Fruit Beer watermelon wheat

What would happen to the watermelon wheat recipe if you used a light german ale/kolsch yeast. Like this one from white labs?

WLP029 German Ale/ Kölsch Yeast
From a small brewpub in Cologne, Germany, this yeast works great in Kölsch and Alt style beers. Good for light beers like blond and honey. Accentuates hop flavors, similar to WLP001. The slight sulfur produced during fermentation will disappear with age and leave a super clean, lager like ale.
Attenuation: 72-78%

Maybe the lower attenuation would keep some sweetness in the beer and balance the tart?

I have some of this yeast ready to go and thought I might give it a whirl this weekend.

ALSO - What special steps do you take to ensure the watermelon juice is clean and sanitary?

That yeast sounds like it would work well. To be honest I didn't do much to sanitize the watermelon. I sprayed down the outside of the mellon, the cutting board, the knife, and my blender. Other than that, I let the beer prevent any bacteria from forming

I am going to brew this soon but the base will be fermented out with Cry Havoc. I can lager semi lager this beer and see how it turns. I plan to use half for plain wheat and half for fruit wheat. The watermelon sounds good but I am not sure if I will go this route.

I will let you know how it turns.

WW

it would probably be just fine with german ale yeast. i use this in a recent wheat beer and was happy with how it turned out. its a very clean flavor and stays nice and cloudy.

khiddy said:

What an awesome idea! I would imagine that this would produce one helluva watermelon aroma, and yet at the same time, it would have the potential to tart up the brew, too. Which yeast did you use for the bottles that you carbed with the Jolly Ranchers?

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it was done with 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen. i like this one the best out of any of them i have made. i really like what the jolly ranchers do for the beer too.

Double post - ARGH!

N_G

I went the cheap and easy route. I bought a brewer's best weisbier kit (2 cans of wheat LME, no steeping grains & French Strisselspalt Pellet Hops** (smelled like a piney noble hops).

I figured that since this was an experimental beer for me, I didn't need to invest in a pricey build your own set of ingredients from the LHBS. The LHBS wanted about 10 bucks more for the OP recipe.

I pitched it on an entire cake of WLP 011 German Ale yeast late Saturday night (the 6th). I had just moved a kolsch to secondary so the yeast cake was 'exposed' for less than a minute. Airlock bubbler activity started within a few hours. With such strong bubbling, I expect to have it in secondary on Sunday (7 days primary) with watermelon juice. I'll let you know how it turns out.

As a side note, this kit with the 'german' dry yeast from Brewer's Best was great with some blackberry extract a few months ago. I expect nothing less for this kit with watermelon juice added.

** - From Midwest web site: "2.6% Alpha Acid Content. Considered a good aroma hop with medium intensity and pleasant hoppiness similar to Hersbrucker, and often preferred to it. Used for Pilsners, Lagers, and Wheat beers. Substitutes: Hersbrucker, Mt. Hood, Crystal."

N_G

Got a batch of this almost one week in the primary. Quick question about the Jolly Ranchers.... I'm assuming you siphoned out a couple of bottles and added the JRs to those bottles prior to adding priming sugar to the rest of the batch for bottling. If I was to siphon out, say 6 bottles before adding the dextrose to the rest of the batch, how much dextrose would I need to add after siphoning. Did that make any sense at all??

it made sense but im not sure i bottled half the batch with jolly ranchers so i cut my priming sugar in half for the rest. use 1 jolly rancher per 22oz bottle or you can try to break them in half and use half per 12oz.

My version is still in primary. Maybe I'll get back to it on tomorrow. N_G

I found some time to take the Brewer's Best Weis kit I'd started to the next step. Tonight I took it from primary to secondary with 4 cups of fresh pressed watermelon juice.

I am still in shock about how easy it was to do. The watermelon almost juices itself in a paint strainer bag.

Handling the beer was routine, just siphon from one container to another. Here is what I did with the watermelon:

I found a melon on sale at the local mart for under 4 bucks. Its about the size of a soccer or volleyball I think. Check the pictures and thats a pint glass for scale.

I washed the melon with bar keepers friend and a sponge. It was nearby and it easily rinses away. Then I sanitized the knife, melon and glass cutting board. I had already cleaned and sanitized a 5 gallon bucket and the 5 gallon paint strainer. (a pack of 2 5-gallon strainers cost me 3 bucks at lowes today). The strainer fits neatly over the mounth of the bucket with an elastic band.

I split the melon in half and then went to town on it with the knife, scoring the meat into tiny cubes, but not actually cutting through the rind. Then I took a stainless spoon and scooped the mess from the melon half into the paint strainer in the bucket. I only used one half of the melon for the beer.

I then rinsed my hands in sanitzer and started squeezing. You can get the idea from the pictures. It was easy. In a few minuutes I had four cups of clean fresh juice in the secondary vessel. Then I just racked from primary to secondary and put it all away.

