What to do with pawpaws?

I picked a mess of pawpaws this weekend primarily with the intent to brew with them somehow. In case you don't know, they're a very tropical tasting fruit and is the only fruit native to North America. They grow only in/around the Appalachian Mountains too.

I know the Marietta Brewing Company makes a pawpaw wheat beer in the summer months. It's ok, but I wouldn't drink very many of them. I've heard of making pawpaw wine but have never tried it. I'm curious as to how it will taste.

Anyone have any experiences with pawpaws/brewing with them or maybe a recipe to share?

i've been scouring the parks around here looking for a pawpaw grove but haven't found one yet. i'm very excited to try one. and they're the largest fruit native to the us, but not the only fruit native to the us.

Not to be the jerk that points this out, but there are plenty of fruits native to North America.

Not to be the jerk that points this out, but there are plenty of fruits native to North America.

Click to expand...

Yes, I misspoke as Brian pointed out, it's the largest not the only. Here are the native NA fruits:


American grape: North American species (e.g., Vitis labrusca; Vitaceae) and American-European hybrids are grown where grape (Vitis vinifera) is not hardy and are used as rootstocks.
American Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum; Berberidaceae)
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana; Ebenaceae)
Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argenta; Elaeagnaceae), which grows wild in the prairies of Canada
Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco; Chrysobalanaceae)
Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)
False-mastic (Mastichodendron foetidissimum; Sapotaceae)
Ground Plum (Astragalus caryocarpus; Fabaceae), also called Ground-plum milk-vetch
Murta (Ugni molinae Turcz.; Myrtaceae)
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba; Annonaceae, not to be confused with Papaya (Carica papaya; Caricaceae), which is called pawpaw in some English dialects)
Pigeon plum (Coccoloba diversifolia; Polygonaceae)
Salal berry (Gaultheria shallon; Ericaceae)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis; Rosaceae)
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens; Ericaceae)
Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana; Ebenaceae)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus; Rosaceae)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia; Rosaceae)

I've never used them myself, but you could make a melomel with them pretty easily. Personally the thought of "tropical" beer makes me wants to cry. You could also add them to Apfelwein I suppose. Most tropical juices use a blend of whatever tropical fruit and apple juice.

So far I've found this:
Paw Paw Wine

and this:
More Paw Paw Wine

The melomel idea is interesting. That's what I did with the wild blackberries I harvested since I didn't get enough to make blackberry wine. I suppose I could just use one of these wine recipes and substitute honey for the sugar. Is there a conversion rate for that is do you just use the same weight?

I think pawpaws would make a nice melomel

I am growing some Pawpaws. Personally, I'll probably use them for fresh eating mostly. I'd say a Melomel probably. You could, if you wanted to, use them in a Wheat beer with a nice banana ester producing strain.