Re: Wilko's Delicate Pilsner

[JKaranka]

You could add more enhancer but you might be running out of hops in the original kit to keep the balance of bitterness. You could boil two or three litres of water with hops and the enhancer for fifteen minutes and add this to the kit of beginning.

 

[MadrikXIV]

Hi,

I picked up this kit in the Wilko sale, and when i was there also grabbed a couple of bags of muntons beer enhancer. Was planning to use one of these in the pilsner kit but wouldn't mind the end product being a bit stronger than the advertised 4%. Can i add some more fermentables? And if so what would you recommend?

Ta

keith

Only top your bucket up to around the 20litre mark, mine came out to around 5-5.5% and got a thumbs up during movie night by some mates, all I used was 1kg sugar and 500g Light malt.

Took 2 weeks to carbonate properly, but certainly hits the spot, came out fairly amber, looks a lot darker in the sunshine in the garden....

 

[mikeloretta]

bottled mine about 2 weeks ago reading 5.6% used half and half of sugar and light malt cleared very quickly but does go hazy when in the fridge, have sampled one or two and its already very drinkable just a bit off putting being hazy will this go with time as i imagine it will get better over the next 3 weeks or so while i drink my wherry!

 

[moleyman]

have had three of these now that i brought on a whim when they had free brewing sugar, very nice but i reckon about 110g of sugar for priming (i added 200ml of rasberry syrup to the last batch (138g of sugar) and waiting for that to condition but its clear and i had half a bottle in a flip top bottle that i tried last night and that tasted lovley (even after a week), nice and clear if poured properly :

brought another 4 kits with sugar when on half price a few weeks ago so im sorted till christmas :drink:

 

[redhousebrewing]

I put a 2nd one of these on, this time with 1.2kg Beer Enhancer, 500g brewing sugar brewed to a full 23litres and dry hopped with saaz - worked out around 5.6% ABV. Just carbonating at the moment so end of July for first taste.

 

[Remf]

I am drinking this at the moment,but I find that it lacks the taste of a coopers kit. although it is well worth the money I paid for it,as I got it in the wilko sale for a fiver.

Alan :

 

[newlifehomebrew2013]

hi everyone I am new to site I have been brewing this wilko's delicate pilsner for approx. 26/07/2013 and it is still bubbling does anyone know how long first fermentation take on this and I brewed beer years ago and just got back into it

 

[itbrvilla]

Did everyone use the standard ale yeast supplied with this kit or change it for a lager yest? How did it cope with the higher temperatures?

I am thinking of doing some lagers during the winter in the conservatory (too hot in summer, too cold in winter ).

 

[Bowl sprayer]

Hi itbrvilla.

I am brewing one at the moment having ditched the ale yeast that it comes with in preference to Youngs lager yeast. It is my first attempt using a true lager yeast and I set it off in the garage just when I thought the weather had turned for winter. As a result it may have been a bit warm on some days.

It was pitched 29th September and it has been brewing steadily ever since! A month on and the airlock is still bubbling, will it ever stop?!

I have brewed short to 20 litres with dextrose. I am waiting for the point where I can rack it off and leave it. It won't be a particularly scientific experiment but I will post a report on the outcome.

The reason I chose to brew with a lager yeast is that I had brewed a Coopers lager with the standard ale yeast which comes with the it; the result was light ale. Pale colored beer, not lager. I feel a bit cheated when I have one. It looks like lager but when you sink your teeth in it isn't, it is definitely ale!

It will be interesting to see what difference to the flavour using lager yeast makes.

 

[Myv8growler]

I have just bottled 39 x 500ml bottles from my fv.
Did it as per instructions.
Smells lovely as I spilt it all over the floor!!!
I'll give it a couple of weeks then see what it's like.
I've used golden caster sugar as the second ferment.
I will report soon.

 

[DamageCase]

I'm thinking of doing this with two cans of pilsner to 23 litres and dry hopping with Saaz for a really flavorful lager: I'm also going to swap out the yeast for a lager yeast. What does everyone think to that?