The beer is definitely pinker. Check the pictures. I do think i am short of the 5 gallon mark. I had repitched this wheat onto an existing cake, so the resulting yeast cake was double thick and I had to leave that liquid/trub behind.

Othewise, Its going well and I expect to tell you all how it tastes in a week or two when I bottle.

N_G

nutty_gnome said:

In a few minuutes I had four cups of clean fresh juice in the secondary vessel. Then I just racked from primary to secondary and put it all away.

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Great method! I did just about the same process, but mashed my fruit in a stainless bowl with a potato masher before straining the juice out. You should be happy with 4 cups (I used 6 cups, but would scale back in the future). Keep us posted, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

My Watermelon Wheat fruit addition...

Watch out for the 2ndary fermentation... It'll kick up again! :rockin:

How much for priming? 3.3 for the CO2 volume?

the secondary will definatly pick up again but i think 6 cups is too much. 4 is the max i would ever do.

DubbelDach said:

You should be happy with 4 cups (I used 6 cups, but would scale back in the future).

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ben the brewman said:

...i think 6 cups is too much. 4 is the max i would ever do.

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Seems like consensus is 4 cups then, eh? This is my first summer in 2 years not making it. I miss it! I have made 3 batches, one extract, one partial mash, and one all-grain. All-grain with 4 cups will be made next summer for sure.

Watermelon wheat secondary is not very active. Stuff is happening, foam and bubbles are present. But it isn't very exciting. Thats probably a good thing; less watermelon essence/flavor will get scrubbed away by CO2.

I just brewed this using Dubbel Dachs technique / recipe from his signature.

So, think that this would be safer with a campden tab? Or is the watermelon pretty sterile since it's inside the fruit...

would boiling hurt it and make it gel up?

I bottled the Watermelon weisbier this evening.

The still beer was fantastic. The BB weisbier kit is a very light flavored beer, not too malty and not too bitter. I've done them before and they are great for a lighter flavored brew. Its really just an easy drinking kit from Brewer's Best.

Anyway, the aftertaste of my beer was ALL WATERMELON :fro: I was shocked. The watermelon came through loud and clear. No one could mistake the flavor. 4 cups of juice was plenty.

That said, my version had a slight bit of hot alcohol flavor too it. This is because I screwed up and my 5 gallon batch turned out to be a hair over 4 gallons. I don't know where any extra could have been lost, so I suppose I didn't add enough to top off on brew day. I think this puts it at around 6 to 7 percent. This will mellow with 3 weeks conditioning I am sure.

Regarding sanitizing the juice: I did not take any special measures to sanitize or boil the watermelon juice. Just sanitize your utensils and mesh bag and squeeze it in during seconday. I have faith that the inside of an intact melon is sterile and that the alcohol in secondary will kill off any stray bugs. My version came out well. Read my posts above for more details.

I totally recommend this one. It will be a smash at my son's B-day party later this month.

I decided to give this a shot after my cousin took me to 21st amendment in San Fransisco. I didnt match the recipe exactly due to what my LHBS had, but he did his best to match bitterness in the hops and what not. I racked it to the secondary today, and fermentation picked right up. I ended up using 3.5 cups of watermelon puree, I hope it will be enough after the yeast does its thing. I also put a couple cups in the primary for good measure. I was going for a light refreshing watermelon aftertaste, something refreshing for summer.

I just found the hell or high watermelon at my local 'upscale' beer supplier yesterday. I bought the $10 six pack (sigh) under the disapproving eye of SWMBO. The commercial version is very good and very refreshing. Their watermelon aftertaste was very sweet and candy-like compared to my more mellow melon flavored homebrew. I immediately thought of the classic jolly-rancher flavor when I had the commercial brew. I think I will be looking into jolly ranchers next time around for the home brew version. It gave it a little more 'pep' than the homebrew... if that makes any sense.

i agree the jolly ranchers are the way to go. since 1 jolly rancher is enough to carbonate 2 12oz bottles you can take 24 jolly ranchers and melt them down in some water just like priming sugar.

Ben have you tasted the hell or high watermelon? If so, did you agree that there is a distinct jolly rancher flavor in it? Anyone else?

I have been to the 21A and tasted this beer. I didn't think it had a jolly rancher flavor. They also claim to use fresh watermelons for that beer according to an interview on the brewing network. I have been wanting to do a watermelon wheat beer and will do blend of jolly ranchers and fresh watermelon this weekend.

Brewme said:

I have been to the 21A and tasted this beer. I didn't think it had a jolly rancher flavor. They also claim to use fresh watermelons for that beer according to an interview on the brewing network. I have been wanting to do a watermelon wheat beer and will do blend of jolly ranchers and fresh watermelon this weekend.

