St Peter's cream stout hops

[thehorse]

I've just brewed my first SP cream stout and am enjoying the result. I thought I'd buy a bottle of the commercial prodict to compare and was a bit suprised to find that rather than using Goldings hops like the kit, it uses Challenger and Fuggles. As well as the fact that commercial SP will doubtless use a superior yeast and is not "live" in the bottle, is this a common practice - a kit that' bears no likeness to the beer its meant to replicate?

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

I guess they have to deviate from the commercial recipe sometimes to ensure it can be brewed from a kit - the yeast being the most obvious example where it needs to be a strain that can be dried.

However, I'm surprised by the difference in hops between the commercial and kit versions. How did the two taste when you compared them?

 

[thehorse]

I'll let you know when I've tracked a bottle down. What I do know is mine tastes better than my mate's, or at least they exhibit different flaws

 

[Slid]

I've just brewed my first SP cream stout and am enjoying the result. I thought I'd buy a bottle of the commercial prodict to compare and was a bit suprised to find that rather than using Goldings hops like the kit, it uses Challenger and Fuggles. As well as the fact that commercial SP will doubtless use a superior yeast and is not "live" in the bottle, is this a common practice - a kit that' bears no likeness to the beer its meant to replicate?

A stout will usually contain almost only bittering hops and so the ones used will be cheapest available. Any carried over flavour from the hops (all boiled to 60-90 mins) will be masked by the strong flavours from the malts.

I think that St Peters kits are made by Muntons in the UK and will have a 6g sachet of a Nottingham style yeast.

Please, please someone correct me if this is not true!

It is not fair to say that this yeast is inferior in the brewing of English style beers. When the kit left the factory, it would be fine. A much fairer complaint would be that:

• Many beer kits are kept in retail conditions at fairly high temperatures, which does the Yeast no favours over time.
• 6g is a bit pathetic for 23L
• Hence poor results can be obtained, with little fault attributable to the homebrewer.

Hence the volume of posts on this forum around Muntons kits.

 

[thehorse]

Would I be right in detecting aroma hops in the newer stouts and porters such as Five Points and Beavertown? They taste like they use US hops at the dry hopping stage, and it's an effect I'd like to replicate

 

[MyQul]

Would I be right in detecting aroma hops in the newer stouts and porters such as Five Points and Beavertown? They taste like they use US hops at the dry hopping stage, and it's an effect I'd like to replicate

I'm not familiar with those two stouts but If they are American style stouts they will have higher hopping rates than dry/sweet stouts so the roasted grains wont mask the flavour of the hops, especially if they're dry hopped too

 

[BeerCat]

I can confirm the bottled stuff is nothing like the kit. Its about 6.5% for a start. I didn't know they used Nottingham yeast. I was just about to dump an AG porter on top of the yeast from a st peters porter. Maybe now i will make up a starter with us05.
Interesting thread, been wondering about this for a while.

 

[Slid]

I can confirm the bottled stuff is nothing like the kit. Its about 6.5% for a start. I didn't know they used Nottingham yeast. I was just about to dump an AG porter on top of the yeast from a st peters porter. Maybe now i will make up a starter with us05.
Interesting thread, been wondering about this for a while.

For what it's worth, I would go to US05 myself.

 

[BeerCat]

Thanks Slid. It's done, brew took 6 hours so don't wanna ruin it. Will throw a pack of goldings hop powder on it in the spirit of St Peters. :)