Black Forest Jalepeno Pilsener

Brewed by Black Forest Brew Haus
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Farmingdale, New York USA

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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On tap at the brewpub. Very hazy golden, almost looks neon yellow with a big off white head that retains very well. Aroma is almost all jalapeno and a touch of pilsner character in the background. Taste is alot of jalapeno, which I admittedly like. It does slightly overpower the nuances of the pilsner base, but I thought the base beer was there enough that it wasn’t unpleasant. At first it’s just the flavor of the jalapeno-spicy green pepper, later into the finish you start feeling the heat of the chilis. I would say the heat was moderate in the finish, enough burn to feel it but not enough to discourage taking the next sip. As someone who loves hot peppers, I thought it was awesome, glad it was still on tap by the time I got to the brewpub.

On tap at the brewpub. This first keg of 2009 was tapped while I was there having dinner with my family. Pours a hazy gold with a moderate white head that lasted until mid-glass and laced the glass well. The aroma is virtually pure jalapeño. I’m not talking about the jarred or pickled jalapeños, this smells like freshly cut, raw jalapeños. I’m not sure if its psychosomatic, or if it is truly the capsaicin from the jalapeño, but the fragrance actually makes my nose itch and my eyes water just a bit. The flavor is again purely about the jalapeños. Any qualities of the base pilsener are gone, which in this case is just fine because I have never been a big fan of their pilsener. The heat from the peppers starts building in the back of the mouth along the sides and crescendos in the center back of the throat. The heat sticks around too for several minutes after the swallow. This is an interesting beer for sure, and while it is not something I would drink every day, or consume a lot of in one sitting, it is unique and fun to drink.

On tap at the brewpub, apparently available every Cinco de Mayo. There is a general pilsner/pale lager type background, but no one really cares about that. The interesting part about this is the Jalepeno pepper in the aroma and the flavor. I sincerely hope that next year it will pour well as two different bartenders refused to pour more than a sample of it. I though that this had the perfect kick to make it delicious. Unfortunately, one of the bartenders claimed that the quality varies a lot from year to year. "Last year’s," he said, "was almost undrinkable."

On tap at Brewpub: Cloudy golden- no clarity. The head is dense, white and well retained. The nose is like a fresh jar of jalapeños. It also reminds me of opening a bag of those "Deli Jalapeño" potato chips. After it sits for a while there’s just a touch of pilsner malt that comes through. The body and nice and fluffy, with a bold and spicy flavor. The flavor is bombarded with jalapeños, masking the base beer and all of it’s qualities. Not much else to say other than the peppery warming throughout the entire palate down into the gut. It’s a bit weird, and tough to truly identify nuances of a beer which has been aged with such an overpowering component, but it’s very interesting.

Fresh growler from the brewpub. Apparently, this was hard to even pour off tap because of the seeds. It pours headless with a thick, murky muted golden colored body. I am surprised that its headless, seems like a full pour in the growler but maybe something about it was off. If I had some head on this baby it would definitely be a 4 for appearance. Aroma hits you right away with strong dry and green jalapeño. Its genuinely spicy and hot, fresh jalapeño, I am loving it. Taste is not as dry jalapeño but still full of spicy green pepper which follows some light white bread and finishes with a burst of hot jalapeño. I feel the pepper burn in my throat and I love it. This is fresh and amazing and still very easy to drink. I like jalapeño in general so this is right up my alley. I will confirm that this is unique.
Growler consumed within 2 hours of purchase, Southampton Weizen glass.

UPDATED: MAY 13, 2006 Tap at the brewpub. Pours a light golden , moslty crystal clear, with a few floaties and even a whole sprig of cilantro for garnish floating around., Nice fluffy lasting white head and good lace. Aroma is like a fresh cut juicy green jalepeno pepper and not much else- just real spicy and sharp. Flavor is slightly sweet up front but then spicy as hell and very intense with jalepeno peppers. Very spicy all around and actually has a peppery burn on the lips and in the mouth. Very nice and interesting at first, but becomes difficult to finish towards the end. I like hot and spicy foods, so this was interesting but almost a bit too intense for me. Very unique.