# Chilli Beer How To ?



## Online Brewing Supplies

I need some advise from the brewers that have made chilli beers.I have a heap of dried Asian Birds eye chilli and want to put some in a beer.I am thinking a lager style with just enough chilli to make it noticable on the throat but a session beer with some chilli aroma and flavour..With the possible additions of root ginger and maybe lemon grass.So when should the chilli's be added and how many? I saw one recipy on BYO mag site that called for 48-52 chilli's per 5 gallons, sounds dangerous.  
Cheers GB


----------



## Barramundi

i have made a chilli beer in the past , used 6 supposedly hot chilis from the fresh food section at woolworths , cut them with scissors after washing then threw them into the primary ferment , racked and them bottled as normal , worked ok , but after time got extremely gassy in the bottle , was fine to begin with though, dunno if there was some reaction with the chili and the sugar or what the case , i havent tried to make another but i wasnt unhappy with the way it turned out not too nasty but with a chili after bite...

hope this helps


----------



## skb

I am doing the same for my next beer, got this from elsewhere on AHB site

can of coopers draught malt 
bag of brew enhancer #2 
5 'hot' chilis ( from the fresh food section of woolies, franklins, coles etc) 
cut with scissors into rings all but the stems into primary fermentation , ferment till finished , rack for 4-5 days and bottled..

Do like the Lemon Grass Idea, how much and when do you plan to add that.


----------



## Barramundi

That was my recipe SKB .. well found ..


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

skb said:


> I am doing the same for my next beer, got this from elsewhere on AHB site
> 
> can of coopers draught malt
> bag of brew enhancer #2
> 5 'hot' chilis ( from the fresh food section of woolies, franklins, coles etc)
> cut with scissors into rings all but the stems into primary fermentation , ferment till finished , rack for 4-5 days and bottled..
> 
> Do like the Lemon Grass Idea, how much and when do you plan to add that.


Yeh 5 chillis sound better than 52 , what were they thinking ? I think some in the boil will add some flavour and then in the fermenter so the alcohol can draw out the chilli oil for heat.Lemon Grass I think would be just the right match for chilli, I would use one medium stalk, the bottom bit cut thin in slices and added to fermenter.A little salt addition to the kettle would be nice as well. I think the chilli in the bottle would look great but would be unpredictable.Ay chilli tied around the bottle neck would be a great touch.
GB


----------



## lonte

Another option is to brew a base beer (I used a German style ale) and then open some of the bottles after conditioning and place one whole, uncut birds eye chilli in each bottle and recap. I then tasted them over time to determine the optimum chilli taste - turned out 2-3 weeks for my liking. Note this was for competition so I didn't want to overdo the chilli I wanted it subtle. This is a great way to not be lumbered with 23L of chilli beer and also adjust the chilli impact as required.


----------



## Guest Lurker

I have used 4 or 5 lemongrass stalks and it was still quite subtle. I tried steeping some in vodka, didnt extract much flavour at all. So I think I smashed them, boiled in some water briefly and added that to fermenter.


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

Guest Lurker said:


> I have used 4 or 5 lemongrass stalks and it was still quite subtle. I tried steeping some in vodka, didnt extract much flavour at all. So I think I smashed them, boiled in some water briefly and added that to fermenter.


Was that in a lager style ? I was thinking along a Mex style with little IBU"s and just balance the chilli if there is such a thing, and the lemon grass to replace aroma and finish hops.I know it will be hard to achieve but worth a try.The top end of me loves chilli but the bottom end is not so keen.
GB


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

lonte said:


> Another option is to brew a base beer (I used a German style ale) and then open some of the bottles after conditioning and place one whole, uncut birds eye chilli in each bottle and recap. I then tasted them over time to determine the optimum chilli taste - turned out 2-3 weeks for my liking. Note this was for competition so I didn't want to overdo the chilli I wanted it subtle. This is a great way to not be lumbered with 23L of chilli beer and also adjust the chilli impact as required.


