Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Concentrating watermelon  (Read 1236 times)

Offline ANDREW.GROGAN1

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 133
Concentrating watermelon
« on: May 01, 2019, 02:45:24 pm »
I am hoping to add some watermelon to a Berliner Weisse this summer.  Does anyone have any tips on concentrating watermelon flavor?  I added watermelon puree to secondary with a wheat beer a few years ago and didn't get much flavor at all.  I guess I could try boiling it down to concentrate the sugar, but looking for some proven methods.   

Offline EnkAMania

  • Brewer
  • ****
  • Posts: 485
Re: Concentrating watermelon
« Reply #1 on: May 01, 2019, 03:38:44 pm »
With my watermelon wheat, I use a combo of watermelon during the fermentation and watermelon extract from OliveNation at kegging.
Some day we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny

Offline reverseapachemaster

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3778
    • Brain Sparging on Brewing
Re: Concentrating watermelon
« Reply #2 on: May 08, 2019, 08:37:07 pm »
Try dehydrating it in the oven so you are adding less water. I still think you will need a lot to get a great flavor without supplementing with some kind of extract or flavoring.
Heck yeah I blog about homebrewing: Brain Sparging on Brewing

Offline charlie

  • Assistant Brewer
  • ***
  • Posts: 225
Re: Concentrating watermelon
« Reply #3 on: May 17, 2019, 08:42:08 pm »
If you could freeze dry it that would be ideal, but that's a specialized piece of equipment.
Yes officer, I know that I smell like beer. I'm not drinking it, I'm wearing it!

Offline MerlinWerks

  • Cellarman
  • **
  • Posts: 40
Re: Concentrating watermelon
« Reply #4 on: June 10, 2019, 07:09:37 am »
I used this method with great success in a gose last year.

Mash up a watermelon and strain into a plastic gallon water jug. Collect 1/2 gallon of juice.

Freeze solid.

Invert frozen jug into one quart mason jar and allow to thaw to collect one quart of watermelon concentrate

Freeze again

Repeat thawing to collect 16 oz. of watermelon concentrate

Use concentrate at kegging/bottling to taste

I used the 16 oz in a 5 gallon batch which added a pleasant but not overpowering watermelon flavor.

Not my original idea, worked very well though.

Original forum post HERE.