Waitrose is selling a watermelon beer

Waitrose will now sell a watermelon-infused sour beer after it won the grocery giant’s annual homebrew competition.

Josh Smith produced the Watermelon gose at his home in Stoke Newington, London.

The beer is named ‘Mr Smith Gose to…’ after the well-known 1939 Frank Capra film ‘Mr Smith Goes to Washington’ and is made with Mello Watermelon Juice.

The gose — a type of wheat beer originating from Goslar, Germany — is “fruity with a salty, sharp twang,” according to Waitrose, be available in in-store from November 13th for £1.99 per bottle.

The Great British Homebrew Challenge seeks to find the best new beers in the country.

Thousands of amateur brewers entered the competition, which Waitrose runs in partnership with Peak District-based Thornbridge brewery.

The winning recipe, chosen by a panel of experts, is then brewed by Thornbridge and sold at Waitrose shops across the country.

Dominant flavours in gose include a lemon sourness, an herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness

The watermelon gose was made by Josh Smith, who lives in North London and has been brewing at home for five years.

“The beer was inspired by a watermelon, feta and mint salad recipe I really like,” Smith said.

“Watermelon works so well with salty flavours and I naturally made the connection to Gose –  a sour and salty beer.”

The homebrewer added that the sour beer could also be made into Mexican-inspired cocktails such as a Michelada, “and is also delicious mixed with tequila and lime.”

Rob Lovatt, Head Brewer at Thornbridge, said: “Josh’s beer really stood out amongst very strong competition in the final judging stage, with the level of quality instantly shining through.

“We have been brewing quite a few sour beers recently, but not yet with watermelon, so this will be a very interesting one for us to make.”

Watermelon has been a popular ingredient in the American craft beer industry for some time, with independent brewers such as San Francisco’s 21st Amendment and Ballast Point producing their own take on the flavour combination.