Any advice on brewing 'Wherry' before I start?

[mogger]

Hello all, I am about to start my forth brew. I've gone for 'Woodfordes Wherry', Wilkinsons £19.00.
It seems like loads of people on here have made this and so I was wondering if there are any useful tips or methods to use or is it simply the case of following the instructions as I have done before on previous brews?
I'm planning on keeping this in a barrel when done as I now have nearly 80 bottles in the garage and am running out of room.

Cheers.

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[Dusty]

It's nice as it is but I brew light and dry hop it. :drink:

 

[Pjam]

I've done it 3 times and it's stuck every time. No big deal though, if you get the same thing just give it a gentle stir on the 3rd or 4th day.

 

[mattyhall22]

I brewed mine short to about 21 L I think, its a lovely pint :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

I did it twice before getting an all grain set up and did many kits before it. It is the first one I would return to if I had to.

This proved really good and should avoid any sticking:

Brew to 21.5L

Aerate well

Pitch at least 11g of any Nottingham strain yeast (which may or may not include the 6g kit yeast). A Wilkos sachet of Gervin English Ale Yeast is what I used. I've yet to hear of anyone having a Wherry stick when they pitched a good amount of yeast: I'm sure the main problem is that the 6g included is not enough AND/OR they didn't rehydrate the yeast. Lots of reports of it sticking around 1.020.

Rehydrate the yeast at 35C Learn how properly if you don't know.

Hold at 18C for a couple of days if possible, then gradually up to 21C, even 22C near the end.

Dry hop with 50g Goldings pellets for a few days (until sunk!)EDIT - correction 40g, I used.

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[tim_n]

Must have brewed the kit about 10 times. Never had it stick. My brew day was:

Sterilise everything.

Put cans into sink with plug in. Several kettles of boiling water over the top.

Made & drunk a cup of tea.

Boiled two kettles

Took hot cans out of sink, opened with can openers and tipped into fermenting bucket (FV)

Used boiling water to wash out the cans and the lids to make sure I got every drop.

Added both kettles to FV (might have done this twice...)

Then topped up with cold water straight from the tap.

Aerated lots, mainly to make sure wort at bottom had dissolved properly.

Used a sterilised spoon to push back the foam so I could pitch the dry yeast directly into the wort.

Put on lid and filled airlock with a bit of left over cool boiled water.

Left for 2-3 weeks, bottled/kegged.

 

[Sandimas]

I've done it 3 times and it's stuck every time. No big deal though, if you get the same thing just give it a gentle stir on the 3rd or 4th day.

I've also had it stick, it's a bit notorious for that. In my experience, stirring a stuck brew has never worked for me. I'd suggest adding a teaspoon of yeast nutrient at the start of the brew, you can get it from Wilko's - since I've been using this I've never had a stuck kit. And don't let the temp drop too low, try to keep it above 18C, ideally nearer 20C.

I just found a bottle of Wherry that I brewed 5 months ago - OMG is it good, definitely one of the best kits out there, and even better if you can leave it to mature a bit. I have dry hopped this kit as suggested above, and I am a bit of a hop-head, but TBH I think I prefer Wherry as it is, just brewed a bit short to 20L.

 

[jug55]

hi from a newbie to this hobby.

I'm on my 3rd batch of Wherry. The first brew was as directed by the label. It fermented according to plan in 1 week, was bottled and left for 4 weeks. And was brilliant.
2nd brew I added a mug (ohh how scientific) of spray malt. (bought in error so was not going to waste it) Took 2 weeks to ferment out this time. Still tasted brilliant.
3rd brew is on now with same mug of spray malt. Fermented like a volcano for 3 days and now seems to have stuck (or is it fermented out?)

After reading other posts I'll give it a stir to see if it starts again

 

[mogger]

Good replies people, thanks for the advice.
Definitely gonna brew this short then and try a different yeast from the one packaged. See how it goes.

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[Maysie]

The Wherry is a great all rounder IMHO.

Mine kit was as good as gold, brewed to 21litres with the kit yeast and it went straight down, didn't stick at all.
When I racked/bottled it after 2 weeks it was lovely and clear and my 'early tasting' samples have been rather pleasant!

I doubt you will be disappointed. :drink: