Watermelon Mead

[beardlybrewer]

Hello all! I've been all-grain brewing for a while, but I came across my first mead at a store recently and after having a particularly tasty experience, I have been thinking about brewing (fermenting?) mead. Seems like the basic procedure shouldn't be too difficult. But due to the fact that my initial research seems to show a lengthy fermentation, I was hoping to plan for something that would be ready for spring/summer.

I got the idea for a watermelon mead and I can't get it out of my head. I was thinking of just doing a 1 gallon batch since I have some extra 1 gallon carboys lying around. I just don't have any idea of how to create the recipe. Any recommendations?

 

[mindiB]

I found an all natural no preservatives watermelon juice at the grocery store and was going to use joes quick grape mead recipe swapping juice you can find the recipe in this app

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Urkelbot]

Buy enough watermelons to get fill a gallon carboy with 2 lbs honey.

Watermelon mead sounds like a food idea I think I might have to do it this spring/summer.

 

[fatbloke]

do a search first, as I've read of a few attempts with watermelon. Apparently it's quite hard to get the flavour across - being a subtle flavour a lot of it goes under primary fermentation.

Hence I'm thinking that you'd likely have to try some in secondary as well.......

Just my tuppence worth......

 

[Arpolis]

Watermellon is difficult to deal with. It has a tendency to be very thin and lacking body while also not retaining much flavor. A few things to keep in mind:

1) use 100% watermellon juice. Do not top off with any water.
2) Watermellon juice oxidizes quickly and spoils just as fast. I normally do not bother with using Camden tablets with mead but with watermellon it would be good to help protect from oxidization.
3) it is usually good to either use watermellon juice in both primary and secondary or to use another fruit to add body.

Here is a recipe a friend of mine and I used and it worked well:

1 gallon watermellon mead


8-10 lb watermelon. (Enough juice watermellon to top off your 1 gallon jug)
1 11.5oz Welche's white grape frozen concentrate (or your flavor of choice)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1tsp black tea (I like Earl grey. This is just the leaves dumped into primary)
1.5 lb Honey
1 crushed Campden tablet
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Yeast (Lalvin RC212)

Mix up all the engredients lack the yeast and watermellon. Start juicing your watermellon until you have enough to top off the whole gallon. Check gravity and adjust with additional honey if needed. OG should be between 1.100 - 1.110.

Next place in fridge for one day to allow Camden to gas off. Pull must out of the fridge 2 hours before pitching yeast to bring back up to room temp. Rehydrate yeast per package directions and pitch yeast after that first 24 hours.

This mead likes to ferment warm in the upper 70*F range but not over 79*F.

This was a single batch a buddy of mine and I did a long while back and i think it was good. not my favorite mead but was very fruity and pretty smooth. But we cracked open the first bottle about 6 months down the road and i only had about 1/4 of a 12oz bottle. my friend finished the rest. Good luck and let us know what you do.

 

[beardlybrewer]

Well I think you have convinced me! Sounds like the recipe is straight forward enough and if you made it before and liked it, then I'm sold.

I'll probably look into getting my ingredients together this week and start the process this weekend. I assume that based on your notes above, that you did a secondary fermentation. How long was your primary fermentation? Did you add anything extra to the secondary ferment?

 

[rowsdower44]

You'll want to combine the watermelon with another flavor. Honey might be able to do it. I tried a watermelon wine last summer and I wasn't getting the intended flavor. It wasn't until I added some strawberries that the watermelon flavor came through.

 

[fatbloke]

Equally, instead of sulphites for anti-oxidants, maybe vitamin C/ascorbic acid might be better, that way you'd just have to watch the pH and not worry about any off gassing to remove it as it's fine as it is.........

 

[Arpolis]

Well I think you have convinced me! Sounds like the recipe is straight forward enough and if you made it before and liked it, then I'm sold.

I'll probably look into getting my ingredients together this week and start the process this weekend. I assume that based on your notes above, that you did a secondary fermentation. How long was your primary fermentation? Did you add anything extra to the secondary ferment?

I put this together at the request of a friend back in 2012 I believe. After throwing it together it stayed at his house and I let him do the rest. But I suggested to him to do this:

Since we only used a 1 gallon jug and no fermenting bucket: to siphon off 20fl oz in a pop bottle and place in fridge before yeast pitch to give extra headroom for primary fermentation and to add that back after 1 week of fermenting to top it off. After two weeks rack off of sediment into secondary while adding one crushed Camden at racking and repeat this every 30 days till no sediment drops. I also told him to top up any lost volume with additional watermellon juice. I assume he did that. Now this recipe was pretty dry. If you want it sweeter then add sorbate and Camden after the second racking so you can add a little honey to bump of your final gravity. Just wait about 12-24 hours after adding sorbate to add any honey.

 

[htc]

The watermelon wine recipes from Jack Keller, some good information here.

 

[WVMJ]

You are in Maine so you are out of season for watermelons which means you are going to use one that was picked before it was at its best flavor and shipped thousands of miles to you? This is not the time of year to make a good watermelon mead, you really want a vine ripened one that is at its peak flavor to start with otherwise its going to be even weaker in flavor and harder to make for a first mead. If you like any other berry that is easy to get in a concentrate or frozen you would be much better off as I think your middle of winter watermelon isnt going to be very impressive no matter what your skill in fermenting things and we really want your first mead to be impressive. WVMJ

 

[Texconsinite]

You'll want to combine the watermelon with another flavor. Honey might be able to do it. I tried a watermelon wine last summer and I wasn't getting the intended flavor. It wasn't until I added some strawberries that the watermelon flavor came through.

What he said. I tried a watermelon Skeeter pee, cut the lemon juice by 66% to not overwhelm the delicate flavor, and backsweetened with mango passionfruit juice (because i couldnt find watermelon juice), and I found that the watermelon flavor did come through

One important thing to note, in looking around homebrew forums, ive heard that the watermelon rinds are where most of the flavor is (like orange zest), so thats what i used for my batch, might be good to try with your mead.
Freeze the rinds to sterilize, then thaw and throw into primary. Also having watermelon juice for primary/backsweeten would help, and if mine worked, this should be even better.

Another note: Mine smelled distinctly funky when fermenting (like vomit), so dont be alarmed if this happens to yours, mine mellowed out to dangerously smooth goodness once done.

The watermelon bits are very fine, so giving time to clarify, and filtering through cheesecloth was crucial in a clear finished product. I rushed this part of the process, and have good-tasting, but cloudy, wine

To do it with a mead sounds good, look forward to hearing how it turns out. Also choose your type of honey carefully, Im not an expert but some types have strong flavors that may overwhelm or not compliment the watermelon

 

[HopSong]

Beersmith did a video cast on mead with a meadowy in VT.. gold medal winner.. when asked about watermelon mead he said NOOOOO!!

But, WTH, go for it.. you may love it.