Watermelon Lager

Source: Zenith Kleine
Recipe added: 06/28/00
Email: fszak@uaf.edu

The Vienna malt and aroma hops seem to really reinforce the light watermelon flavor. No hop bitterness but perhaps a slight alcoholic bite - I will make this one again for sure, but will cube my watermelon so it doesnt go through my racking cane!! I wanted the pulp to settle but after five weeks of enduring its noncompliance I broke down and strained it.

Specifics

Recipe type: Extract
Batch Size: 5 gal
Starting Gravity: ?
Finishing Gravity: ?
Time in Boil: 60 mins
Primary Fermentation: ~2 weeks
Secondary Fermentation: ~3 weeks with fruit
Additional Fermentation: ~2 weeks

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. crushed Vienna malt
7 lbs. bulk extra-light malt extract
1 oz whole Hallertauer 6%AA
Vierka German lager yeast
Irish moss
8 lbs. watermelon, pureed

Procedure:

Steep crushed Vienna malt in 5 gal water 20 mins @ 153ºF Add extract and boil for 1 hour w/pinch of moss. Add Hallertauers for last 5 mins of boil, cool, pitch yeast Ferment 2 weeks at ~55ºF Puree watermelon, raise pulp to 160ºF, cool, and add directly to beer after first racking. This should renew fermentation within a few hours. Ferment 3 weeks @ 55ºF Rack, wait two more weeks @ 55º Run beer through sanitized strainer to remove remaining watermelon pulp, bottle with corn sugar.

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