Crank-up the Heat

Mmmm... spicy...

The calendar page has turned once again, and it’s officially November. The leaves are literally hanging on by threads and the crisp autumn air is starting to turn cold. This is a perfect opportunity to start talking about an emerging beer style that can really warm you up… chili beer.

 

Chili beer is loosely defined as a basic light colored ale (can be a lager as well) with various hot pepper juices, oils, or actual peppers added to it. Jalapeño chilies are the most common peppers used. Hotness can range from a subtle spiciness to palate scorching, with the latter being far less common.

 

There is evidence, thanks to the crafty brewers over at Dogfish Head, that chili peppers were used in beer making as early as 1,200 BC in present day Honduras. Chemical analysis of pottery fragments found there revealed that the Aztec civilization made a chocolate celebration beer using chocolate, honey and chili. Of course, Dogfish Head then made a version of the ancient brew of their own using cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, chilies and a fragrant tree seed called annatto. They call this beer Theobroma (food of the gods), and it is available at a specialty beer store near you (assuming it is in season and you are within their distribution range).

These are not the chili peppers in the beer

Despite these early records of adding chilies to beer, chili beer is considered by most to be a new modern American beer creation on the beer timelines and style trees. In most examples, the beer starts off sweet in taste with just a hint of acidity on the back end. The heat of the chili doesn’t usually hit until a few moments later, and depending on the type and quantity of peppers that were used, can be quite noticeable. It’s because of this heat that most brewers pay just as much attention to the sweet aspects of the beer as they do the chili, and add other ingredients to enhance that sweet side, such as chocolate, honey, or more grain.

 

Food of the gods

Unfortunately, chili beer can be difficult to find. There are a handful of breweries out there that make a chili beer, but availability and lack of distribution severely hinder our ability to readily find them. I mentioned Theobroma earlier, and in April when they release it, it is pretty easy to find in the mid-Atlantic region, as well as other places too, but for the rest of the year, finding it can be a challenge. If you are able to get some, I highly recommend it. The chili is very subtle, and only appears after you drink, almost as though it’s on a delay. The chocolate is definitely the rock star in the beer, and at 9.0% ABV, it’s a very enjoyable brew.

 

Another good chili beer that is relatively easy to find is Samuel Adams The Vixen. The Vixen is a chocolate chili bock that, much like Theobroma, starts out sweet and chocolaty and ends with a spicy heat. The brewers use dark cocoa nibs and roasted barley to obtain the sweetness, and then add chilies complimented with cinnamon to give you the warmth and spice. I also recommend this one, particularly while pairing with a desert at your Thanksgiving feast (more on that later).

 

Aint she sweet?

 

Other chili beers that I know of, but haven’t had so I can’t recommend them, are Chipotle Ale by Rogue Ales in Newport, Oregon, Lips of Faith – Cocoa Mole by New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, Colorado, A Bit of Heat by Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Smokabaga by Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Florida, and Chili Lager by Tommyknocker Brewery in Idaho Springs, Colorado. There are countless others out there, but availability and distribution are the keys.

 

So now you have another way to keep warm as the temperatures start to dip. Don’t be intimidated or closed-minded about something like chili being in your beer, which seems like it has no business being there. Give it a try. They really are quite delicious.

 

Here's to craft-brewed happiness... Cheers!