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.

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!

To make the tepache alcoholic, add wild yeast to the water and sugar before adding the fruit. The wild yeast will convert that sugar into alcohol. You can also use agave nectar or honey instead of cane sugar.

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.

Allow the jar to sit for 2 to 3 days and ferment. In that time, wild yeast and bacteria will be naturally attracted to the sugar in the water and begin to ferment for you. Check the drink for taste after the second day. The longer you ferment, the less sweet the beverage will be and the more alcohol you will have.

According to Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, CLEC, CPT, a registered dietitian based in Charleston, tepache is an A-plus drink for a gut health-supporting diet. “With both prebiotics and probiotics, these drinks pack a one, two punch in the gut health-supporting department.

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.

Pineapple Beer Recipe: How To Make Tepache At Home

Ensure it's really clean before you make the tepache to prevent mold from growing in the jar. I always wash it twice and it air dry in a clean spot on the counter. First, make sure the pineapple you are using is ripe.

The short answer to the question of whether or not tepache is alcoholic is: yes. But, there is a very small amount of alcohol in tepache due to the fermentation process.

What drink is similar to tepache? ›

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

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).

Some research suggests that the various nutrients and antioxidants in pineapple might improve blood flow, which helps erectile dysfunction. They might also increase the movement of sperm and help boost testosterone levels.

Tepache is a fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of pineapples, and is sweetened either with piloncillo or brown sugar, seasoned with powdered cinnamon, and served cold.

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.

Second fermentation: If you like your tepache carbonated then I like to strain and put them in air tight bottles and leave out for another 24-48 hours so it can build up some carbonation and ferment longer (be sure to burp bottles after 24 hours so they don't explode and leave at least 1-2” of headspace in the bottles) ...

For most beer the major part of the fermentation is done within 3 days of the first signs of vigorous fermentation. The rest is just conditioning. For a big beer it'll take longer.

But the ultimate answer is, yes, your beer can be done fermenting in 4 days.