Sounds good HB, it can get up to 100F here where I live in July, a beer shake would hit the spot.
Home beer brewing is just starting to take off up here in Canada. I read a few years ago that home brewing of beer was over 2 billion dollar industry in North America, maybe more now.
With down turn in economy now Canada is taking more interest in home brewing as shown this Christmas past, I saw on our national news cast on CTV that there was considerable movement to it. I would like to see contests up here too eventually as the hobby grows. I hear in B.C. near coast that micro brewing is big, people visit the pub, make their beer, come back weeks later to drink it, guess it is a good growing business there.
I use mostly Black Rock India Pale Ale malt, supplied yeast, pure corn sugar. I ferment beer as slow as possible for 9-11 days at lowest temp without killing yeast to reduce the methanol content, methanol = headaches. I hydrate yeast in 40C water prior to adding. I use OXY-SAN sterilent, best stuff I can find so far without having to rince, it's residue also enhances the brewing and flavor, smoothes the taste of beer. I like to age my beer no less than 3 months after carbonation. I also put bit more water in my beer, I find all beer malt kits are rich, I like the thirst quenching beers like Corona or Miller High Life. I also do not make "HA HA" juice anymore, last year I made 9% beer, this year I cut back sugar and made 5%. I use the sugar carbonation technique on bottling which also increases alcohol content too. I used 3) 25 American gallon fermentors this spring for mass production, worked great, I was using 23 litre (5 Canadian Gallon) carboys with air locks before and that was too time consuming for volume I make.
I have a lot of people try my beer, they are impressed with clarity and smoothness, carbonation, my greatest secret/success is my pure spring fed well water in my opinion. Most people have a real bad attitude when they hear the word "homemade beer", there response is usually to effect of "NO thanks, I have tried that before, I'll pass." I have to convince them to try mine and it is not easy, once they do they are suprised. Water, sterilization, patience and NOT cheaping out on sugar etc is the secret to beer in my findings.
I never get headaches or feel groggy as I do when I drink store bought beer, just a great buzz, my wife and I do all the acreage chores on Saturdays, drink a few bottles each at noon with lunch and get up and finish yard work without any less energy except the buzz. Great stuff, I make homemade beer first for the better taste, secondly for no adverse health effects while drinking it as explained above except for an accasional hangover after a hard weeks work. Thirdly I make about $1,300.00 Canadian funds worth of store bought beer for about $300.00, it takes me one day to make it, 1.5 days to bottle it, I also recycle bottles in process too. Over the years I found the no rince sterilents, different techniques and carboys to get a lot of beer done right and fast.
It is a hobby one never stops learning, I always tell people to get into this hobby and enjoy it, I tell them that if they get into it just to make cheap beer (compared to buying store bought) then it becomes a chore and not a challenging and enjoyable hobby.
I like the Jalapeno/Serrano/Black Pepper Pale beer idea, we like Southwestern here, sounds good with homemade HOT salsa and taco chips.
Your pushing the envelope on beer making far further than I am HB, I think you do your beer more like a science.
Cyprs