Independence Brew - 7/4/08

Pics of my 4th of July brew... I have made my Watermelon Wheat as an extract/specialty batch, as a partial mash, and now on the day of our liberation from tyranny - as an all-grain batch!!! I am free from the shackles and limitations of stale extract. We the people want fresh, light colored, authentic beer!!!

http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk238/shiplax27/4th of July Brew/

I am also going to use real watermelon juice to flavor this beaut, as per recommendations from this board. The first two oppressive brews used William's Watermelon Extract (NTTAWWT actually, but I'm on my freedom rant!)

My first two labels have featured a vector lady in a watermelon bikini, but this label will be a reproduction of that with a real lady. Again - brewing freedom!!!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! FREE AT LAST!!!!!

PS: 5 lbs pilsner malt, 4 lbs wheat malt (153* for 60 mins).... .5 oz Mt. Hood at 60 mins... 1 lb. wildflower honey at flameout.... WLP320 - American Hefe.... Will add a few cups of watermelon juice to 2ndary.

What a great way to celebrate Independence day!
So who is going to be the real lady in a watermelon bikini?

just be careful because the watermelon juice will have a pretty good fermentation when you add it.

ben the brewman said:

just be careful because the watermelon juice will have a pretty good fermentation when you add it.

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Ahhh, good to know. Kind of expect that though, so it may be 2 weeks in 2ndary.

it has a specific gravity of 1.042 which is the same as honey so the more you use the longer it will ferment. when i added it it fermented very hard for 2 days or so. you can use the gravity reading above to adjust your recipe for the alcohol content.

I've been contemplating a Watermelon Wheat for some time. May have to adopt this recipe. Glad your 4th went well!
Waiting anxiously for the label-by-label-by-label display

RichBrewer said:

So who is going to be the real lady in a watermelon bikini?

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RichBrewer said:

So who is going to be the real lady in a watermelon bikini?

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Been conducting an internet search... Stock photo sites, pron sites (you know, before the bikini's shed). By all means, if anyone has suggestions please bring them to my attention!

here ya go: link

When using watermelon is there a fear of contamination, or do you not have to worry about it as much when adding to the secondary? Also, would you use pureed watermelon or I have heard of watermelon juice. And finally, would you treat watermelon like strawberries in the sense that it might not have has strong as a flavor as say a raspberry?

Oh wait and one more question. When the watermelon is added to the secondary and causes a reactivation in the yeast do you risk losing a good portion of the watermelon flavor that might have been added?

shagington said:

When using watermelon is there a fear of contamination, or do you not have to worry about it as much when adding to the secondary? Also, would you use pureed watermelon or I have heard of watermelon juice. And finally, would you treat watermelon like strawberries in the sense that it might not have has strong as a flavor as say a raspberry?

Oh wait and one more question. When the watermelon is added to the secondary and causes a reactivation in the yeast do you risk losing a good portion of the watermelon flavor that might have been added?

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Wow! Awesome questions... my thoughts:

I am not really worried about contamination. I'm adding to 2ndary where there's already alcohol. Also I'm taking from the inside of the melon, not the outside. The outside will be washed and sanitized as best I can.

I saw a few people on here that just squeezed out the juice, about 4 cups worth, and that sounded decent. Less messy than pureeing.

I was worried about the delicate flavor, but I've heard good things on here. I have used extract before, so I'm anticipating more of a subtle flavor, but it's in a wheat so there's not much else to hide the watermelon flavor.

Were I to add the watermelon to primary, I'd worry about the yeast scrubbing out the flavor, but I'm not worried about it in 2ndary.

Sounds like either a large swatch of sanitized cheesecloth, OR a fine-mesh hop bag would work great! Just sanitize the bag/cloth, the counter, the knife, and the outside of the melon, your hands, and the scooper.... then fill up the bag or the cheesecloth with as much melon flesh as you can.... once full, gently squeeze over a funnel directed into your carboy... instant watermelon juice!

all that sanitizing sounds like a lot of work.

Jaysus said:

all that sanitizing sounds like a lot of work.

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Yet you're the first one to point when something might not be sanitary...

I was thinking of cutting the melon in half then using a sanitized potato masher to mash all the flesh down into the rind/bowl, leaving the succulent juice on top...

At least that's the perfect method playing out in my head...

Jaysus said:

all that sanitizing sounds like a lot of work.

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Not when you have a spray bottle, or a garden sprayer. Then you just line up everything and spray away the baddies.

DubbelDach said:

Yet you're the first one to point when something might not be sanitary...

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Um i think that was the other dude.

What about a tea? Like with herbs, boil the watermelon in a little water before adding? Or, add the watermelon to some vodka and then to the secondary? Also, is 4 cups enough watermelon or should you use more/less?

VODKAMELON. I knew this would come in handy!!!!

Drill a hole.... and get a funnel..... hell Google can tell you the rest. ( I need to make another of them Vodkermelons!)

Sounds good will be curious to see how much melon flavor makes it into the beer. A search doesn't show any commercial company making watermelon puree.

chriso said:

Um i think that was the other dude.

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No.... it's definitely him. He taught me to brew and we've done about our last 8 batches together. He talks lazy, but then points out if my dirty thumb's on the edge of the funnel One of those brew-senseis that you might start to question for a second, but then he shows you that he's on his game.