How did it go in the comp? Judges comments aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh grab the milk :lol: 
GB


----------



## lonte

Gryphon Brewing said:


> How did it go in the comp? Judges comments aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh grab the milk :lol:
> GB


5th place and a Bronze medal. It was in the "Speciality Beer" class - I guess the judges brace themselves for anything when it comes to judging that one


----------



## winkle

I did a similar thing to a batch of chocolate oatmeal stout. Laced a few bottles with a sanitized birdseye each (fresh) that were pierced a couple of times and dished them up at a case swap after three weeks. Went down reasonably well, warm to hot mouthfeel (and throat) but not burning. Might do another few in winter.


----------



## Jaeger

Based on a recipe made by a colleague, I've just made a batch of Brigalow alcoholic ginger beer with one fresh, red "birds eye" chilli added to the fermenter (deseeded and sliced length-ways into three.)

I didn't want to overdo the chilli, and it worked - fermentation finished in a week (rather than two as I had expected), and even the traces of ginger beer on the (removed) chilli slices didn't have a chilli kick to them! Next time I'll add more chillis (five or six?) 

For the record, my colleague added slices of chilli to the bottles, and may have added some root ginger to the brew for extra pep (I'll have to confirm that.) The extended contact with the chilli probably extracted more "heat", but I was worried about the contamination risk. Even without the extra bite, the ginger beer will be very welcome this summer.


----------



## Thirsty Boy

First beer for the year is going to be a chocolate chilli stout. (for Easter consumption) Basically I'm after a beer version of the insanely good chilli hot chocolates you can get at the good chocolate shops around Melbourne.

I' thinking chocolate malt, Cocoa powder, some real dark chocolate added to the boil. Fairly roasty so it doesn't get cloying. Then just steep some really hot chillis in vodka and add the essence of chilli to the keg till I like the level of heat.


----------



## Jaeger

Thirsty Boy said:


> I' thinking chocolate malt, Cocoa powder, some real dark chocolate added to the boil. Fairly roasty so it doesn't get cloying. Then just steep some really hot chillis in vodka and add the essence of chilli to the keg till I like the level of heat.



The weather is finally cooling off again (yay!), so I'm moving away from pale ales and "lawnmower brews" towards hoppy dark ales, stouts - and perhaps the new Coopers European Lager kit once it is cool enough for "real" lager brewing. A chocolate chilli stout would go down a treat in the colder weather, too.

How did your chilli beer turn out, Thirsty Boy?


----------



## Thirsty Boy

Jaeger said:


> The weather is finally cooling off again (yay!), so I'm moving away from pale ales and "lawnmower brews" towards hoppy dark ales, stouts - and perhaps the new Coopers European Lager kit once it is cool enough for "real" lager brewing. A chocolate chilli stout would go down a treat in the colder weather, too.
> 
> How did your chilli beer turn out, Thirsty Boy?



As a matter of fact its one of the best beers I've ever made. I'm really happy with it.

Made pretty much the way I said above, but I decided to add some actual chillis to the boil.

For a 17litre (into fermentor) batch I used 35g of chopped birdseyes (I think, little ones from the asian shop) in the boil. I thought that would be a lot less than I needed, so I also made the extract I was talking about - another 50g of the chopped birdseyes and 2 dried habaneros soaked in 100ml of vodka while the ferment happened. Planning on adjusting in the keg if needed.

Didn't need it, the balance came out just right from the kettle addition. Slight chilli flavour and a nice gentle back of the throat heat.


----------



## tdack

I just put down what I would call my first adventurous batch:

Coopers Mexican Cerveza kit
250g Maltodextrin
250g Dextrose
500g Pale Malt

I boiled 5 chopped hot chillies (including seeds) with about 250g of the mixed dry ingredients and the rind from 1 and a half limes (that's all I had) for about 10 minutes.
Threw that into the fermenter with the can of goop and 2 de-seeded chillies.

Had a little bite at the back of the throat when I tasted it before I pitched the yeast, but not too overpowering and a distinct fresh citrus smell, hope it lasts.


