The Perfect Tepache Recipe: (Sweet & Fizzy Pineapple Beer!) (2024)

FAQs

How many days should you ferment tepache? ›

Fermentation should activate into two to three days, and the tepache is usually optimal by day five. By then, small bubbles should cover the surface of the ferment. Store tepache in the refrigerator in a covered glass jar for up to a week. You may need to burp the jar, occasionally, to release gas.

As with most fermentations, tepache does contain a very small amount of alcohol (similar to kombucha). If you want more alcohol (of course you do), add in yeast (baker's yeast will do in a pinch but preferably brewer's or champagne yeast).

So be sure to burp the bottles (open the cap quickly to let out excess built up carbonation, and tighten immediately). This will prevent it from possible explosions. Keep in fridge for up to 4 weeks. Drink within 2 weeks is optimal.

If your tepache is sticky or slimy, it has unfortunately been contaminated by bacteria. Although it is harmless and the tepache can be consumed, it is not pleasant to drink!

As a fermented beverage, tepache contains some probiotics, which help keep the good bacteria in your gut healthy, help with digestion and support your immune system. The fermentation process also boosts the vitamin content of tepache, so it offers more nutritional benefits than just eating a ripe pineapple.

Check your local Mexican market or an online retailer, or use light or dark brown sugar—dark brown sugar will have a more pronounced molasses flavor. The riper the pineapple, the more natural sugars it will have. A ripe pineapple will make a more flavorful drink—you'll enjoy eating it more too!

Yeast - Adding just a teaspoon of instant bakers yeast to your Pineapple Beer will make it much more alcoholic, than using the natural yeasts in the rind alone.

Tepache, tejuino and pulque are rustic beverages with Indigenous roots, yet they're still barely known north of the border.

Tepache is a traditional Mexican fermented drink made from pineapple. It is valued for its unique taste and aroma, and because it is easy and quick to make. Strains of bacteria, such as Lactobacillus pentosus, L. paracasei, L.

If the ambient temperature in your kitchen is warmer, the tepache will ferment faster than it will at a cooler room temperature. To determine when the tepache is ready, just taste it! It should have a pleasant, sweet, lightly fermented flavor but you can ferment it longer if you like a more pronounced, boozy flavor.

Can I put ginger in tepache? ›

Add ginger, brown sugar, habanero peppers, cinnamon, and water to the container. Stir to combine, cover, and let stand for 2 days in a warm place until mixture slightly fizzy and warm to the touch. Strain mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into fermentation-grade bottles. Cover and store in your refrigerator.

Any drinkable water will do just fine for Tepache so long as it's clean and tastes good! 1 gallon glass jars with an airlock are our preferred fermentation vessel as we find them easiest to clean and sanitize, however you may use PET/BPA-free plastic containers for a more affordable fermenter.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind when making tepache. The first is to make sure the work surface is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This step is crucial to prevent unwanted microbes from going into the fermentation jar, which could result in unwanted mould growth and the risk of contracting botulism.

Unpasteurized drinks have a higher chance of giving you foodborne illnesses, so approach with caution. Tepache is especially risky for and should be avoided by immunocompromised people, young children, and pregnant people.

The flavor is more cinnamon-forward than pineapple honestly, though both are more detectable as aftertaste. My homemade tepache may be flat, but the flavor is robust. Sweet pineapple first, followed by a lactic tang, with clove and a bit of cinnamon following in the aftertaste. This is what I expect from tepache.

Yes. It is advisable. You can let it sit for a couple weeks to improve. For most beer the major part of the fermentation is done within 3 days of the first signs of vigorous fermentation.

A higher temperature will speed up fermentation, but it is not unusual for a healthy pitch to ferment out a batch of low to moderate gravity in 3-4 days.

For example, a fully mature CB with a gallon of sour Kombucha and plenty of SCOBY may only require 2-3 days to ferment a gallon of sweet tea and be ready to enjoy. At most, a gallon of sweet tea might take 4-5 days to ferment in a mature Continuous Brew set up.

Fun fact, legally wort becomes beer the moment yeast is added to it, so no minors past this point…. You should start to observe signs of fermentation within 48 hours of pitching your yeast. If you plan to add any yeast nutrients, you'll want to add those to the primary fermentation.