Fruit Beer Watermelon Wheat

I'm still waiting for mine to bottle condition. Someday I'll have a kegging system.

My bottles should be ready in a few days.

colorado....let us know how that mint is...that sounds gret.

So I had my first Watermelon Wheat the other night. I gotta say, it was pretty good!! The watermelon wasnt real upfront, it was there though. Had a nice crisp tartness to it. Maybe a little to tart, but its only been in bottles for a week.
It is definitly a refreshing beer for these insainly hot NYC days. How's everyone else's progress?

Quick question, when you pour into the glass, are you mixing in the all the settlement at the bottom? I kept it out the first pour and it was good. I know as a wheat beer it might be better swirled in. I'll have to give it a try tonight.

Randal, Kirk, and Colorado... How did they turn out?

We've had a couple of nice "sit on the deck" nights recently... The wife with a frozen margarita, me with a tall cool Watermelon Wheat... LOVE SUMMER.

I was going to add the ingredients to my Austin Homebrew order but they dont carry Light LME, only Light DME. Im thinking about just ordering 6lbs of Wheat LME.
What do you think?????

Back when I used extracts, I completely stopped using LME... So I'd choose the DME. For this one, I'd even say to use Extra Light.

Sorry, Posted my question in the wrong Watermelon Wheat thread

Mine turned out real well. I am very pleased with it. The watermelon is a little weak but it's there. It's definitly a refreshing session beer. I'm looking forward to making this one again just with more watermelon.

The American Hef. was definitly nice. Has a nice tartness to it.

Do you rouse up the yeast when you pour?

DubbelDach said:

Back when I used extracts, I completely stopped using LME... So I'd choose the DME. For this one, I'd even say to use Extra Light.

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I got 6lbs muntons extra light dme. would you say use that over a wheat dme?

thanks for the recipe! i'll be sure to let you know how it turns out.

update: i brewed this tonight with the extra light dme.

i'm assuming this no longer makes it a wheat right? what would it be classified as?

The sample tasted delicious!

My OG was a tad lower at 1.046

Really looking forward to this one. this is only my second full boil and i am really feeling this!

thanks again

A Watermelon Blonde? WatermALEon? Sorry I didn't see this sooner, I'd have kept it half extra light dme, half wheat dme... But this should taste fine. Keep us updated!

I'm very happy with mine but I think I'll turn up the juice to 6 cups next time. The watermelon flavor is there up front but I would like it just a little more prominent. Everyone that tries it loves it. You have to admit there isn't much on the market in this style so it kind of blows people away.

DD,
So what's the verdict on 6 cups with the extract?

RandalG said:

DD,
So what's the verdict on 6 cups with the extract?

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Best batch yet... I am not changing a thing for next summer's batch!

Four attempts, and I'm finally going to call it perfected and locked in.

DubbelDach said:

Best batch yet... I am not changing a thing for next summer's batch!

Four attempts, and I'm finally going to call it perfected and locked in.

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That's what I figured. Will definitely upgrade the recipe next time. The problem is I don't know if SWMBO will let me wait until next summer. Oh and thanks for posting your label. I hope you don't mind if I borrow that from you.

i read through this thread and this looks like a tasty summer brew. i'd like to give it a try, but experiment with a Watermelon Wit. I have some Belgian wit and French saison yeast strains laying around in need of a project!

RandalG said:

Oh and thanks for posting your label. I hope you don't mind if I borrow that from you.

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Not at all!

Powers said:

i read through this thread and this looks like a tasty summer brew. i'd like to give it a try, but experiment with a Watermelon Wit. I have some Belgian wit and French saison yeast strains laying around in need of a project!

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Recently I had a homebrewed watermelon wit from a local homebrewer friend of mine. He added some mint to it as well. Some early bottles were too minty, but towards the end, it mellowed out to where the waterminty wit was pretty damn good!

Would love to hear other watermelon variants here! :fro:

i'll probably avoid the mint but i may add just a touch of orange peel

Great recipe. I'll be making it sometime in late April. So that watermelon extract made a big difference? More sweeter now?

BoxofRain said:

Great recipe. I'll be making it sometime in late April. So that watermelon extract made a big difference? More sweeter now?

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I think it just rounded out the flavor a bit. Gave it a little depth than just from the juice.

What if you reduced the watermelon juice to concentrate the flavor?

BeerChef80 said:

What if you reduced the watermelon juice to concentrate the flavor?

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I don't know... Don't see the need though. Seems like it might drive off aromatics.

DubbelDach said:

I don't know... Don't see the need though. Seems like it might drive off aromatics.

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Just brewed this up as my first all-grain brew, thanks for the recipe

I HATE artificial watermelon flavoring so I am not planning on adding any at bottling as you suggest, would you suggest upping the fresh watermelon juice over 6 cu?