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

Just tried a chilli beer from one of the tradies working on my house. Bloody great! :icon_cheers: Made with a coopers Canadian Blonde then one big (4 inch+ chilli slit) jammed down the neck of the long neck.They open with a real fizz as the chilli lets go of all its gas points.Tastes of raw chilli flavor (yum) and then backed up with what I would call a good bite.I love chilli and this is possibly too much for the non chilli freak but I want more. Others were impress as well.He has made another batch just for me as well. Got to love a good tradie with chilli beer. :beerbang: 
GB


----------



## waynec

well Ive made several chilli brews and the prob im having is that they wont keep a head.Doesnt seem to matter if I use fresh or dried chilli or whether its 50gm or 300gm.Even when I mix some of the chilli beer with a beer that has very good head retention the head will dissapear from the glass almost instantly.
This is very frustrating as I have been brewing for 15years and have always had good results. Can any one throw some light on this for me?  My dream is to make a fuul flavoured malty beer with really good chilli afterburn YUM


----------



## Tony

Has your mate the Hippie Chilli Co fella that eats all the chilli on U-tube been onto you mate?

I have done a lot of thinking of how to make a chilli beer. I think fresh chillis will lend a vegtable flavour.

Did you say they were dry?

Matbe make chop them up and add them with 10 min to go in the boil. Will steralise them too then.

cheers


----------



## Daawl

Just dragging this back up as I wish to put down a Chilli beer.

Trouble is I am having trouble getting hold of any sought of chilli's out here even Woolies. I do have a jar of dried Chilli's in the cupboard. This stuff has the seeds and the chilli's are chopped to about the size of the seeds. Now I know that this stuff has bite so there is no problem there.

I am after a beer with a bit of bite, I am not known to shy away from chillies.

The issue is How Much?
Has anyone got any suggestions?

Cheers
Daawl


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies

Tony said:


> Has your mate the Hippie Chilli Co fella that eats all the chilli on U-tube been onto you mate?
> 
> I have done a lot of thinking of how to make a chilli beer. I think fresh chillis will lend a vegtable flavour.
> 
> Did you say they were dry?
> 
> Matbe make chop them up and add them with 10 min to go in the boil. Will steralise them too then.
> 
> cheers


Tony Yes he ( the Rev) has been onto me, think he might find my chilli tastes a bit gay after what he eats  I do like the raw (not dry) vege chilli flavour , kind of heat and the taste as well.I think when I make one its one chili per bottle, just the gay supermarket type, its enough.Unless you are going for a "Mega Death Chilli Beer" then a few Habs or Naga's might do the trick.I can eat the hot fellas in food but I cant see me drinking them.Stuff it Im off to drag out a bottle now and go cook a curry.
GB


----------



## mika

Will depend on the beer you're putting the into, but I'd suggest starting with a Corona (stuff all taste), throw in 'x' weight of dried chilli. Recap it and let it sit for a few hours to infuse and then sample. Once you find the right sort of balance, just scale up the weight to the batch size of the brew..should be fairly close.


----------



## kenlock

Gryphon Brewing said:


> Tony Yes he ( the Rev) has been onto me, think he might find my chilli tastes a bit gay after what he eats  I do like the raw (not dry) vege chilli flavour , kind of heat and the taste as well.I think when I make one its one chili per bottle, just the gay supermarket type, its enough.Unless you are going for a "Mega Death Chilli Beer" then a few Habs or Naga's might do the trick.I can eat the hot fellas in food but I cant see me drinking them.Stuff it Im off to drag out a bottle now and go cook a curry.
> GB



Crazy Ed's Original Cave Creek Chili Beer (North American Clone Brews) 
20L OG 1046 FG 1012 4.3% abv 25 IBU

2.7kg Lager malt (or 1.4kg + 1kg LDME, if Kits and Bits)
454g Caraplils malt
227g Vienna malt
227g Flaked maize

6 AAUs Mt Hood Hops 60min
4 AAUs Mt Hood Hops Flame out

German lager yeast (Wyeast 2007)
Ferment 7 C 2 weeks
Secondary CC 4 C 5 to 6 weeks

Bulk prime 237ml pale DME

Small (5cm) dried chili pepper per bottle
Age 4 C for 6 weeks

Description: "Watch out - this looks like an ordinary, harmless golden lager, but the second you open the bottle, you know it isn't. Each bottle contains a 2-inch long(5cm) hot pepper, and you smell it and then taste it right away. Amazingly, though, there's also some beer there!"

