We here at Green Aisle love adventurous eaters. We also love to hear the new and interesting experiments those same eaters come up with. Sean Mellody, of Mellody Brewing, has been sitting on an idea since last year that he’s finally been able to follow through on: a pawpaw porter.
Some of you may not know what a pawpaw is. I’ll be honest, I didn’t know it was anything other than part of a children’s book until we got them in at Green Aisle. When I saw it I thought “Huh, check out that tiny papaya. Can you grow papayas locally?” Well, not really.
Pawpaws, which are most definitely not papayas, are indeed local to the eastern United States. They look like a papaya on the outside, but on the inside they have a creamy color and are custardy, kind of like a mashed banana (they’re actually called “Poor Man’s Banana” in some places). They contain largish black seeds, reminiscent of a kidney bean. They have a short, fall season.
Photo courtesy of Mellody Brewing Co.
Anyway, back to Sean and his beer. Since he discovered the fruit last year, Sean has been yearning to create a pawpaw infused pale ale, but the short season got the better of him. Patiently, Sean waited for the new season to begin and jumped at the chance to bring this beer to life. While he waited, he changed his mind to experiment with a porter rather than a pale ale.
He checked in with Ben Wenk from Three Springs Fruit Farm who didn’t have any, and then turned to us. We had just gotten in a shipment of pawpaws from Green Meadow Farms and were more than happy to oblige.
Sean picked up 32 pawpaws, removed the fruit from it’s thin skin, and froze the pulp to make his beer. He’s got a few ideas he’s mulling over, including a slightly chocolate porter with pawpaw. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with.
Sean's pawpaw pitting party. I think he won.
Oh, and he let Adam name it. Pawssyunk Porter.
