Tepache!

[passedpawn]

There was a 70's movie about a demonic infant called It's Alive. Scared the bejeesus out of me back then. FF to the 2000's, and I tracked it down and played it for a group of people at my house. Le'ts just say it didn't age well. Ugh.

 

[MarkKF]

Anyone still making Tepache?

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I haven't made a batch since my first one last summer but it was so good I am going to have to start making batches again once the weather turns around.

 

[MarkKF]

Me too. Gotta find the recipe I used again.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I've been thinking about different variants of it. I really liked it as is and found that blending it with other beers/liquor tasted really good but I'm trying to conceive some way to make it into a 3-4% sessionable beer-like drink. Maybe blending is really the best way, make a gallon batch of tepache and strain into a batch of beer before packaging. Residual sugars in the tepache can act as the primer. Maybe.

 

[MarkKF]

So at its base Tepache is pineapple, water & sugar. What is the base ratio between these three ingredients?

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

For one gallon I did the below:
1 entire pineapple + skin of another pineapple.
2 cinnamon sticks
1 jalapeño
2 cups brown sugar
Fill container with H2O.

 

[SirHC_]

Everytime we have a fresh pineapple in the house!
I use the skin and core, chopped across the 'grain' 1 c brown sugar a dash of cinnamon. I used some garam masala once instead of cinnamon and it was great.
I always have to test mine along the way and put it in the fridge before it gets to tart.

 

[MarkKF]

Found the recipe I used before. Makes 1/2 gal.
https://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/homemade-pineapple-brew/
The packages of sugar are good for two batches and pineapples are often on sale $/2. Perfect for a gallon.

 

[MarkKF]

48 hrs at 70 deg. F.
Nothing happening yet.

But the fruit was good!

 

[MarkKF]

4 days - nothing
Somebody washed my pineapple!

 

[passedpawn]

4 days - nothing
Somebody washed my pineapple!

Patience. I guarantee something will happen, eventually.

 

[MarkKF]

Too late. I pitched some 71b-1122 instead of dumping it.

 

[MarkKF]

3 days down to 1.020 so I racked it off the fruit into a jug.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I am making up my first batch of Tepache' of the season this weekend. Last year I used it to mix with liquor/beer etc. This year I will make a simple batch then maybe the next one I will experiment with some different things.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

Got a gallon started yesterday.

1 gallon H20
2 cups brown sugar
1 jalapeno (scored)
1/4 tsp Superfood
1 pineapple (sliced with skin)

Will take a look when I get home and if it isn't bubbling I will put in a pinch of bread yeast to move her along. Usually won't let this sit for longer then 3-4 days.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

I put a few grains of bread yeast in and the jug blew up pretty quick, not too bad. Will be bottling the Tepache tonight. Also while tasting a pineapple sour I recently made I am thinking that maybe tepache as priming sugar would have kicked up the pineapple flavor in that beer, food for thought.

 

[cpreston]

hi all, I normally lurk around this form getting wine making tips. I was watching too much "it's alive" with Brad and decided to try my hand at Tepache, however when doing some research and then talking to the guy at Keystone Home Brew, decided that wild yeast was too scary for me, so I got 2 pineapples (washed) and a small hand of ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks and two serranos (pierced) along with 2 1lb cakes of piloncillo and just shy of 3 gal of water (in a 3 Gallon Fermonster) I added potassium metabisulfite in the morning and then around 6pm added one packet of Lalvin EC-1118 yeast.
that was sunday... as of this morning I have a very active fermentation as you can see.
I bought a case of clear grolsch style bottles
I did NOT measure the sugar before I started, (wine making supplies at my Dad's) so I don't know what the abv will be when I'm done
last night I gave it a bit of a taste and the piloncillo gives it an almost non-alcohol rum flavor, cinnamon and fresh ginger maybe don't play well together though. Hoping that one will take over the flavor of the other enough that they're not competing.
so... question...suggestion... do I wait till the fermentation is a little less active before straining and bottling?
or should I do that after 3 days as I have seen with other recipes?
is it safe to do a second ferment in the grolsch bottles?
thanks for any input

 

[Blacksmith1]

Any active fermentation will produce CO2. This will generate pressure in a sealed container. If it gets to high, it goes boom.

 

[Woodknack]

I've been making tepache weekly for a couple months. I add the rinds + cup of sugar to a 1/2G Ball jar, sometimes ginger or cinnamon too. I've done 2 days, 3 days, and 5 days; used wild yeast, bread yeast, and champagne yeast, A couple of times I've fermented the rinds again by adding more water and another cup of sugar. I bottle, add a bit of sugar and set on the counter for a couple of days to carbonate. What I've learned so far ... I prefer plain or plain with a little ginger. Ferment 2-3 days and it tastes like overripe pineapple, 5 days and it tastes like something else but I'm not sure how to describe it. Second fermentation of the rinds is a bit sour and bitter with little to no pineapple flavor, not really worth it unless you add a bunch of ginger and basically make ginger beer.

