Bottling the Chilli and Lime Lager
Yesterday I bottled my Chilli and Lime Lager. Bottling is always a laborious and lengthy process of washing, sterilizing, filling, capping, and then cleaning up. But there’s a feeling of satisfaction when it’s over and you’ve created a few cases of beer. In a few months they might be drinkable.
I tasted the brew before bottling it, and I think it’ll be fairly different to my earlier Chilli Draft. Firstly it’s a lot less hot. This time I used mild chillis, but even though I used a dozen they didn’t stack up to the heat of the one hot chilli I used last time. Secondly there’s the Kaffir lime taste, which seems to have made the beer somewhat sour. You might expect sourness in a Porter, but it’s a bit of a surprise in a Lager. Well, only time will tell how these and other characteristics develop in the bottle.
[...] I tasted a second bottle of the Chilli and Lime Lager too. It’s smoother now after a few months in the bottle, but the taste of the chillis (not the heat) is pretty overwhelming. (I’m not sure if I can taste the Lime flavour at all.) So, next time I think back to my original recipe of just one hot chilli. But it’s still fit to drink. [...]
i made chilli beer i put one small pod in each stubbie after 3 weeks it was ok but after 3 momrhs it was too hot maybe next time i will put it into the fermenter
[...] Finally, we had the chance to taste the world well-known Chilli lager. (Anything on Internet is considered world well-known. But the the entry does rank number one if you google “chilli lager”.) I love it! Though I am not really a beer drinker, this one definitely tastes better than most of beer I’ve ever had. « Wireless Headset GN6210 [...]
Hey,I was intersted to read that you had created your own chilli lager.When did you add the chilli’s and were they fresh chilli’s?Thanks
Hi Graham – yep both times I used fresh chillies (split down the middle) throughout the primary fermentation stage, and removed them prior to bottling.
[...] Someone at work asked me for some bottles of chilli and lime lager to put in their sons’ Christmas stockings, and when I went rummaging around in the cellar, I reaslied that I was down to my last three bottles. With two now gone as Christmas presents, I’m left with one tallie, to drink some time in the future. [...]
I am trying to find information on how much kaffir lime leaf to use in a recipe to give it about the same flavor as a lime wedge in a bottle of Corona. I brew typical 5 gallon batches. Do you have some more info to share on amounts and preparation of the leaves (e.g., mincing versus whole leaf)?
Thanks!
Hi Cory
I used about 6 whole leaves in the primary fermentation, and removed them prior to bottling. They had some effect on the taste, but it was pretty marginal. That may have been because the chilli flavour overpowered the lime, so if you only added lime leaves you might get a more noticeable result.
Maybe you could add one leaf to each bottle to make the lime flavour stronger, but the leaves end up looking a little sad and floppy after they’ve been soaking for a while.