How to Make Tepache: Fermented Pineapple Drink, 1 to 30 Gallons
How to make tepache, the Mexican fermented pineapple drink: rinds, piloncillo and spices, a 1 to 3 day wild ferment, how much alcohol it makes, and a recipe card from 1 to 30 gallons.
In this post
The short answer: tepache is a Mexican fermented drink made from pineapple rinds and cores, piloncillo sugar and spices. Cover the rinds with sweetened water, about 200 g of piloncillo per gallon, and let the wild yeast on the rind ferment it for 1 to 3 days at room temperature. Strain, chill and serve it fizzy. It is lightly sweet, tangy and low in alcohol.
It is the best use there is for pineapple rinds: the yeast that ferments it lives on the skin, so the part you would throw away is the culture. Tepache is traditionally made in a clay pot over a couple of days; in a stainless fermenter you can make it by the keg and stop it exactly where you want it.
The recipe
The card scales from 1 to 30 gallons.
Bräu Supply recipe · Tepache
Tepache
Ingredients · for 5 gal
| 5 gal (18.9 L) | Filtered water | |
| 10 | Ripe pineapples: rinds and cores only, rinsed, not scrubbed | 2 per gal |
| 2.20 lb (1.0 kg) | Piloncillo, or dark brown sugar | 200 g/gal |
| 5 | Cinnamon sticks | 1 per gal |
| 15 | Whole cloves | 3 per gal |
Process
- Dissolve: the piloncillo and spices in a quarter of the water, hot, then add the rest cold
- Load: the rinds and cores into the stainless basket and hang it in the batch
- Ferment: 70–78°F (21–26°C), covered with a cloth, 1–3 days; stir or recirculate once a day
- Stop: when it tastes like tangy pineapple soda, usually after the gravity has dropped 4–8 points
- Cold crash: 34–36°F (1–2°C), then lift out the fruit
- Carbonate: 2.5 volumes: about 10 psi at 36°F, or keg it
Per US gallon. Pineapples vary in size and sugar: taste on day one and every 12 hours after. The yeast is wild, so the timing changes with the fruit and the room.
How to make it
- Rinse the pineapples but don’t scrub them: the wild yeast is on the skin. Cut off the rinds and cores and eat or juice the fruit.
- Dissolve the piloncillo with the cinnamon and cloves in a quarter of the water, hot, then add the rest of the water cold. Check it is below 85°F before the fruit goes in.
- Pack the rinds and cores into a stainless basket hanging in the tank, so the fruit stays under the liquid and comes out in one lift. In a jar, weigh the fruit down.
- Cover the top with a cloth and hold 70 to 78°F. Take a gravity reading at the start (about 1.023) and taste it twice a day. Within a day it turns cloudy and foamy.
- When it tastes like a tangy pineapple soda, usually after 1 to 3 days, crash it to 34 to 36°F and lift the fruit out.
- Carbonate it cold to about 2.5 volumes, keg it, and keep it cold.
Alcohol
Tepache is a fermented drink, so it has some alcohol. Stopped after a day or two, it usually stays around or under 1%; left for several days, the yeast eats more of the sugar and it gets drier, more sour and stronger. Every gravity point the yeast removes adds about 0.13% ABV, so track it with a hydrometer if the number matters. In the US, 0.5% ABV or more is regulated as alcohol.
Tips
- Riper pineapples ferment faster and taste better. Very green ones may not start at all.
- No piloncillo? Dark brown sugar is the closest swap. White sugar works but tastes thinner.
- A fuzzy, coloured spot on the fruit is mould: throw the batch out. A thin white film is usually harmless kahm yeast; skim it off.
- Add the spices to taste: a dried chili or a few slices of ginger are common too.
Frequently asked questions
Is tepache alcoholic?
A little. A short ferment keeps it around 1% or less; a long one makes it stronger. It is not an alcohol-free drink.
Does tepache need a starter?
No. The wild yeast on the pineapple skin starts it. A splash of a previous batch speeds the next one up.
How long does tepache keep?
Cold, about a week. Warm, it keeps fermenting and turns to vinegar.
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