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Recipe: Aslin El Frutero with Watermelon
From Aslin Beer in Alexandria, Virginia, here’s a homebrew-scale recipe for the watermelon version of their paleta-inspired El Frutero, featuring additions of sea salt, habañero, and lime.
Photo: Courtesy Aslin Beer Co.
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Courtesy of Aslin Beer in Alexandria, Virginia, this is a recipe for the watermelon version of El Frutero, inspired by fruit-and-chile paletas, those Mexican frozen treats made with fresh fruit. It gets a bunch of watermelon at flameout for flavor, with careful additions of habañero, lime, and salt to help evoke the Mexican treats.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.011
ABV: 5.1%
IBUs: N/A
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Courtesy of Aslin Beer in Alexandria, Virginia, this is a recipe for the watermelon version of El Frutero, inspired by fruit-and-chile paletas, those Mexican frozen treats made with fresh fruit. It gets a bunch of watermelon at flameout for flavor, with careful additions of habañero, lime, and salt to help evoke the Mexican treats.
ALL-GRAIN
Batch size: 5 gallons (19 liters)
Brewhouse efficiency: 72%
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.011
ABV: 5.1%
IBUs: N/A
[PAYWALL]
MALT/GRAIN BILL
4.6 lb (2.1 kg) pale two-row
3.1 lb (1.4 kg) pale wheat malt
8 oz (227 g) dextrose at 15 minutes
8 oz (227 g) maltodextrin at 15 minutes
HOPS & ADDITIONS SCHEDULE
0.33 oz (9 g) Saaz at 15 minutes
2 large watermelons, pureed, at flameout
0.35 oz (10 g) sea salt, to secondary
0.15 oz (4 g) habañero powder, to secondary
4 oz (113 g) lime juice, fresh squeezed, to secondary
YEAST
Lactobacillus plantarum and Imperial A38 Juice
DIRECTIONS
Mill the grains and mash at 152°F (67°C) for 60 minutes. Lauter and sparge as necessary to obtain 6.5 gallons (25 l) of wort—or more, depending on your evaporation rate. Cool the wort to 105°F (41°C), add the Lactobacillus, and cover tightly. Allow to acidify for 24–36 hours or until pH drops to 3.5. Boil for at least 15 minutes, adding the dextrose, maltodextrin, hops, and watermelon according to the schedule. Chill the wort to 68°F (20°C), aerate well, and pitch the ale yeast. Ferment at 68°F (20°C) for 3 days, then add the salt, habañero, and lime juice. Allow the temperature to free rise to 72°F (22°C) and the wort to fully attenuate. Chill, transfer off the hops and adjuncts, package, and carbonate.
BREWER’S NOTES
For the chile, we used dried habañero powder, but you could try a small amount freshly chopped habañero pepper to taste.