I'm not keen on tepache by itself but mixed with cheap beer and it's delicious. I tried mixing with a variety of good beers and it doesn't work, the flavors combat one another but about 2 shots to a glass of PBR is pretty damn good.

 

[Andrew Hodgson]

So I just carbed and bottled up my latest Tepache and I haven't tasted it yet but the consistency is gnarly. It has a musuc-like viscosity, not extreme but when you tilt the bottle you can see the consistency is off. Question, anybody had anything like this with a wild yeast Tepache? Maybe it's pedio?

 

[Woodknack]

Doing a little experiment with smoked pineapple.

 

[Woodknack]

The smoked pineapple was too smoky for drinking but I'm experimenting with using it for cooking.

I was ready to quit making tepache but got some ale yeast and like the result much more than champagne yeast. Also switched to using the whole pineapple and not just the rind. Drank two 4oz glasses yesterday and caught a buzz so it must be making more alcohol than the 0.5% often reported. I have a hydrometer but I don't think there is a way to use it for tepache since it won't measure sugars in the fruit.

Last batch was 1 whole pineapple mashed, 1/2 cup raw sugar, 1/2 lime already squeezed, some ginger, ale yeast, in a 1/2G jar. Ferment 4 days, strain, add 6oz pineapple juice, juice of 1/2 lime, 1/4 cup raw sugar, bottle, on the counter for a day then couple days in the fridge. Makes a little over 32oz of tepache.

 

[Woodknack]

Okay, the last batch was delicious so doing another.

 

[Blacksmith1]

My first attempt at this. Since I'm not sure what it's supposed to taste like I went simple for the first one. Skin and core from one pineapple, one lb turbinado sugar. I did add pectic enzyme to help extract the juice.

So now we wait to see what critters were on it....

 

[Blacksmith1]

Mine did not take off. My pineapples may have been washed. Made a second batch with 2 pineapples ( skins and core) in 2.5 gallons. Pulled the pineapple after the small batch started to sour and blended both batches.
pitched US-05 in all of it.

 

[Woodknack]

I wash my pineapples and use a little ale yeast. Who knows what pesticides or rat piss is on the outside of those things. My last 2 batches weren't very good though, I switched to a large plastic pitcher because my wife was using my glass jars and for some reason the tepache made in it isn't good. I'm going to toss my last batch and go back to glass.

 

[Blacksmith1]

My first batch needed help. I think I pulled the fruit too soon. I added a can of pineapple bits which helped, and some sliced jalapeno's which were great...according to me, swmbo did not like the peppers.
Got 3L on fresh pineapple now, another 3L waiting, and another 2 gallons getting ready to start.
At least I can use the guts from the new batch to fix the first one.

 

[SanPancho]

Anybody ever have a tepache batch that never took off? Have had it in closed kettle at 85f for about 4 days now. Few checks have been touch of funk in aroma, but taste is normal.

yesterday after still seeing no activity or gravity drop i added some plantarum caps to at least get some sour going. Today there was some bubbly action, but must have been the plantarum as no change in gravity. Haven’t had chance to check ph.

for the batch-
rinsed the pina but didnt wash/soap. Fortified with store juice from concentrate- vitamin c was only additive. Two panochas, white sugar, spices, etc. Water to about 1.045 or so. Cant figure why im not getting any yeasty type action. Good city water, low chloramines that never affected beer yeasts.

im stumped.

 

[Woodknack]

Maybe the rind was treated with antifungals.

 

[SanPancho]

Possibly. But seems odd as not something most other folks have reported. And in Mexico where the restrictions are less stringent we never had this happen there either.

i guess i could buy an organic pina next time

 

[DoctorM]

I recently made a batch of (not really) rice wine and it got me thinking about trying tepache again and some changes that might help.

I figure I'm going to go with the Saveur recipe (again) with a few changes. Mexican-Style Fermented Pineapple Drink

- Saveur's recipe doesn't call for it and I don't want to use peppers or ginger. (So not a change.)
- The 'It's Alive' video suggests tossing the core. Has anyone else found that it causes bitterness?
- To avoid large floaters that caused the last batch to mold, I think I'm going to puree the pineapple in a food processor. It should also increase the ABV so the fruit meat isn't wasted.
- I'm going to skip the 'tight fitting lid' thing. The wine I made came out great in a stone crock that had a dish cloth tied to the top.
- Hold the beer. If it isn't providing a yeast for fermenting, why would I want it to taste like beer?
- Stir daily. Seems like a good step worth adding.

I noticed Saveur ferments up to 6 days which should end most carbonation so I hopefully won't have to deal with pressure building up when I store this.

The wine I made fermented for 3 weeks, but yeast activity seemed to stop a little after 2. I'm thinking of going 2 weeks. I don't mind it being strongly alcoholic, but I do want it to retain some sweetness.