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I went to 21A with my cousin and had a glass of the HORHW. I liked it so much, I bought a 6 pack and brought it home. Cracked one open when I got home, and it tasted noticeably different.

I just racked onto 4.25cups of freshly squeezed watermelon juice tonight. I planned on leaving it in secondary for 7 days and then kegging it. Any one think I should leave longer or keg sooner?

nutty_gnome said:

Ben have you tasted the hell or high watermelon? If so, did you agree that there is a distinct jolly rancher flavor in it? Anyone else?

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i have never had any watermelon beer other than my own. i live in memphis and the beer selections here suck. i would love to try some sometime if i can find some.

amishland said:

I just racked onto 4.25cups of freshly squeezed watermelon juice tonight. I planned on leaving it in secondary for 7 days and then kegging it. Any one think I should leave longer or keg sooner?

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7 days then going into a keg is fine. if you plan on bottling any i would wait longer.

Brewme said:

I have been to the 21A and tasted this beer. I didn't think it had a jolly rancher flavor. They also claim to use fresh watermelons for that beer according to an interview on the brewing network. I have been wanting to do a watermelon wheat beer and will do blend of jolly ranchers and fresh watermelon this weekend.

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this beer recipe started as a fresh watermelon juice only but it has turned into a mix of both fresh and jolly rancher flavored over the times i have brewed it.

As a note about the 21A hell or high watermelon beer.... it is canned in the midwest (Wisconsin, I think) not in San Francisco. I don't know if it is brewed in San Fran and travels to the midwest or if it is brewed in the midwest, but that might account for the different taste as apposed to the one from the 21A brew pub.

Also for what its worth: I left mine in secondary for 13 days. In the glass carboy, the secondary fermentation finished at around 6 days and the beer cleared beautifully at around 10 days.

Thanks for the inspiration and base recipe. this will be a yearly summer brew forever in my home brewery. I am no longer scared to make it 10 gallons at a time.

Update, my batch turned out great, every one loves it, very refreshing and just the right amount of watermelon. Although the secondary was quite pink when I racked into a keg the siphon was golden like a American Wheat should be. the trub left in secondary was pink as a jolly rancher though. Interesting that the watermelon juice must be heavier than my fermented wort.....

aroma was neutral, taste was fantastic, and the finish leaves a touch of watermelon flavor on your lips. I will post a pic of the final product as soon as I can remember, i am posting from work right now, and beer is in the keezer at home.

I agree. Amishland brewed a hell of a great summer beer. I enjoyed the two pitchers we drank last night. I only wish it had been Friday.

I also plan on brewing this beer this Saturday. I was thinking about adding a touch of cinnamon to add just a hint of spice to the beer.

I'm going to be starting up a batch of this this weekend, using 5 lb of Wheat DME instead of LME.

I'm kegging - does anybody see any problem with me adding the watermelon juice to the keg, rather than to the secondary?

fuzzybee said:

I'm kegging - does anybody see any problem with me adding the watermelon juice to the keg, rather than to the secondary?

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That's what I did. Worked out fine and is delicious. Just need to give it a few pints as any solids in your juice will settle to the bottom and your first few pulls will be alarmingly pink

-Joe

fuzzybee said:

I'm going to be starting up a batch of this this weekend, using 5 lb of Wheat DME instead of LME.

I'm kegging - does anybody see any problem with me adding the watermelon juice to the keg, rather than to the secondary?

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I personally racked off of the watermelon juice in my secondary. I did not want any fruit particles making there way into the final beer in the glass, and I didnt want my final product to be pinkish.

Here's an early pull. No pink



-Joe

amishland said:

Thanks for the inspiration and base recipe. this will be a yearly summer brew forever in my home brewery. I am no longer scared to make it 10 gallons at a time.

Update, my batch turned out great, every one loves it, very refreshing and just the right amount of watermelon. Although the secondary was quite pink when I racked into a keg the siphon was golden like a American Wheat should be. the trub left in secondary was pink as a jolly rancher though. Interesting that the watermelon juice must be heavier than my fermented wort.....

aroma was neutral, taste was fantastic, and the finish leaves a touch of watermelon flavor on your lips. I will post a pic of the final product as soon as I can remember, i am posting from work right now, and beer is in the keezer at home.

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awesome deal man sounds great. what yeast did you use for the brew. im gonna have to brew another batch up soon.

American Hefeweizen Ale (White Labs #WLP320)
NO Starter, fermented at 63 deg.

I served homebrew (among other things) to a party of 40 for my son's 4th birthday party. The watermelon wheat was well received and created quite a buzz with people who don't normally like beer but were intruiged by the concept. They went through all of the beer (watermelon and otherwise) I had available to serve.

awesome gnome glad to hear that. looks like this recipe is doing well.