scorpion, but then I got a better idea.  Why not go all the way and go with Reapers?  You would be the first I am aware of to brew with the Guinness World Record holder.  Think of the press you will get and all the buzz it will create (pun intended)  I can get you hooked up with Ed for the chiles if you want.  Let me know.  BTW I still want to see a Superhot Imperial Chocolate Stout...
 
If I could do reapers, that would be great.
 
As I said, this is going to be a once and done beer, but people are requesting it, so I must do it.
 
Shoot me a PM jay with contact info, and I will talk to Ed about it and see if we can work something out
 
I`ve been playing with this for a while, with 2 different breweries and at home. 
 
In San Diego, Ballast Point has Habanero-Sculpin. It`s good, but not great, IMHO. It has set a little of a precedent, so I`d stay away from Habaneros if it were me. 
 
We`ve done Primo/orange peel with a double IPA that was excellent, Bhuts with Kolsch-style beer, Bhuts with oatmeal Stout, Douglahs with Stout and IPA, home-smoked Jalapeños with a Nelson-only IPA and have a few more in the works. 
 
My vote would be to use a C.baccatum in a Saison-style beer. As to which baccatum? It doesn`t really matter, IMHO. Aji amarillo, Aji colorado, Aji omnicolor, Aji lemon etc etc etc. 

JayT said:
I was going to say ghost or scorpion, but then I got a better idea.  Why not go all the way and go with Reapers?  You would be the first I am aware of to brew with the Guinness World Record holder.  Think of the press you will get and all the buzz it will create (pun intended)  I can get you hooked up with Ed for the chiles if you want.  Let me know.  BTW I still want to see a Superhot Imperial Chocolate Stout...
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How about a 7-pot douglah oatmeal stout??? It`s very, very good, but a bit too hot for the majority of beer drinkers. 
wheebz said:
If I could do reapers, that would be great.
 
As I said, this is going to be a once and done beer, but people are requesting it, so I must do it.
 
Shoot me a PM jay with contact info, and I will talk to Ed about it and see if we can work something out
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We did Primo/Orange peel through a Randall. Only 5 Primos, plus a ton of Orange Peel. The first 15-20 pints were so hot nobody could drink it, so they had to do 20% Randall beer and fill with the regular dIPA and even then many could`t drink it. You could taste the Primos, though!!!
 
turbo said:
In the pepper community we're aware that there are hundred of hot peppers, but if you ask the average Joe how many hot peppers there are, on average there will be three: jalapeno, habanero, and ghost chili.  Jalapeño isn't really all that interesting or scary, and ghost will scare most people off, but habanero is very well known and just hot enough to give it the right kick, without pissing off a customer because their face is melting off.
 
Good Luck!!!
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I was going to say nearly the same thing. Except I also add cayenne into the peppers the masses know.
I think cayenne would be a great choice for any beer with a backbone
 
I sent Ed a message.  When he get's back to me, I will tell you how he wants you to get in touch with him.
 
JayT said:
I was going to say ghost or scorpion, but then I got a better idea.  Why not go all the way and go with Reapers?  You would be the first I am aware of to brew with the Guinness World Record holder.  Think of the press you will get and all the buzz it will create (pun intended)  I can get you hooked up with Ed for the chiles if you want.  Let me know.  BTW I still want to see a Superhot Imperial Chocolate Stout...
Click to expand...
 
The Reaper works great in a beer. We did a beer with the Reaper and it was tasty.  http://thehotpepper.com/topic/36120-my-homebrews/page-10#entry951952
 
I agree with Nigel. Bacc... I had a chance to put a half of a aji limon in a bud style beer. It was yummy. Nice heat and great flavor. It will cater to a lot more people than the hots and supers. I liked it so much that I told the brewmaster. And he immediately chewed on the fresh I gave him and put it in the same beer I drank. Fell in love with it. Keeping in contact with him


Then last month we went on a beer brewery tour in temecula and tried a lime habanero beer. The server felt offended when I told her it tasted like water and pepper with a hit of lime
 
Hubby's immediate response was Fatalii-Heferweisen! 
 
I gotta go back and read the other comments tomorrow, but for marketing, it can be "Fatalii Chile Heferweisen"
 
 
like Ghost Chile
Habanero Chile
Datil Chile....
 
 
As long as the word "Chile" is in the title, any other words before&after that will work for customer education.  No-one outside the chilehead realm knows what a Moruga is or even a Datil ( outside of Florida! :) )   
 
For labeling, don't focus on Datil/Hab/Fatali/ButchT/Allepo/Ghost/Whatever........  The front label can just read Chile Beer and the side panel can talk about whatever chile is featured in the beer and do the education about why it's special, hot, where from, etc....
 
 
 
Also, hubby thinks something like the Hatch green chile with an oatmeal stout would be a good match. 
PS- I have some frozen fataliis....
 
Nigel said:
My vote would be to use a C.baccatum in a Saison-style beer. As to which baccatum? It doesn`t really matter, IMHO. Aji amarillo, Aji colorado, Aji omnicolor, Aji lemon etc etc etc. 

 
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Nigel beat me to it. I would suggest The Aji Lemon or Pineapple.   I've tried a ton of pepper beers out there and as I don't brew myself, at least yet. I find the biggest problem with most of them is the bitter aftertaste at the end. Which usually results from having the peppers in for to long. I don't know the exact process but I would suggest trying to vary the length in which the peppers are in the brew to see if you can maybe remove that bitterness?    Also, if your going to do anything other than a stout, Super hots are out imo. They are just to hot and completely over power the taste of anything else.
 
Well we brewed it yesterday and it turned out fantastic
 
Because we  couldn't decide on what pepeprs we wanted to use, we went with your basic orange habs.
 
Went with orange habs, pomegranate, mango, and pear juices
 
Smells and tastes like Crunch Berries captain crunch cereal
 
heat is super minimal, like if you didn't know it was a pepper beer, you wouldnt be able to tell. We are going to add more to the fermenter next week to get that slight mouth tingle, but so far so good
 
If you still want to try another one with Reapers, I do have Ed's # for you. I kept forgetting to message you.
 
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