Pineapple beer

Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum

Help Support Australia & New Zealand Homebrewing Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Diggs

Well-Known Member
Joined
20/11/11
Messages
353
Reaction score
24
Had a south african over yesterday and I was just wrapping a cider I was putting down and she started talking about pineapple beer her grandmother used to make in RSA. Its actually a cider I guess as its pineapple chuncks and skins fermented not a pineapple flavoured beer.

Going to give this a try, but dont really want to spend a lot of time or money on it. Its basically just cut pinapple up, boil in pot with sugar and strain. All the recipes I am seeing say bread yeast in pot in bench overnight. I am thinking that I can harvest and wash the yeast from the cider I have on the go now and would be a lot better - also ill do it in the fridge at approx 18c as the days are starting to get a bit hot now in Brissy.

Any thought/experiences??
 
I am deeply sorry for this internet faux pas I have made. Obviously pineapples are offensive and I wasnt aware of this.

I will expect some warning points coming my way.
 
I've tried a pineapple beer- it was in Hong Kong, & commercially available but I don't recall the brand. It was as 'beery' as a ginger beer is- ie, not very. It wasn't disgusting or anything, & I didn't spit it out, but after half a can I thought that I was glad I tried it, but it's not something I'd like to drink again.

If you're keen to try something different don't let my opinion stop you though, you may love it! It may also be ok as the base of a cocktail or something...
 
Is probably more of a SWMBO thing.
 
I've tried a pineapple beer- it was in Hong Kong, & commercially available but I don't recall the brand. It was as 'beery' as a ginger beer is- ie, not very. It wasn't disgusting or anything, & I didn't spit it out, but after half a can I thought that I was glad I tried it, but it's not something I'd like to drink again.

If you're keen to try something different don't let my opinion stop you though, you may love it! It may also be ok as the base of a cocktail or something...
I had the same thing in Tokyo recently. I've got a photo of the bottle somewhere.

If the rest of the beers available are anything to go by, I would imagine this pineapple beer has a whole lot more potential in the hands of a good brewer.
 
Beerisyummy said:
I had the same thing in Tokyo recently. I've got a photo of the bottle somewhere.If the rest of the beers available are anything to go by, I would imagine this pineapple beer has a whole lot more potential in the hands of a good brewer.
I don't think I had anything in Japan I didn't like! SWMBO wouldn't let me have fugu though.
 
We used to brew this as school using 2l coke bottles and baloons over the top under the chapel.
Throw in a handful of raisins or some ginger for a slightly diffferent taste. The bread yeast is because that was what was available in the rural areas. Much better with a cider or ale yeast.
Ignore the rustic instructions and brew and ferment as you would a beer. Just makes it a touch better imho.
Give it a boost with a touch of vodka served cold in a beer glass or be brave and mix in a touch of dark rum ;)
 
Diggs said:
I don't think I had anything in Japan I didn't like! SWMBO wouldn't let me have fugu though.

You let someone tell you what to eat?
 
I love to taste different beer flavor but till now I haven't try it(the pineapple flavor) out, Hoping for hangout soon friends to taste it
 
Did you try the, "I could bite my tongue off and bleed to death at any meal," argument?

But anyway weirdly enough the night before you posted this I was talking with myself about doing one of these for the ladies, and hopefully good enough for the dudes too. I was thinking a wheat yeast or a the Wyeast sweet mead one. I would probably treat it like a mead ferment, so very low nutrition.

It occurs to me that I've heard pineapple has heaps of enzymes, but I'm not sure whether that's true and if they might interfere with the ferment should I decide to do late additions of raw juice to boost pineapple flavor. Maybe I'd try "dry-minting" as they are really compatible flavors.

I may just try this!
 
Mardoo said:
It occurs to me that I've heard pineapple has heaps of enzymes, but I'm not sure whether that's true and if they might interfere with the ferment should I decide to do late additions of raw juice to boost pineapple flavor. Maybe I'd try "dry-minting" as they are really compatible flavors.

I may just try this!
Pineapple has heaps of protease enzymes. They are the ones that degrade proteins. You can use pineapple juice as a meat tenderiser. Anyone who works at a juice bar will eventually develop nasty sores on their hands from getting too much pineapple juice on their hands if they don't wear gloves. This is also the reason you can not make pineapple jelly with raw pineapple juice. Works fine if you boil it but fresh juice will never set because the enzymes degrade the protein strands in gelatine. Kiwifruit, papaya and pawpaw work the same way.

Will that interfere with fermentation? Dunno. Pineapple juice will ferment happily enough but not sure about yeast health. Yeast has proteins in it and they will be attached by the enzymes.

Cheers
Dave
 
Hmmmm, was wondering WTH I was going to do with the 10 Pineapple plants growing down the backyard.

Maybe a Pineapple melomel and small batch of pineapple beer.

Martin
 
Airgead said:
Will that interfere with fermentation? Dunno. Pineapple juice will ferment happily enough but not sure about yeast health. Yeast has proteins in it and they will be attached by the enzymes.

Cheers
Dave
Hmmm, protease doesn't sound like happy yeast. Have to do some reading. Maybe no raw juice then. Thanks!
 
My Nan used to make this sort of drink back in South Africa as well, cut the pineapple up skin and all, throw it in bottles with water and sugar and cover the lid of the bottle with a cloth.

She says she never added yeast or anything, she thinks it was the skin that fermented it (wild yeast)... and she said it was delicious.

I think "delicious" may be very subjective.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top