Habanero Pale Ale

HABANERO PALE ALE

Okay, listen. We all know what a Pale Ale is, that isn't the point of this beer. This beer was designed to incorporate just a little spice and a whole lot of flavor into an original concoction that we could pair with food or enjoy by itself. We had always wanted to do something with hot peppers, and our first try was a grand disaster. We dumped it after primary fermentation in a move that was both heartbreaking and educational. 

That initial effort was a Hefeweizen that we dropped a bunch of habanero peppers into. It turned into an astringent, undrinkable mess. So we went back to the drawing board and rebuilt the beer. We nixed the idea of a Hefeweizen being the base beer and went for something different.

We looked at this beer as a chef would look at a dish. We wanted balance. Spicy and sweet, bite and body. We took an approach to the peppers that was very different than the first try as well. Instead of dumping a furnace of heat into the beer, we decided to unlock the potential for flavor with the peppers. 

We had tried a couple of other peppered beers before taking another whack at our version. The overriding theme that we found is that the beers were too spicy, and that heat took away from the overall quality of the beer. We wanted to avoid that, to make a beer that was balanced, and not just a pint of fire. Again, we approached the peppers as a professional chef would. In restaurants, when hot peppers are used the pith and seeds are removed (pith is the soft white rib running down the inside of the pepper). The seeds are full of capsaicin, the compound in the pepper that makes it spicy, and the pith is astringent and very very terrible. 

If we similarly removed those things and only used the flesh of the vegetable, we would incorporate a little of the heat and a lot of the flavor of the peppers. Sanitizing them would be another story altogether. When sanitizing the peppers, we went through several moments of error, along with some successes. We do this now: dice the peppers very small, 1/4" cube is a good mark. Oh, use gloves, just in case you get juice on your finger and wipe you eye or somewhere more delicate...use gloves. 

Once your peppers are tiny, simmer them for 15 minutes in a cup of water. Add that entire solution to whatever you are adding peppers. In our case we have three pepper additions. We also always add the peppers in a muslin bag, as they are all going to be removed at some point during the process.

We use three different peppers in the process of making this beer. We add two habanero peppers to the boil, and let them cook for the final 20 minutes of the hour long boil. We let primary stage fermentation go unimpeded, and rack to a secondary, There we add 2 serrano peppers for 3 days, as well as the liquid in which they were sterilized because that solution holds some flavor, spice, and aroma. Those are removed, and are replaced by 4 jalapeno peppers and their liquid for an additional three days. Those are removed upon bottling (we bottle this beer). 

As for the beer itself, it's not the star of the show, so we keep it simple. What we wanted to do to it was accent the flavor and spice from the peppers with a malty sweetness and some bold colors. We also tried to keep the ABV relatively low so any boozy characteristics would be limited and the peppers wouldn't be drowned by alcohol. Same idea with the hop additions. One noble spiced hop with a low AA% at the start of the boil, and another at the end to compliment the adjunct elements, but not enough bitterness or aromatic to take away from the peppers. 

OUR RECIPE

8lbs 2-Row Pale Ale Malt
1lb Dark Munich Malt
1/2lb 40L Caramel Malt
1/4lb Melanoiden

1oz Hallertau Mittlefruh
1oz Saaz

2 Habanero Peppers
2 Serrano Peppers
4 Jalapeno Peppers

US-05 Dry American Ale Yeast

1tsp Irish Moss

Malts We Use
2-Row Pale Ale Malt: A traditional American base malt, this won’t impart too much color or flavor. It is a clean, crisp malt that works well with specialty grains and most beer styles. American varieties are generally less starchy and lighter in color than their English counterparts and less flavorful as Munich or Pilsen base malts. 

Dark Munich Malt: Very similar to normal Munich Malts, the Dark Munich is kilned slightly longer, giving it a redder hue and some stronger flavors and aromatics. This malt also contributes to the body and mouth feel of the beer, and can be used as a base malt or a specialty malt, depending on the recipe.

Chocolate Malt: Despite its tasty name, chocolate malt does NOT taste like chocolate. In fact it’s named for the warm chocolate colors that it brings to a beer. It also adds some nutty aromas and toast flavoring.

40L Caramel Malt: This specialty malt will contribute not only a fair amount of sweetness, but also a beautiful color that makes this beer stand out from its mellower cousins. 40 is a mid range Caramel malt, with lower numbers (10, 20, etc) being much milder and higher being stronger flavored and darker. 

Melanoidin: A kilned specialty malt, Melanoidin not only adds red and copper colors to beer, but also adds sweet bready flavors. It promotes a heartier body to the beer as well as smoothness on the palate. 

Hops We Use

Hallertau Mittelfruh: Considered by many to be the classic German noble hop, Hallertau Mittelfruh has left its Bavarian home to become one of the most used European varieties. It offers little hop bitterness but makes up for it with strong aromatic notes of spice, flowers, and fresh hay. 

Saaz: Brewers in the Czech Republic have been using Saaz for over 700 years. It's a classic noble hop with a herbal spice and mellow bitterness. Saaz has a low Alpha Acid, making it one of the quintessential aromatic hops

Put your peppers into a muslin bag

Adjuncts We Use

Habanero, Serrano, and Jalapeno Peppers: For flavoring and aromatics, see above

Irish Moss: We use Irish Moss as a clarifying agent. These negatively charged seaweed particles attract proteins and other free radicals in your boil kettle and drag them to the bottom once cooled, thereby removing haze from your final product. Whirlfloc tablets are another option for this process. Regardless of your preferred methods of clarity, it is important that beers of this style are clear. Lagering can do this as well, but most home brewers don't have that capability, so adding Irish Moss (or something similar) can work wonders for cleaning up the beer.

Yeast We Use

US-05: An American Ale yeast, US-05 produces a clean final product for any American beer style. It is crisp, easy to use, and is very moderate in every aspect of fermentation.