Simple Watermelon Wheat

Hey folks, decided to try my hand at a simple watermelon wheat beer the other day and I have a question about how much watermelon to add.

I used a really simple recipe since this is my first try at this style; I did a full-volume boil of 5 gallons using 1oz of Willamette pellet hops for 60min and 5lbs of Briess' Bavarian Wheat DME for 60 minutes. Wort was cooled with a coil chiller, aerated with a pump, and White Labs' Bavarian Wheat yeast was pitched.

Things are bubbling along nicely in primary, but I am wondering how much watermelon to add to secondary, and how to add it. I have a powerful blender/food processor, so I could effectively puree a bunch of watermelon and drop that in. I also plan to keg and force-carb this beer, so another option is to use a spare keg as the secondary tank and hang some big chunks of watermelon inside in a mesh bag. I do not want to use artificial flavoring/extract.

What's the best method (or is there another I've not thought of?), and how much watermelon (in cups, pounds, whatever measurement you'd like) do you think I should use? Thanks!

I just kegged my watermelon wheat on thurs night.

I added 3 cups of watermelon juice..

I had cut up the watermelon and put in a freezer bag and froze it. this was a HUGE ass watermelon that wasn't intended for brewing, but I figured since I already had the watermelon in the freezer I'd use it. I took it out of the freezer and into the fridge to thaw out. I pulled it out and left it out on the counter for a couple hours before I was going to keg my beer. turns out I had enough juice and I didn't have to squeeze, use a blender, etc....

so 3 cups for 5 gallons is what I used in juice. I put it right into the keg with my beer. no secondary for me.

oh and since I only poured the juice from the bag into my measuring up I still have the watermelon that got put back in the freezer. my son still has his snacks

-=Jason=-

I suppose you haven't tasted it yet, but wouldn't freezing it and just collecting the juices that thaw out cause you to have a lot of extra water in your juice? Have you made it before to your tastes with just three cups?

Zhaph said:

I suppose you haven't tasted it yet, but wouldn't freezing it and just collecting the juices that thaw out cause you to have a lot of extra water in your juice? Have you made it before to your tastes with just three cups?

Click to expand...

I had two pints today, its amazing, you can definitely taste the watermelon, but its not over powering.

-=Jason=-

Flomaster said:

I had two pints today, its amazing, you can definitely taste the watermelon, but its not over powering.

-=Jason=-

Click to expand...

What is your recipe for this beer? I would like to make this...it sounds good.

I'd say 3-5 cups of juice. I actually put 6 in the first time I made mine and that was too much for me. But my wife and her friends liked it alot. I actually got quite a few compliments, but like I said it was too much for me. I just cut up the melon and put it in a bowl and went at it with a potatoe masher, then dumped it in a mesh bag to keep out the chunks. Worked great.

So, thoeretically I could just add 3 to 5 cups of watermellon juice and my priming sugar to my bottling bucket, and just rack it out and bottle it up, right? Might be worth a try...

Adding the watermelon will start some more fermentation. I'd add it to secondary and give it a week or so to ferment and then bottle.

Good point. Thanks.

h22lude said:

What is your recipe for this beer? I would like to make this...it sounds good.

Click to expand...

Twas Soperbrews recipe, but came out very good.

http://db.tt/SLnYNib

I added 3 cups watermelon juice to the keg, then racked onto it after two weeks of fermentation.

-=Jason=-

No problems not boiling the watermelon to make sure it's clean?