What spicy beers are like
The world of craft beer is so rich that even the boldest ideas have a place. A good example is spicy beers, whose flagship is the chili porter. This substyle of British porter originated in Mexico in the last decade, during the boom in microbreweries. The land of tacos leans on local products and reinterprets coffee-forward beers with its immense variety of chiles.
The goal is not to brew the spiciest beer, because a good beer must above all be drinkable and enjoyable, but to be able to balance the heat with the rest of the sensations, thus achieving a pleasant, well-rounded experience. In fact, this porter should evoke the flavors of chili, the smokiness it may have, and the spice itself. Some brewers even add cocoa or chocolate as a nod to its Mexican origins.
We also have examples of these beers in Spain, such as La Federal from Cierzo Brewing (Zaragoza), with pasilla, ancho and árbol chiles, or Imperial Chilli Stout from Nómada Brewing. In Granada there is Sierra Nevada, a company dedicated to sauces, which sells two spicy beers brewed at the Portolobo brewery: one with jalapeños and another with bhut jolokia. In Barcelona we find brewmaster Carlos from Tro Ales, known for his legendary spicy beers and wide range of hot styles.
For its part, the Segovia brewery 90 Varas seasonally brews Alma Negra, an English-inspired porter with cayenne. Even the now-defunct Blomberg beer in Extremadura brewed a Belgian tripel with sweet La Vera PDO paprika. Other brewers, such as Dawat in Cuenca, opt for Sichuan pepper to achieve this exotic profile.
In turn, the English brew certain beers with ginger. While it’s not as hot as the previous examples, ginger does provide a certain spiciness on the palate. However, ginger beers should not be confused with ginger ale or ginger sodas and tonics.
When brewing a spicy beer, we must be especially careful with the proportions, as we risk ending up with an undrinkable potion. To avoid this, we should look up the capsaicin levels in the chili or pepper we want to use, as well as its rating on the Scoville scale, the international scale that measures chili heat. Finally, it’s always a good idea to consult chefs before we start brewing, since they’re familiar with using spicy ingredients. Ready to try your first chili porter?
