“Our version of the refreshing Mexican fermented pineapple beverage. Tepache is conditioned on Pineapple flesh and Rind. Back blended with Pineapple purée, Habanero, Cinnamon, and Piloncillo (Cane Sugar). A kettle sour base that has the addition of Pineapple Terpenes for a citrusy tropical burst of flavour. This beer was made in collaboration with Bintani and was originally released in 2024 for Bendigo on the Hop.”

Glassware: Teku.

Appearance: Extremely light and pale golden-yellow pour which dons a fizzy two finger head. It gradually peels off but struggles to produce much lacing.

Aroma: We’d never heard of this “tepache” drink before this. Apparently it means “pineapple beer” in the native dialect. It’s typically brewed with pineapple (of course), habanero peppers, a range of spices including cinnamon, clove and piloncillo (a type of cane sugar) for sweetening. We can pretty much get all of the above. The habanero is the only shy one.

Flavour: Hot damn that’s tasty. Slightly drier than we’d anticipated but all aspects of the pineapple come through i.e rind, core and flesh. The cinnamon is subtle but that suits the beer. This flavour combo always reminds us of that grilled pineapple and cinnamon side dish one would find at a churrasco restaurant. Delish! Not much at all in the form of habanero which sucks. Nice and light, fruity finish which hangs on for a bit.

Mouthfeel: Very crisp, light on and crushable. Mild-moderate body, flat-ish Co2. The 5.5% ABV was well concealed.

Overall: This would be an absolute crusher on a hot day. It’s a shame the weather today is almost the polar opposite. Alas, it’s still a very tidy and enjoyable kettle sour.