Rattlesnake Bootstrap

[pocketjr]

There's a commercial playing on the radio a lot lately for Sleeman brewery, which involves their embracing their "notorious past". It has different secret knock combinations like there would have been back in the prohibition days, and then a random name for the knock.

The first one is called "Rattlesnake bootstrap". I looked it up, and there is no actual brew that is named as such and now I feel like I NEED to come up with a brew with this awesome name.

I'm not even sure where to start other than to have a brew that has a little bite to it, maybe like an IPA. There's not a lot of snakes up our way, so I really have no idea here. The bootstrap part? Well…. I guess that would be dry? Maybe?

Any and all suggestions/ideas here are welcome. Maybe we could make this a collaboration?

[pocketjr]

There's already been a suggestion on the MrB site to add a hint of hot pepper.
I really like the idea, just not sure how to go about adding a "hint" of hot pepper.

[jpsherman]

My first thought would be a dash of cayenne pepper. When I season food with it, it seems to add heat with little impact on the flavor.

Perhaps use bootstrap molasses? Never used it, can't vouch for flavor.

Or you could get your "bite" from making this imperial strength.

Another avenue would be to introduce smoky flavor (smoked malts or wood chips) AND some sort of heat, because after all, rattlesnakes tend to be more prevalent down in BBQ country.

[FrozenInTime]

For a hint of *bite, er hot*, I add a little bit of jalapeno to each bottle. Not a big piece or after sitting it will get hot.

[jpsherman]

Ha ha this is what I get for inebriated posting. Its not "bootstrap" molasses but "blackstrap"