Josh Grenz, co-owner and head brewer at Verboten Brewing in Loveland, Colorado, shared this recipe for Verboten’s Laze About peach habanero ale, which conjures up images of a tropical salsa. Colorado-grown Palisade peaches flirt with fiery habaneros and spicy jalapeños. “It was inspired somewhat by salsa, but to be honest, Angie [co-owner of Verboten and Josh’s wife] loves chile beers, but I am not a big fan. So I wanted to make one that both of us would like.”
Laze About is a golden ale in which small amounts of Munich and melanoidin malts lend additional complexity that, along with generous heaps of fresh peaches, prop up the citrusy habaneros and earthy jalapeños. Pairing it with grilled mahi-mahi and mango salsa is an obvious choice, but it also perfectly complements a grilled chicken salad or spicy, sour Tom Kha Gai.
Josh sums it up: “Laze About is sweet and spicy, and I truly do enjoy drinking this beer. It pairs great with food but stands well on its own, too.”
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.058
FG: 1.010
IBUs: 15
ABV: 6.3%
MALT AND GRAIN BILL
9 lb 14 oz (4.5 kg) U.S. Pilsen malt
11 oz (312 g) Munich 10L malt
9 oz (255 g) Melanoidin malt
5 oz (142 g) Carapils
HOPS SCHEDULE
0.35 oz (10 g) Magnum [12% AA] at 60 mins
Secondary additions (condition for 4 days)
1.75 lb (794 g) Palisade peaches
1 lb (454 g) habanero peppers
8 oz (227 g) jalapeño peppers
YEAST
Wyeast 1056 or White Labs WLP001
DIRECTIONS
Mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Boil for 90 minutes following the hops schedule.