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  • chico corn in beer

    Has anybody ever brewed with chicos? I have some horno-fired chicos made from organic heirloom Concho corn I want to try as a flavor addition to an ale.
    Do you think the super sweet fire roasted corn flavor will persist through the brewing?

  • #2
    Originally posted by wildcrafter
    Do you think the super sweet fire roasted corn flavor will persist through the brewing?
    Send me a sixer and I'll let you know!
    Cheers & I'm out!
    David R. Pierce
    NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
    POB 343
    New Albany, IN 47151

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    • #3
      Originally posted by beertje46
      Send me a sixer and I'll let you know!
      Send me an address. I finished putting an Amalia Lager in the fermenters, cleaned up, and went for a chico flavored ale. I just added the first addition of NM hops after boiling the chicos from the start. The aroma of roasted corn is as big as the aroma of tangerines from the NM hops. Ummmm, tangerines and roasted corn. I hope it lasts for the taste tests!

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      • #4
        Man! You make being properly western pretty hard!
        Okay I don't have a horno but I have a question:
        Do you dry the corn for chicos or just smoke and roast it?

        Trying very hard to keep up!
        <A>

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        • #5
          Originally posted by AlexisScarlett
          Man! You make being properly western pretty hard!
          Okay I don't have a horno but I have a question:
          Do you dry the corn for chicos or just smoke and roast it?

          Trying very hard to keep up!
          <A>
          The corn is harvested at prime time. Some folks use "Silver Queen" corn, but traditionalist use the heirloom "Concho" corn. The ears are soaked in barrels of water. The heated Horno is cleaned out and then loaded with the soaked ears of corn. Add a foil pouched brisket or two to the middle of the pile if you want. Completely seal the horno. About 24 hrs later, open the horno and unload it completely. Shuck most of the ear and leave enough leaf to tie 2 ears together. Hang the 2 ears over lines to dry completely. When dry, clean all kernals off the cobs, clean and store.

          Voila' !!

          BTW- the chico corn ale I put in the fermenter had the greatest flavor! Tangerines(from the NM hops) and fire roasted sweet corn- ummmmm.
          I hope the flavor survives the yeasties.

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          • #6
            Originally posted by wildcrafter

            BTW- the chico corn ale I put in the fermenter had the greatest flavor! Tangerines(from the NM hops) and fire roasted sweet corn- ummmmm.
            I hope the flavor survives the yeasties.
            Update- the tangerine flavor of the NM hops survived the yeasties with flying colors. The heavy flavor of fire roasted sweet corn sure changed with the yeasties. Some of the great and unique aspects of the fire roasting were left quite nicely, but hey, I was really hoping for the heavy flavor of the chicos. Maybe next time I'll get a bit more heavy handed. I'll sure know even more in a month or so.

            If anybody's got the huevos to try chicos in any beer, ale, lager, etc.., how about letting us know how it goes.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by wildcrafter
              If anybody's got the huevos to try chicos in any beer, ale, lager, etc.., how about letting us know how it goes.
              Hehehe--Don't have huevos, don't have corn
              Never thought much of growing either of 'em

              But the idea of fire dried barley... yep steeped some barley and tried the same process with "not horno" outdoor oven/grill. Nice apple wood smoke smell and shall soon see.
              Last edited by AlexisScarlett; 03-13-2008, 12:33 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by AlexisScarlett
                Hehehe--Don't have huevos, don't have corn
                Never thought much of growing either of 'em

                But the idea of fire dried barley... yep malted some barley and tried the same process with "not horno" ourdoor oven/grill. Nice apple wood smoke smell and shall soon see.
                When I worked at the BBC Brewpub years ago our chef would smoke malt for me. We had a cool Chinese-made cabinet smoker and he'd smoke with whatever wood I wanted.
                Cheers & I'm out!
                David R. Pierce
                NABC & Bank Street Brewhouse
                POB 343
                New Albany, IN 47151

                Comment


                • #9
                  Snapped! Malt

                  Oh I typed badly. Not smoked malt!

                  I took the green malt and kilned and roasted in same fire. The master, D.E. Briggs, wrote of this as 15.17 Porter, brown, or "blown" malt (p 719 and 720 Malts and Malting). Nothing caught on fire though dammit

                  I figured this was a similar process as wildcrafter's chico production but with the finest barley instead of corn

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                  • #10
                    New Mexico Hops?

                    Hi there,
                    I was not aware there are hops grown in New Mexico...they taste/smell like Tangerines? Where does one acquire such hops?
                    Any info is appreciated. Thanks,
                    Adam

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by adebower
                      Hi there,
                      I was not aware there are hops grown in New Mexico...they taste/smell like Tangerines? Where does one acquire such hops?
                      Any info is appreciated. Thanks,
                      Adam
                      Yes, hops grow in New Mexico- some varieties do better than others.
                      Some of the varieties I've bred are very tangerine flavored. Many other flavors too. I'm all out of hops this year- stay tuned.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by wildcrafter
                        I'm all out of hops this year- stay tuned.
                        Trade for rhizomes, bines, or on your futures for Colorado hops or bines -- we have a wild american male and a Wild One (cross with WAM and Cluster) seeded
                        Last edited by AlexisScarlett; 03-14-2008, 02:07 PM.

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                        • #13
                          The Chico Ale came out awesome. The major fire roasted sweet corn flavor is reduced to some earthy, roasted, yet light caramels and the tangerine of the hops has become somekind of indescribable kumquat-tangerine-citrus (but not that-sorta). Tastes awesome and unique-yet quite simple. Non-beer drinkers love it.

                          I might have got more flavor if I had used some enzymes to convert some of the corn.

                          I was cave-simple for the recipe and used John Bull Light malt, chicos, NM hops, Nottingham yeast, and local hard water.

                          I'm sure that somebody can improve on this recipe, but it's pretty nice so far.

                          Folk's freaked when I tell them (after a few beers) that it's 3%. Chicolite- they love it.

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                          • #14
                            chicos are in

                            Chicos are in.

                            $15/#.

                            PM if interested

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                            • #15
                              Chico

                              Hey Brewers:

                              Steve Bradt, who is also on this forum ['morning..... )
                              wrote a Great article in THE NEW BREWER about Chico brewing.

                              Steve, can you help here.........................

                              Fred

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