Jason Pellett started experimenting with cacao fruit at Orpheus Brewing in Atlanta. Orpheus closed last year, and Pellett now brews at the Bekeerde Suster brewpub in the heart of Amsterdam, while also launching his own project—a brand called the Hollows. The recipe below is a variation on the hop-forward, Belgo-American-style pale ale he brews at the Bekeerde Suster—and it includes the cacao seeds for extra spice.
“The fruity and spicy character from the blend of hops and yeasts provides a boost to the fruity melon-and-lychee character of the flesh, plus the spice-cake character of the seeds of the cacao fruit,” Pellett says. “It would be a shame to source the fruit and not use the fermented fruit to further process into cacao nibs for your next beer.”
For more on how to do that—and on brewing with this distinctive fruit—see Pulp Nonfiction: The True Story of Brewing with Cacao Fruit.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.051 (12.5°P)
FG: 1.011 (2.8°P)
IBUs: 52
ABV: 5.2%
