Tepache!

[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.

 

[DoctorM]

I did shoot more for a wine with that batch with the pureeing and yeast to get it started. I'm chilling a bottle now and I'll try drinking some tonight to see if it is drinkable and if it has alcohol or not.
It's not vinegar, it's just not tasty. Just like the pineapple.

Edit: I'm starting to think the yeast wasn't completely dead. There might be activity going on since I added that extra sugar. This could become a problem that I don't know how to deal with.

 

[Newbrewy]

Hi all!

I was just searching around at this topic to find some more info about making the best Tepache, and already read some helpfull things But I still have some questions, specific about kegging Tepache. Hope there are still some people hanging around here who would like to help me out!

1. I just bought my first mini keg (5L), so I can have more control over the taste and ABV. Very excited to start using it but I can't seem to find what would be the right PSI. Anyone who have figured this out?

2. How soon after carbonating in the keg will I be able to bottle it? Does is need to be in the fridge for a specific period of time?

 

[passedpawn]

Hi all!

I was just searching around at this topic to find some more info about making the best Tepache, and already read some helpfull things But I still have some questions, specific about kegging Tepache. Hope there are still some people hanging around here who would like to help me out!

1. I just bought my first keg, so I can have more control over the taste and ABV. Very excited to start using it but I can't seem to find what would be the right PSI. Anyone who have figured this out?

2. How soon after carbonating in the keg will I be able to bottle it? Does is need to be in the fridge for a specific period of time?

I'm no expert, but I'll throw out some opinions anyway.

Kegging is a great idea. I'd start at 12psi (beer carbonation) and after a week or two, test and increase if necessary. Though, more than that might lead to serving issues. I carbed a white wine to 40 psi (homemade champagne) and it foams quite a bit when served, even with my flow-control taps (perlick 650ss). The foam goes down quickly, but still it's an issue. Same experience with root beer.

If you're bottling from the keg (which I just noticed in your post above), you'll run into the same problem with foam at high pressures. A few years ago I tried bottling 40psi wine into champagne bottles, using a Blichmann beer gun. It was a little messy, but it did work. Sadly, the gas came out of the wine VERY quickly, and by the time I got the cork/cage on the bottle there was little carbonation left. The ideal way to bottle high-psi beverages is with one of the WilliamsWarn bottlers ($$$): WilliamsWarn Counter Pressure Bottle Filler | MoreBeer.

I'd wait at least 2 weeks for full carbonation. Diffusion rate of gas into the liquid is directly proportional to the specific gravity. I get full carbonation of a keg of beer between 7 and 14 days.

BTW, have you made much Tepache?