I don't know if you have had "Hell or High Watermelon" from 21st Amendment but that is the type of flavor I am looking for...

kingmatt said:

Just brewed this up as my first all-grain brew, thanks for the recipe

I HATE artificial watermelon flavoring so I am not planning on adding any at bottling as you suggest, would you suggest upping the fresh watermelon juice over 6 cu?

I don't know if you have had "Hell or High Watermelon" from 21st Amendment but that is the type of flavor I am looking for...

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In that case, I'd be tempted to up it. 8-10 cups maybe? I have not had 21As... Really wanted to get some last time so I could compare. When I first tried to do this, I found that they used 400 lbs of melon, and with the size of whatever their system was, I came to 6 cups/5 gallons somehow.

DubbelDach said:

I don't know... Don't see the need though. Seems like it might drive off aromatics.

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There is that possibility i guess, i was just thinking how not to "water" down the beer with 4-6 cups of juice.

BeerChef80 said:

There is that possibility i guess, i was just thinking how not to "water" down the beer with 4-6 cups of juice.

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Shoot a little high with the gravity to counter? Seems easier to add another bit of base malt than to reduce the juice...

However, if you try it, I'd love to hear how it goes. Pics too, maybe.

I've don the Watermelon wheat both ways (real and extract). The extract tasted more lke 21A's interpretation.

BUT - If you look around, there is a thread out there about someone who boiled his watermelon juice to sterilize and it turned into a foul squash tasting liquid. I would NOT boil the juice. Truth be told, Lorann flavored candy oil is a great way to go with this one. But everyone has to decide for themselves. Either way, good luck!

nutty_gnome said:

I've don the Watermelon wheat both ways (real and extract). The extract tasted more lke 21A's interpretation.

BUT - If you look around, there is a thread out there about someone who boiled his watermelon juice to sterilize and it turned into a foul squash tasting liquid. I would NOT boil the juice. Truth be told, Lorann flavored candy oil is a great way to go with this one. But everyone has to decide for themselves. Either way, good luck!

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Good to know, Thanks

Here is the post I was referencing:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/cucumber-beer-226450/#post2662265

N_G

I'm assuming the usual 2-3 weeks in primary? How long in the secondary? I was reading in Zymurgy that it takes 3-6 months in secondary.

rferguson61 said:

I'm assuming the usual 2-3 weeks in primary? How long in the secondary? I was reading in Zymurgy that it takes 3-6 months in secondary.

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3-6 months secondary for a beer under 1.050

maybe you were reading an article about mead?

rferguson61 said:

I'm assuming the usual 2-3 weeks in primary? How long in the secondary? I was reading in Zymurgy that it takes 3-6 months in secondary.

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For this, I go 1 week primary, 1 week 2ndary with the juice. But read your hydrometer.

Wheat beers = best consumed fresh.

I want to brew this, but I'm going to have to go with extract. my only other fermenting vessel, other than my 6.5gallon bucket, is a 5gallon plastic carboy with a handle. Could I do a 5 gallon batch or would I have to scale it down?

i never use a 5 gallon primary, normally because i rack 5.5 gallons to account for the lost volume to the yeast cake and inefficient racking.

i also usually experience aggressive fermentation using fruit and/or honey sugars. it may be a little less since you are racking the already fermented beer onto the watermelon juice. but, just to be safe, i'd use the bucket.

But I have to do a secondary so I was just going to do the secondary in the 5gal. Carboy if it would be possible...

okay, i see your dilemma. probably best if dubbel responds on what kind of fermentation occurs in response to the watermelon juice. i can't imagine you'll be able to fill it to the neck.

EDIT: this looks like the perfect justification to go invest in a 6 gal better bottle

I hear ya, well I could always just scale it down to save $. Forgive me for the noob questions but I read that someone mentioned a full boil, why is this necessary?

are you referring to the intensity of the boil, or the length?

if length, you have 60 minute hop additions that need to be carried through the full boil. the full 60 minutes is required to adequately break down the oils to provide the necessary bittering for your beer.

I think I might have confused myself, ok so I need half extra light dme and half wheat dme, I think that's what I read that dubbel said. How much is half, and would I just bring 2gallons of water to a boil and add my extract and bring that to a boil and add my hops then set my timer blah blah then top off to 5gal. In my fermenter?

Can I get some feedback please.

i'm not an extract brewer, but usually you just dump it in at the beginning of the boil. if you have the space in your kettle, just boil all the water and extract together. if not, you can put as much water in as safely fits (without risking a boil over), and then add the rest to the fermenter.

EDIT: or maybe just dump the extract in while your bringing it to a boil.