Smoke Bomb Imperial Smoked Chipotle Porter Extract Beer Recipe Kit

This is my second brewing of the Smoke Bomb. It's not even close to being done yet, but I can tell you about my FIRST batch, brewed almost one year ago. This is a good one for cold winter nights by the fire, when you want to be warmed from the inside as well as from out.

My winter 2023 batch came out amazing, and I can't say enough about this recipe. I was a little concerned about getting too much "heat" from the peppers, and I didn't want an overly "peppery" taste, so I went with a lighter dose of chipotles than the full-on five that came with the kit. I chose two large ones and one small one. I put them in a small muslin bag, tied it closed with fishing line and dropped it in the fermenter with the tail end of the line held in place by the stopper. I left the peppers in there for 2 1/2 days - 60 hours, then removed them. I bottled 11 days after that with a total fermentation time (primary and secondary) of 4 weeks. When bottling, I took the recommendation of the Northern Brewers staff and included a packet of bottle conditioning yeast. This ultimately worked great, and I got a nice amount of carbonation - just right - for a porter. Without it, I think it might have been a bit flat as some people have mentioned in their reviews. I tasted the first one on Christmas Eve, after bottle conditioning for 8 days. It tasted OK, and even had nice carbonation, but I could tell it needed more time. I let the rest of the bottles sit, and with successive tastings, it got better and better. The flavors really blended well and were quite complex. The pepper "heat" was barely noticeable, and a unique subtle smoky flavor was evident, but not overpowering. Letting it sit in the bottle for a long time really makes a big difference. By 45 days in the bottle, I'd say it was peaking! This is one of my favorites, and will be an annual brew for me.

I loved it, but my wife and friends, not so much. An acquired taste!

Brewed the beer per the instructions, however for the secondary conditioning I read to not overdue it with the Chipotle peppers and the recommendation of using two chilis and decided to see if I could overdue it. We love heat in this family. I used the entire one ounce package and let the chilis sit in the secondary for a full two weeks. I bottled the beer a little over two weeks ago. Finally got to try it this week and I'm really thrilled with how it turned out. Reminded me of the old Z Lager from the now defunct Fort Collins brewery with smokey goodness! It is the best beer I've brewed at home yet!

I was skeptical about a spicy beer, but the smoke bomb porter lives up to its name. It has a nice smoky Chipotle barbecue flavor and a slightly spicy after taste. 10/10

I used half the peppers, seeded, and has just the perfect amount of heat yet flavorful. This is my new favorite Porter! Smokey, spicy, delicious.