Recipe and Review (R&R): Chili Lime Pilsner

This chili lime pilsner isn't exactly what I would hope it to be, but I can't complain.  The base beer, an American Pilsner, is spot on.  The flavorings I used however, are not.  The lime flavor is a bit stronger and more earthy (most likely because I used zest rather than the juice) than I hoped for, and the chili peppers are a bit weak, but it is an excellent summertime beer.

Here is my 33 Beers entry:



And now for the recipe:

Chili Lime Pilsner - 2 Gallon

23 Specialty Beer (Classic American Pilsner)

Author: Aaron Piskorowski

Size: 2.0 gal
Efficiency: 70.0%
Attenuation: 81.0%

Original Gravity: 1.053 (1.044 - 1.060)
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Terminal Gravity: 1.010 (1.010 - 1.015)
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Color: 2.79 (3.0 - 6.0)
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Alcohol: 5.65% (4.5% - 6.0%)
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Bitterness: 49.1 (25.0 - 40.0)
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Ingredients:

1.0 lb 2-Row Brewers Malt
1.5 lb Corn Flaked (Maize)
1.5 lb Belgian Pils
0.25 lb Cara-Pils® Malt
0.5 oz Cascade (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 60.0 min
1.0 tsp Irish Moss - added during boil, boiled 15.0 min
0.5 oz Cascade (7.5%) - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
3 ea De Arbol Chili Peppers - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
2.5 tbsp Lime zest - added during boil, boiled 10.0 min
1.0 ea WYeast 2124 Bohemian Lager

Results generated by BeerTools Pro 1.5.16


Primary: Lite American Lager, Ginger Ale
Carbonating: Honey Dunkelweisen
Total for 2011: 60 Gallons

Mango Habanero Wit

I don't know what the hell is wrong with me.  Jay and I win a competition then I take a week off of posting.  It could be see it as a deserved break, almost a reward, but I instead restocked on ammunition for the blog, brewing, creating, and experimenting.  So, back I go, onto the three post a week schedule.

This is my last beer in my three beer series.  I am going to take the classic Belgian Wit south of the boarder for my final Cinco de Mayo beer.  The base of the beer will be flaked wheat and Belgian Pilsner malt.  The hops are still up in the air, but they will not be too prevalent since it is a Wit, and for yeast I will use Forbidden Fruit from WYeast Labs.  That's the easy part.  The rest, I don't really have too much experience brewing with.  I will be spicing it with the traditional coriander and orange peel, then for the habanero and mango, I have no idea.  I did find mention of using habanero in Radical Brewing, but it was quite vague on how spicy the beer would actually be.  I think I will end up using one pepper, de-seeded for my two gallon batch and see where that takes me.  The mango is still up in the air.  It may be a game day decision on how much to use and if I should use it in secondary of in the boil.

I'm a bit behind in my brewing, due to some of my longer fermentation times so by the time I brew this one, it will be about a week off from where I would like, but it should still be ready by Cinco de Mayo.

On Deck: Imperial IPA (3/17), Mango Habanero Wit (3/24)
Primary: Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier, Chili Lime Pilsner
Secondary: Belgian Blonde (Ended up being more like a Biere de Garde)
Conditioning: Elder Ale

Chili Lime Pilsner

So there is bad news and even worse news for the sarsaparilla ale.  I was about to transfer it into secondary yesterday when there was a bizarre aroma coming off of it.  It almost smelled like tomato paste/catchup.  After tasting it, my worst fears were proven, the beer was spoiled/infected.  The worst part is that I cannot pinpoint the source of the infection.  The good part of this whole situation is that I smelled the elder beer and can safely say that the yeast was not the culprit.  My hopes are still high for the sarsaparilla ale though and I am planning on brewing it again in the future.  It held such promise as it was being brewed.

This post though, is looking towards a brighter note.  This is a continuation of my Cinco de Mayo beers, and it will be a Chili Lime Pilsner.  I have been wanting to brew this beer ever since I've started brewing.  Basically, this beer would be a michelada, minus the salt, tomato (no one needs that in beer) and having to add lime and hot sauce.

I cannot say that this beer will conform to a specific base style since in quite a few aspects I will be deviating.  The base malt for the beer will be a Czech Pilsner and I will possibly add some flaked maize, considering the history of the ingredient with the American style lagers/pilsners and that corn is used so much in Mexican cooking.  I will be Cascade hops exclusively.  I feel that this is a no brainer since the citrusy notes of the hops should play off the lime perfectly.  I think I am going to use a Boheamian Lager yeast since it has such a wide range of applications and be a great addition to my yeast bank for future brews.

I very much look forward to this brew, I just hope that the basement will be cool enough for lagering.

On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/21 - yes I was lazy and am putting it off until tomorrow), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27), Chili Lime Pilsner (3/6)
Primary: Elder Ale
Secondary: Nada
Conditioning: Irish Red Ale, Beef on Weck Ale

Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier

Another brew day, another need for an inspiration post.  In celebration on Indiana's birthday (my dog), I was planning on brewing a few different beers utilizing different types of peppers.  Coincidentally, her birthday is on Cinco Day Mayo, so in essence, it's like killing two birds with one stone with this theme.

Back about four years ago, some friends and I began to make chocolate covered bacon (I may have to convert this into a beer somehow in the near future).  Throughout the years, there have been several iterations, the most recent incorporated chipotle peppers in the chocolate.  The heat from the pepper didn't stand out, but you could notice the smokiness.  From that, the natural progression was Rauchbier, but to make the heat of the pepper pop.

For my malts, I plan on using a 2-row, Munich, and smoked malt.  I may end up using some chocolate malt in order to enhance the flavor from the cocoa powder that I will be using.  I haven't decided for sure yet, but I think I may go for a medium to high amount of hops in this beer.  I think that a higher bitterness from the hops will go great with the chocolate and the heat from the chipotle peppers.



This is going to be my second attempt at a lager beer.  I am thinking I will use a Munich Style lager yeast since it will be a strain that I will be able to use in a wide variety of lagers.  The target brew date for this beer is 2/27.

On Deck: Belgian Blonde (2/20), Chocolate Chipotle Rauchbier (2/27)
Primary: Elder Ale, Sarsaparilla Ale
Secondary: Irish Red Ale
Conditioning: Beef on Weck Ale