i'm thinking about brewing this and the only thing different i'm going to do is juice the watermelon and strain it then put it into the end of my boil. also i want to just do a primary fermentor and no secondary. was just wondering if any one has tried something like this and if i can ferment the watermelon for 2 weeks with out it rotting or molding. thanks for the help!!
Watermelon Wheat
7 lbs. Liquid Wheat Extract
.5 lbs. Crystal Malt(10L)
.25 Honey Malt
.25 White Wheat Malt
2 tsp. Irish Moss
.75 oz. Simcoe hops-60 min.
.25 oz. Northern Brewer hops-60 min.
.25 oz. Simcoe hops-1 min.
.25 oz. Northern Brewer hops-1 min
20 lb. watermelon with the rhind off and pureed
3/4 cup corn sugar(for priming)
White Labs320 American Hefeweizen Ale Yeast, Wyeast 1010 American Wheat, or your favorite yeast
Steep the grains at 155 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove the grains, add the extract, and bring to a boil. Throw in the Simcoe and Norther Brewer hops, relax, have a beer, and start getting the watermelon ready. (You don't have to use one watermelon of course. 2 10 pound watermelons would work too. You don't even have to use that much watermelon. It's YOUR beer. Make what you want to drink.) Sterilize a big bowl or pitcher. Perhaps even your primary fermenter. Cut the rhind off the watermelon(s) and puree the fruit in a food processor or blender. You can try to pick the seeds out, but good luck. Cover and set aside. Put the Irish moss in the last 20 minutes or so. Add the 1 minute hops, cool your wort to pitching temperatures, and add in the fruit. Make sure to leave plenty of headspace! 5 gal. of beer+1 gal. of watermelon in a 6 gal. bucket=explosion. An 8 gal. fermenter works great, and you can even use a blow-off tube to be safe. AERATE YOUR WORT. This will help incorporate the fruit and help the yeast in their beginning stages of life. Ferment for five to seven days. Siphon into your secondary fermenter leaving behind all the fruit pulp and dead yeast. Wait another 5 to seven days, bottle or keg and enjoy!
(NOTE- Adding watermelon, or anything that isn't sterile for that matter, directly into your primary fermenter can be dangerous. I felt pretty safe using only the inside of the watermelon. You could add it near the end of the boil to be sure, but it will result in a cloudier beer. This is a hefeweizen style beer anyway so it could most definitely work to your advantage, giving your beer a cloudier appearance. I wanted a very clear American style hefeweizen
and it worked out great. Crystal clear with a tinge of pink. Not too sweet, easy to drink, and it ended up being a pretty strong beer!)
Watermelon Wheat
7 lbs. Liquid Wheat Extract
.5 lbs. Crystal Malt(10L)
.25 Honey Malt
.25 White Wheat Malt
2 tsp. Irish Moss
.75 oz. Simcoe hops-60 min.
.25 oz. Northern Brewer hops-60 min.
.25 oz. Simcoe hops-1 min.
.25 oz. Northern Brewer hops-1 min
20 lb. watermelon with the rhind off and pureed
3/4 cup corn sugar(for priming)
White Labs320 American Hefeweizen Ale Yeast, Wyeast 1010 American Wheat, or your favorite yeast
Steep the grains at 155 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove the grains, add the extract, and bring to a boil. Throw in the Simcoe and Norther Brewer hops, relax, have a beer, and start getting the watermelon ready. (You don't have to use one watermelon of course. 2 10 pound watermelons would work too. You don't even have to use that much watermelon. It's YOUR beer. Make what you want to drink.) Sterilize a big bowl or pitcher. Perhaps even your primary fermenter. Cut the rhind off the watermelon(s) and puree the fruit in a food processor or blender. You can try to pick the seeds out, but good luck. Cover and set aside. Put the Irish moss in the last 20 minutes or so. Add the 1 minute hops, cool your wort to pitching temperatures, and add in the fruit. Make sure to leave plenty of headspace! 5 gal. of beer+1 gal. of watermelon in a 6 gal. bucket=explosion. An 8 gal. fermenter works great, and you can even use a blow-off tube to be safe. AERATE YOUR WORT. This will help incorporate the fruit and help the yeast in their beginning stages of life. Ferment for five to seven days. Siphon into your secondary fermenter leaving behind all the fruit pulp and dead yeast. Wait another 5 to seven days, bottle or keg and enjoy!
(NOTE- Adding watermelon, or anything that isn't sterile for that matter, directly into your primary fermenter can be dangerous. I felt pretty safe using only the inside of the watermelon. You could add it near the end of the boil to be sure, but it will result in a cloudier beer. This is a hefeweizen style beer anyway so it could most definitely work to your advantage, giving your beer a cloudier appearance. I wanted a very clear American style hefeweizen
and it worked out great. Crystal clear with a tinge of pink. Not too sweet, easy to drink, and it ended up being a pretty strong beer!)