Haven't tried it myself, but sounds something interesting for the future. Hope this helps!


----------



## Millet Man

Tried the Rouge Chipotle earlier this year and it was delicious, there's some recipe info on their website.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## djneli

I've experimented with dried chillis for my ginger beer and it gave it a nice little zing - only downside is that dried chilli alone does not hold much flavour and disipates after about the first 3 weeks in the keg.

What I did was 7tsp of dried chilli boiled in 2L water for 30 mins. Then strained and added to fermentor. If you want to get the flavour to last longer I would suggest the above but to also add a sliced birds eye to fermentor at 2, 4 and 6 days. You'll end up extracting the oils from the chillis and should get some pretty nice results.


----------



## twowhits

Hi 

I've made a few chilli wheats. I've always boiled my chillies in the sugar I use to bulk prime. Couple of cups of water, the appropriate amount of sugar and 6 - 10 thai chillies that I grew. The first time I did a bit of a test with eye dropping a bit into a glass of beer and tasting. Able to chuck in more chilli if not enough. Have had good success with this method. I have also used this process to only 'chillify' part of a batch as well.

Cheers..
Andrew


----------



## Jaeger

Hi Daawl, 

I recently tried a bottle of Cave Creek Chili Beer at Pepe's Mexican restaurant in Newmarket, Brisbane. They describe it as "Napalm in a bottle. This brew uses Serrano chilis which are pretty darned hot. If you like a challenge, give Cave Creek a try. Not for the faint of heart." I was a bit dubious, but that was pretty accurate. It was hot - but not too hot. Definitely a sipping beer!

The video on their website goes into some (but not all) details of what they use e.g. Saaz hops (not Mt. Hood as per kenlock's recipe.) It might even be true...

Unless you can get hold of the same hybrid (50% less heat) Serrano chilis that fit in a stubbie, I'd probably try adding whatever hot - but not too hot - chili you can get to bottles of Cooper's Mexican Cerveza. A Bird's eye chili or two may do the trick; the longer you leave it, the hotter it should get (to a point.)

Alternatively, track down a supplier of Cave Creek Chili Beer.


----------



## Darkblade

I have got a Thomas Coopers Premium draught about to bottle - 30/08/11. 
I am going to add a few chillis to bottles - I have a tepin Chilli tree.
Thought 1 chilli per stubbie & 2 per big bottle - will pierce a hole in chilli.
Only going to do a few to see how it goes - will let people know.


----------



## Darkblade

Darkblade said:


> I have got a Thomas Coopers Premium draught about to bottle - 30/08/11.
> I am going to add a few chillis to bottles - I have a tepin Chilli tree.
> Thought 1 chilli per stubbie & 2 per big bottle - will pierce a hole in chilli.
> Only going to do a few to see how it goes - will let people know.




WOW.
My Coopers Sparkling Chilli Ale worked very well.

I know it was 'only' a basic kit but I was keen to get my SOP down pat before going on to making better beers.
However having said that - I reckon it turned out pretty good.
The non-ChilliSparkling Ales are a nice everyday drinkin beer @ 4.1%.
The Chilli added ones are beaut. Just enough oomph to get a chilliflavour hit with burning the mouth or throat.
Only bugger of a thing is that it does kill the head tho the beer itself is fine.

Next is to try a chilli stout with the chilli added into the fermenting vessel. 
Tho I am a bit unsure as to how best to do this. And I dont really want to waste an entire run of stout.

Cheers


----------