Anyway, thoughts, suggestions or wisdom to impart?

Edit: I just read that mexicoinmykitchen.com (Tepache is like a light and sweet pineapple fermented drink.) claims it will vinegar after more than a few days. Has anyone actually experienced that? Maybe I need to add some (bread) yeast if I want to ferment this like a wine.

 

[Blacksmith1]

My last one was a natural ferment and I added strawberries because they were about to go bad. For a large Jack Daniels bottle full. It went about 2 1/2 weeks. No vinegar. Was actually pretty tasty.

 

[DoctorM]

@Blacksmith1 - I'm assuming it was less sweet and more alcohol content in that much time. Pretty much what I'm shooting for.

I'm glad I waited. Pineapples seem to go on sale everywhere tomorrow. The crop must have just come in.

Edit: Does the tight fitting lid mean something as far as brewing versus using an open container? That seems to be a constant in the recipes.

 

[Blacksmith1]

can't answer that. I use airlocks on mine. Not taking the chance of bottle bombs.
yes it was less sweet, but since there was limited sugars it wasn't exactly strong.

 

[Jayjay1976]

Great thread! I'm going to buy a couple pineapples and give it a try.

 

[DoctorM]

I don't know if it was where I shopped, but the pineapples I bought were terrible.
The first store at which I stopped, the pineapples looked old, had dried leaves and the eyes didn't seem well developed. At the second store, the pineapples looked much better developed and fresh, but didn't smell sweet. I took a chance anyway.
Both pineapples were not sweet. The larger one almost tasted like a vegetable.

So I'm making two batches.
Batch One
1/2 sized batch of Saveur's recipe. 2 lbs. after removing the top, bottom and core. Cut small.
No beer. Yes I realize I'll have to do something to make room for the sugar syrup.
Cheese cloth rubber-banded to the top.
Should be ready in 5-6 days.

Two
Full batch, similar to Saveur. Again, no beer.
Pineapple was ground in a food processor. Sugar syrup was added already along with 3/4 tsp of bread yeast.

A dishcloth is tied around the top. I'll be stirring the crock daily for a 1-3 weeks. I honestly haven't decided how long and don't have a plan.

I have a full pound more piloncillo on standby. Half will go in the first batch, and the other half will be to help out if these don't turn out sweet enough. I'm considering adding it to the second batch near the end just before bottling. The hope is it turns out sweet and fizzy.

I do want to point out I used canela. You can see in the pics it's more papery looking and has a milder smell than regular cinnamon. Also, piloncillo cooked up smelling and tasting extremely rich and dark. I don't think brown sugar is a good substitute unless you add additional molasses to it.

Edit:
When I stirred the crock, I also agitated the bottle just to keep and pieces from staying above the liquid for long. I think that's how my previous batch got moldy.
Day 3: Scooped out a cup of pineapple from the bottle, stirred in the piloncillo syrup, poured off a cup of liquid, added back the pineapple and then topped the bottle up with the poured off liquid.
4 ounces left over got filtered, an ice cube added and I'm drinking it now. Very sweet and molasses-y. Yum.

 

[mashpaddled]

I make tepache every time I buy a pineapple just to make use of the leftovers from cutting the edible parts. I keep to coarse chops and let it sit long enough to fully ferment. I like mixing it with a sparking wine to make a nice brunch beverage.

 

[DoctorM]

So after five days, I'm wrapping this up.
Batch One
Smells fermented and was bubbling throughout. That's what Saveur calls finished.
Considering I'm in Florida and these are sitting on my back porch in 80-90 degree weather, I can see it finishing in the minimum time.

That's all it made. It tastes like a children's sweetened drink made of 10% fruit juice or less. Vaguely of pineapple, vaguely of apples, mostly of sugar water. At least it's less sweet than 2 days ago when I added the piloncillo.

Batch Two
I was going to let this sit 2-3 weeks, but on the same day batch one was ready, all the solids in this batch sank to the bottom, the liquid on top was clear and there was no activity.
Five days. That is a fast fermentation.

It smells like yeast and nausea. Tastes like a very VERY dry white wine and *hurk*. (No kidding, I made that noise sampling it.)

Poured in the last 10 oz of piloncillo syrup I had in my fridge, and while it still is really yeasty smelling, it tastes like a dry to medium wine now. I can't discern any pineapple or spice flavor. I'd thought about adding more brown sugar, but then it would be a sweet wine, and I wanted to allow for maybe mixing with pineapple juice or something... if I don't pour it down the drain.

Now to be fair, my original pineapples were terrible, but I wouldn't do either of these again.

Edit: And getting this through coffee filters is taking forever. It isn't helping that the ones in the end of this package are poorly made and occasionally spring holes so I occasionally have to refilter.

 

[passedpawn]

Hurk. Haha.

I don't blame you for bailing on it. I can assure you that when it comes out right, it is VERY right. When my buddy made it, it was one of the most fantastic things I've drank.