 

[ajt24]

I have just had this fermenting for 4 days now at a steady 20-22 degrees the air lock bubbles had leveled out i just took a sample out which was quite bubbly, i tried it and its not bad it seem a very light and refreshing lager, i used 1kg brew enchancer, just have to be patiant know

yes my spelling is not very good sorry

 

[Michaeldonk]

I've just this minute put this on, I've used 1kg brewing sauger and 500g of enhancer and a little short on the water at 21 litres, sg is at 1.044 which seems about right from all the other posts I hope, pitched the yeast at 21c so now it's just a waiting game.

 

[Slid]

Hi all, I picked up 2 of these in one of the Wliko sales - they were on at £8 or £7.50 - so last Xmas or a week or so ago.

Decided to go with a 2 can kit-type approach, brewing to 27L and with a 1kg bag of demerarra sugar. I am also experimenting with using the Coopers yeast from washed trub with this brew.

The plan is to dry hop later with some Saaz and compare it to the Coopers Lager (green top, Ale yeast), which I do with 500g DME and 1kg table sugar to 25L.

BTW, I have a pretty basic spreadsheet for estimating ABV and this one comes out very similar to almost ALL the variations described on this thread at ~ 5.5%. (Some people forget that 100g priming sugar = 0.2% over 25L).

Am very interested in how this works out and will do my best to keep anyone similarly interested informed.

 

[ourkidof91]

Hi, im new to homebrew and started brewing this same wilko pilsner a couple of weeks ago and my first go, i've now transferred them into bottles but realised i put too much brewing sugar in each individual bottle, about a teaspoons worth in each 284ml bottle. after a week of bottling i discovered that one of the bottles had exploded, almost a second week in none others have exploded but im now worried about opening them. Should i just throw the rest of the batch away for safety reasons? any help you could offer would be great, Thanks!

 

[Frogbrew]

Hi, im new to homebrew and started brewing this same wilko pilsner a couple of weeks ago and my first go, i've now transferred them into bottles but realised i put too much brewing sugar in each individual bottle, about a teaspoons worth in each 284ml bottle. after a week of bottling i discovered that one of the bottles had exploded, almost a second week in none others have exploded but im now worried about opening them. Should i just throw the rest of the batch away for safety reasons? any help you could offer would be great, Thanks!

I wouldn't throw them away, just wrap a teatowel or similar around them when opening/handling.

 

[Slid]

I wouldn't throw them away, just wrap a teatowel or similar around them when opening/handling.

Try chilling them in the fridge before opening. Won't stop a big fizz, but reduces it.

I assume you have bottled in glass with crown caps - I have no experience here. Perhaps there is a way of "nudging" a crown cap and re-capping to vent excess gas?

 

[Slid]

Took a hydrometer reading and it's down near 1006 - which seems a bit low. Checked this using a different hydrometer and rechecking both against tap water at 20C. I'm no expert, but I'm fairly sure this is + or - no more than .002

This has dropped pretty low after only 9 days at a steady 20-21C. I suspect that using a carefully washed trub instead of 7g of dry yeast kicked it off fast enough to be worth ~ 2-3 days start fermenting.

It is pretty clear already and the hydrometer sample tasted OK, and very "light". Hoping to bottle this weekend - family commitments permitting.

 

[Lesinge]

Brewed this last night, with 1kg of brewing sugar and 500g of Light spray malt. Brewed slightly short at 22litres and got a reading around 1044 which should give me something around 4.8% rather than 4% as per the instructions. Its nice and foaming already and the taste before the yeast was very sweet and a little malty.

 

[mrcpea]

I did this kit around 2 months ago now. I found out that half a teaspoon of sugar is nowhere near enough (500ml bottles) When the beer is chilled most of the CO2 will be absorbed by the beer. I would go for double that next time.
I made some wilkinsons golden ale and bottled it with the larger amount of sugar and the carbonation was just right. Just make sure fermentation has finished before you bottle.
Also, with the pilsner, you'll need to use a lager yeast and ferment at a lower temperature to get nice clean taste. It will be pleasent with the kit yeat, but taste a bit like an ale.