Pineapple Beer - How to Make Tepache (Mexican Pineapple Beer)

Intro: Pineapple Beer - How to Make Tepache (Mexican Pineapple Beer)

UPDATED INSTRUCTIONS!

Hey everyone!

This is my first instructable, and I really hope u like it!

This is an Instructable on how to make Tepache, a Mexican drink made of Pineapples ( PINEAPPLE BEER!! ) Its fairly easy to make and it tastes awesome!

I'm not sure on Alcoholic Potency... I added way too much sugar to mine and left it for 10 days and it got pretty strong.

STEP 1: Ingredients Needed:

You are going to need the Following:
3 Large Pineapples
5 Cups Sugar - (Preferably brown works best, and makes it sweeter and gives it color)
Cinnamon (Just a pinch!)
4 Liters Water (A Gallon)

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.

- Not much eh? Easy stuff this.

STEP 2: Tools / Other Stuff Needed:

To make my Pineapple Beer, I used an empty cooler box and sealed it around the edges of the lid with duct tape and tied it down with 'tie down straps'.

Tools:
1 Cooler Box
Duct Tape
Tie Down Straps

AND a 5 Liter Water bottle with a seal-able lid (OR any other container that can be sealed)
This will be used to Further Ferment it later (important - this carbonates it and makes that beer foam we all love)

STEP 3: Preparing the Pineapples / Ingredients

Important: if you are not adding your own yeast, you will need to leave the skin of the pineapple on when you cut it up!

So now you will have to take your pineapples, and cut them into decently sized chunks/cubes, preferably at least an inch across.

Other Ingredients (other than pineapples): You will need plenty of sugar (Generally, the more sugar there is, the more can be converted into alcohol, and the stronger your beer will be. BUT be careful! Too much sugar calls for far too sweet Pineapple Beer!)

Cinnamon: For flavor, not too much either.

Water: Just enough water to cover the pineapples in the cooler-box.

STEP 4: Primary Fermentation

This is to kick-start the fermentation process to get it going, this step accounts for most of the alcohol that is produced.

First clean out your cooler box well, disinfect it perhaps.

Put in your diced Pineapples.

Add enough water to cover them, not too much!

Add the sugar! (Just experiment with that, I added WAY too much my first time)

Now, add a bit of cinnamon for flavor.

NOW SEAL IT UP!!

Tie down your cooler box and seal it up with duct tape!

Impatience will kick in, BUT DO NOT OPEN BEFORE 3 DAYS!!!

Warning: if you do open it before you intend to bottle/drink it, you risk infecting it with foreign bacteria. This will make it go off, and you will probably get sick if you drank that.

STEP 5: Secondary Fermentation

TIME TO OPEN!

After 3 days of fermenting you can open it!!!

Sadly, you cant drink it yet! Well you could... but it would have no fizz. Boring.

Now for Secondary Fermentation:

Pour everything into your 5 Liter Bottle... but make sure to leave out all the pineapple chunks! You want to only get the juice, not the fruit matter!

Now seal your 5 Liter container for AT LEAST another day or two. This will be your storage container for your Tepache. The longer you leave it, the stronger it gets.

STEP 6: Perfecting Your Tepache - IMPORTANT

Your Tepache will probably look pretty... disgusting. You need to perfect it.

Option 1: If its Too thick, add more water and re-do the Secondary Fermentation step.

Option 2: If there's things floating in it, filter it! The best way it to get a carbon filter, this makes it look ALLOT better and makes it look even more appetizing. I used that thing called Bobble to filer it, its a water bottle with a carbon filter mouth piece. (see picture)

Option 3: EXPERIMENT!

Try:
Adding more / less sugar next time.
Add other spices, ginger maybe?

Even better: Add more fruits, try making it a tropical drink.. add Coconuts and other fruits!

STEP 7: Cool Fact!!!

You can use this method to make any alcohol! Just use different fruits, make spirits (Like moonshine/vodka: Use plain white table sugar instead of fruits, and buy brewing yeast) by fermenting simple carbohydrates (sugar/potatoes) and then distill that into spirits!

PS - Have Fun!

Comments

[leChef00]

Hi
Do you keep your beer (in the fermentation stage) in the fridge or not? I made two: pineapple and apple.
Thanks. le Chef

[msisk1]

When does the yeast get added??

[rvwilliams]

Right at the beginning of your brew :-)

To better your results, before adding the yeast to the brew add it in a separate bowl of warm water and brown sugar. stir it up and let sit for 20 minutes your yeast will start growing rapdily. add that then to your brew and seal it up. make sure you add enough sugar so the yeast can thrive and you'll be live with a great tasting alcoholic beverage that leaves a nice buzz :)

[swav.one]

Do add the yeast to the primary fermentation or secondary??? Do add water with the yeast in the primary fermentation? How much water and sugar did you add for the 2 pineapples ??

[Happiness2020]

Hi
Can you add yeast and keep the peel on?

[kevin aldea]

mine tastes sour

[kevin aldea]

tastes like vinegar

[Chris Elis]

I tried to make Tapeche it did not work for me no fermentation no fiv and the result tasted bitter

[Dingo182]

Just finished 1st stage... tried a glass, tasted damn good..into da bottles for 2nd fermentation.
used yeast and kept peels on, so let's see.
certainly seems like a fine recipe.

[ejoubert8]

I made two batches. The one batch came out perfect and the second batch (made with mango juice) made a thick layer of yeast ontop of the brew. Does anyone experienced something like that happen before?

[Mariettewilken1]

Do you add the yeast in the cooler box?

You dont mention when to add it

[jeapjeans1974]

Hi there, 😀 I love this recipe and method, my home brew is superb! Thank you! I see below that any fruit can be used, does this include lemons, worried about the acidity in citrus fruits eating away yeast? Best regards Jeannine

[Charlessz]

Does the carbon filters not take the fiz out? I’m onto fermentation 2- next Would be filter and chill. Just wondering if the gas doesn’t get lost when you run it through the carbon filter.

[Sonnet van Tonder-van Zyl]

For Living in Durban , South Africa this was a must try during our summertime. We made the best batch of pineapple beer and are embarking on a second batch. Thanks, it’s the best,

[JustinW210]

I've been homebrewing beer/wine/mead/cider ..etc for 10 years .. here are some helpful recommendations 1) Go to a homebrew shop and buy a packet of brewing yeast for less than 1$ 2) While at a homebrew shop buy two 1 gallon glass jugs with airlocks for roughly for roughly 5$ each 3) While at the homebrew shop buy a funnel with a built in strainer for under 10$. All in all this will make a far superior product and everything you bought including the yeast can be reused over and over again.

[RobF91]

Glad I found this page. YouTube doesn't tell what to do if the bubbling stops. And I was able to find it on the comments. Thanks.

[maxwellr]

Please give an idea of how much sugar...1 cup...2 cups? I dont want to make a terrible first batch

[rvwilliams]

A few years down the line, and I've updated it everyone :)

Didn't realize that this was top 3 on Google for Pineapple Beer!

Fixed up the method, made it more clear and concise. Removed some unneeded information, fixed grammar.

Enjoy all :)

[Danzigs MISFITS]

vodka and other liquor isn't fermented like this or rice wine or say beer... it isn't "over boiled potatoes fermented". its actually distilled... little more than just over boiled.

[fguglielmi]

I'll try this recipe as soon as I can, but, can you tell me if is possible to bottle it? And how long does it lasts after done?