AHA. We're talking real life. Sorry. Back to my yeast cultures I go.

So the next step of my Watermelon Wheat was to rack to 2ndary. With fresh-pressed watermelon juice! Sounds brilliant, I know, but....

http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk238/shiplax27/Watermelon Wheat/

It's PINK!!! Real pink!!! In the last two pics, it looks slightly less pink, and fermentation has renewed. The last pics there were 8 hours after racking.

You, sir, are damn dangerous! Mad props to you!

(Still intrigued. Still may have to brew this in the immediate future.)

Yes I am. I am really hoping I didn't mess this up! I keep looking at the pics... I'm mesmerized!!!

1 day later, less pink. I added two pics at the end of the link above.

The pure-white foam on top is hella-interesting!!!!

Man. This tastes good in my head. I can't WAIT to see how it tastes in real life.

Bottling tonight.... Took pics a few days ago when I tested it, and it seems to be not so pink when in the tube. I am thinking the actual beer in a few weeks will be normal color with a slight pink tinge in the body and the head. Which will make it pretty darn near what I would expect from "watermelon wheat".

EDIT: New pics are at the end of the same link: http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk238/shiplax27/Watermelon Wheat/

DubbelDach said:

Bottling tonight.... Took pics a few days ago when I tested it, and it seems to be not so pink when in the tube. I am thinking the actual beer in a few weeks will be normal color with a slight pink tinge in the body and the head. Which will make it pretty darn near what I would expect from "watermelon wheat".

EDIT: New pics are at the end of the same link: http://s281.photobucket.com/albums/kk238/shiplax27/Watermelon Wheat/

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So I was very pumped when I started to read your thread and I decided I had to make a Watermelon beer myself. I took my Witbier recipe and made that about 10 days ago. I pulled a sample off the primary and it tasted like Hoegaarden. Delicious!!! So I decided last night to add 4 cups of pureed Watermelon and 3 Vanilla Beans onto the Witbier after transferring it to the secondary. Very excited, very pink, very thirsty for Watermelon Wit. Thanks for the spark of experimental exploration!!

shagington said:

Thanks for the spark of experimental exploration!!

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No problem! This has now been in the bottle for 8 days. Mid-next-week I'll probably crack a tester and see what's up. As always, full report here...

Now just have to get a label together....

I predict a tester being cracked open much sooner than that... perhaps even tomorrow night?!?


P.S. 3 vanilla beans sounds wild (and expensive)

Jaysus said:

I predict a tester being cracked open much sooner than that... perhaps even tomorrow night?!?

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Guess I better put one in the fridge tonight....

Jaysus said:

P.S. 3 vanilla beans sounds wild (and expensive)

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That's about $21 worth at our store.

Yeah... uh.. 3 beans? Good lord that's a lotta vanilla. I'm afraid the watermelon's gonna be hiding completely under that. It's like potpourri at that level.

DubbelDach said:

Guess I better put one in the fridge tonight....



That's about $21 worth at our store.

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Nah, I run the bar at the hotel I work at and I can get 4oz of Madagascar Vanilla Beans, somewhere around 30 - 35 count, for $20 from our food vendor. So I figured go buck wild with the beans!!!

Chriso said:

Yeah... uh.. 3 beans? Good lord that's a lotta vanilla. I'm afraid the watermelon's gonna be hiding completely under that. It's like potpourri at that level.

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My concern was this though, every time I use Vanilla Beans they become completely masked by any flavors, so I figured why not add an additional bean to the 2 I was thinking about adding. But, who knows, thats why I call it experimentation exploration!! I'll keep you up to date on the flavor!!

So the 6 cups of pressed watermelon juice was PERFECT. This is a wheat beer up front, but you really taste the melon when you exhale after the sip. Each sip leaves you wanting more.

I will get some pics up later this week - it looks like a tequila sunrise - yellow up top and pinkish at the bottom of the glass!

DubbelDach said:

So the 6 cups of pressed watermelon juice was PERFECT. This is a wheat beer up front, but you really taste the melon when you exhale after the sip. Each sip leaves you wanting more.

I will get some pics up later this week - it looks like a tequila sunrise - yellow up top and pinkish at the bottom of the glass!

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I'm having a bit of trouble with my watermelon flavor, in the sense that there is very little to none from the samples I've pulled off the secondary. I have a 6 gallon batch going with about 12 cups of watermelon puree going right now.

Is your watermelon flavor very discernible? Or, just hidden in as a faint ending note? Might i need to add watermelon liqueur/pucker before bottling?

I've done it with watermelon extract and it was too much. 6 cups of juice and I taste it at the end. Like I said, wheat beer up front, but you're definitely left knowing it's a watermelon beer without being overpowering.

The final product... Only faintly pink! The only problem is head retention... It has little to none, despite all the wheat. Has to be something in the watermelon juice that killed it...

Anybody tried this lately? This should be good a couple months from now.

BWRIGHT said:

Anybody tried this lately? This should be good a couple months from now.

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Been through one more version of this since this thread was started: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f75/watermelon-wheat-139086/

I am locking in this Version 4. Loved it!