Think of your favorite cold, refreshing beer, and then pump it filled with chili peppers, and you’re with us. Chili beer is a (somewhat) recent addition to the craft beer experience. Brewers are experimenting with this craft beer by adding hot pepper juice, oils or even whole peppers to ales and lagers to create what is commonly becoming known as chili (or chile) beer.

Since the balance of spicy heat and smokiness is very difficult to hit, many people agree that a good chili beer shows the skill of the brewer. The interesting thing about chili beers, is there’s no right way to make them, but the decisions made along the way impact the end flavor of the beer.

Many times, brewers use a range of chili peppers, from sweet all the way to ghost peppers, to get the balance of hot flavor and aroma they’re looking for. They also change up the time they add the peppers into the beer to affect the end taste as well. Some brewers add their chilis to the mash, others add peppers during the boiling period, or even during fermentation.

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