Beer Review: Watermelon Wheat Ale from 21st Amendment Beer Sessions

Watermelon? Wheat beer? In a can? I had to try it.

Beer Details: Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer from 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, CA (ABV 4.9%, 14 IBUs)

Appearance: A bright sunny-lemon color up against the light, hazy with unfiltered yeasts. The lively cap of foam quickly settled down into a thin froth.

Aroma: Surprisingly tart and musty, like sour candies. Lots of citrus buoying everything up.

Taste: That watermelon flavor just rolls across the tongue. More than anything else, this wheat beer made me think of old-school watermelon Jolly Ranchers: sweet, smooth, and fruity. Pale malts add a biscuity undertone to the sip, but otherwise let the watermelon juiciness shine. There's a bite of astringency at the end that's not unlike nibbling too close to the rind.

I would have like a little more body to this beer. As it is, the light flavor and light mouthfeel leave it feeling...very light. I'm thinking this would be a good beer to take out to the front stoop and sip with the neighbors on a long summer evening.

Food Pairings: Go for lighter fare with this beer: a simple garden salad with some sliced chicken breast would be perfect.

What do you think of this beer?

(Image: Emma Christensen)

Comments (12)

I agree, I too would have liked a heavier mouth feel. But still delicious for summer sipping!

Try adding a small piece of watermelon to your glass, it brings out the flavor and makes it a little less like a jolly rancher!

this beer is delish! luckily the 6pack shop close to our house has it! i'd love to have a case of it!

Ugh, I like everything else they make but I thought the Hell or High Watermelon tasted like fermented jolly rancher. In a beach house full of beer drinkers, it was definitely the "take one for the team" beer.

Perfect summer beer and can I just say that I loooove the package design on the can? It's so fun.

@mlflamingo - Interesting! I'm definitely giving that a try.

This was the worst beer I have ever tasted. I spit it out.

I've never tasted this one, but 21st Amendment in general makes some awesome beers.

I was really skeptical before I tried this, but I didn't find the watermelon taste to be overpowering. I think it's a super tasty summer beer!

This is my favorite beer for summer sipping-I love that it's not too sweet. Great beer writing, by the way.

I thought I would hate this, but I actually really like it. It's one of my favorite beers for drinking outside all day.

This has been a favorite beer of mine for five years now! I tried it at a beer fest in Portland and was so excited when they started releasing cans of it! It's so light and yummy so summer. I'm nine months pregnant now and a can of this beer is high on my list post-baby!