Making Chilli Cider

colinandclare

Hello

Want to make some chilli cider.  I have got a basic apple cider kit from Wilkinsons, and all equipment.  When would be the best time to add the chilli and in what form (powder, dried or fresh)? Has anybody tried this before?  Should I add in original fermenting bin, or add to pressurised barrel once primary fermentation has finished and liquid is transferred with the sugar into barrel.  Thank you for any advice, and I will let you know what it comes out like.

Cheers!

HBO_Staff

We must admit we've not tried this before, so it will be a case of experimenting. It is hard to gauge the strength the chilli taste will be in the finished brew, and depends on what volume of cider you're making, it may be best to use the chilli in the same way you would add hops as a starting point, either infuse dried or fresh into the cider at the initial fermenting stage, or perhaps make a 'chilli tea' to add to the cider. We suspect dried chilli might infuse a nice flavour into the cider, have a look at this guide which you could perhaps substitiute chilli for hops;

http://home-brew-online.myshopify.com/pages/hop-tea-and-dry-hopping

The strength will of course depend on the chilli type, and we'd love to hear how you get on as this sounds quite interesting, and will help to warm your cider up for some winter drinking!