St Peters Golden Ale review

[Sandimas]

I will make again but use spray malt instead of the sugar.

It's a 2-can kit with everything you need in it, so why do you need to add sugar or spray malt?

 

[Daz72]

Ahh crap sorry getting mixed up with the wheat beer I brewed ,me bad!

 

[H0PM0NSTER]

Not many reviews for this kit so thought I should add one.

I brewed this 4 weeks ago without any tweaks or additions. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that much as I tried the St. Peter's Ruby Red Ale kit a couple of years ago and was a bit disappointed. However, that was one of my first brews and could have suffered from lousy temperature control.

This one had two weeks in the FV, one week to carbonate in the bottles and then out to the garage to condition. Tried one last night and was pleasantly surprised - crystal clear, fruity but with a nice dry, bitter hop finish. It's pretty good (and I'm enjoying another tonight), but I'm hopeful it will improve further over the next few weeks.

 

[RichieBeer]

I'm trying the Golden Ale but I seem to have had my first experience of a stuck fermentation. And after reading numerous posts on the subject I'm trying to bring it back to life.

It's been in the FV for 7 days (used the kit yeast and SG 1.044) but after about 4 days I notice activity just about stop. I took a reading and got the dreaded 1.020 (ish). I gave it a gentle stir and left it for a couple of days. Yesterday, day 6, still nothing and still at 1.020, I decided to pop a sachet of Wilko Gervin yeast in. A further day later there's still no change.

So my question is, after repitching the yeast, how long could I expect to wait before it sparks into life again (if indeed it will). And at what point do you give up and chuck it? Is there any point in bottling a 1.020 brew?

 

[terrym]

I'm trying the Golden Ale but I seem to have had my first experience of a stuck fermentation. And after reading numerous posts on the subject I'm trying to bring it back to life.

It's been in the FV for 7 days (used the kit yeast and SG 1.044) but after about 4 days I notice activity just about stop. I took a reading and got the dreaded 1.020 (ish). I gave it a gentle stir and left it for a couple of days. Yesterday, day 6, still nothing and still at 1.020, I decided to pop a sachet of Wilko Gervin yeast in. A further day later there's still no change.

So my question is, after repitching the yeast, how long could I expect to wait before it sparks into life again (if indeed it will). And at what point do you give up and chuck it? Is there any point in bottling a 1.020 brew?

If it's not restarted, albeit slowly, after 24 hours then it might not get going again as it is, but it's worth leaving it for another 24 hours at least to find out. In the meantime you could move it into a warmer place, say 22/23*C, if you have one, and that may revive it (it has worked for me), and some people have had success by adding some extra sugar say 100g as a solution. Finally did you sprinkle the Wilko yeast or get it going in a starter before you added it? For me the yeast has to be properly activated before you repitch to give it the best chance of restarting a stuck fermentatation.
And I think most on here would not bottle a brew at 1.020 for fear of it restarting, although if pushed you could try using all PET bottles, since you can at least monitor how they are being pressurised.

 

[RichieBeer]

Finally did you sprinkle the Wilko yeast or get it going in a starter before you added it? For me the yeast has to be properly activated before you repitch to give it the best chance of restarting a stuck fermentation.

Ah. No, I just sprinkled it on. I've never "activated" yeast before. Is it just a case of adding the dried yeast to some warm water with a little sugar?

I'll try adding some sugar first and get the temperature up a little and give it another couple of days, if still no luck I'll try pitching some "activated" yeast.

Thanks for your advice

 

[terrym]

I've never "activated" yeast before. Is it just a case of adding the dried yeast to some warm water with a little sugar?

What I usually do is sanitise a measuring jug then pour in about 100ml boiled water. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature (say about 20*C). Add the yeast, re-cover and allow to thoroughly hydrate giving it a stir from time to time with a sanitised tsp, then after about 30mins, add a level tsp of sugar, giving the liquid a really good stir to dissolve the sugar. Re-cover then leave it in a warm place for about 45 mins or until it is frothing well. Then sanitise the jug pouring lip and gently pour into the brew.
I am sure others do it differently, but that's what I do.

 

[RichieBeer]

What I usually do is sanitise a measuring jug then pour in about 100ml boiled water. Cover and allow to cool to room temperature (say about 20*C). Add the yeast, re-cover and allow to thoroughly hydrate giving it a stir from time to time with a sanitised tsp, then after about 30mins, add a level tsp of sugar, giving the liquid a really good stir to dissolve the sugar. Re-cover then leave it in a warm place for about 45 mins or until it is frothing well. Then sanitise the jug pouring lip and gently pour into the brew.
I am sure others do it differently, but that's what I do.

Very clear instructions, thank you. Just one thing if you could clarify. When you say "Add the yeast" - is that a full sachet?

I'll give it a go. I don't feel I've got anything to lose with this brew now.

 

[terrym]

Very clear instructions, thank you. Just one thing if you could clarify. When you say "Add the yeast" - is that a full sachet?

I'll give it a go. I don't feel I've got anything to lose with this brew now.

Yes its a whole sachet of yeast.
But before you have a final go at your brew I would give it another 24 hours or so in the warm and with the sugar boost before you add any more yeast.

 

[RichieBeer]

But before you have a final go at your brew I would give it another 24 hours or so in the warm and with the sugar boost before you add any more yeast.

Yes, that's the plan. The temperature is up to about 22 now and a sugar solution has been added. I'll see what it's doing this time tomorrow and if nothing has changed I'll try your yeast suggestion the following day.

thanks again

 

[Baggins]

Hi RichieBeer, I've been reading posts since I started brewing Nov 17 and I've got SPGA on the go now. I'm really loving the posts and the shared drama! Please let me know what happened with your brew, did it restart? by which method? Did it taste good?

 

[RichieBeer]

Baggins, I just added a sachet of Wilko yeast, give it a gentle stir, and upped the thermostat for the under-floor heating a little. Came back to life and bottled at 1.012. It turned out to be a great drink after a couple of months it's all gone now but I had the last bottle probably mid February and it was really nice by then.

 

[Beeroid]

I have a brew of this maturing and am not sure whether the batch is bad. It's been bottled maybe a month so perhaps I am being far too premature. However, there is a pronounced chemical aftertaste detectable, and the only thing I can think of to describe it that is remotely close is polystyrene. One thing I should mention is that like an idiot when bottling I forgot to put the yeast trap on the bottom of the syphon, and thus ended up with more yeast in the bottles than I should have. Could I just have wrecked it by pulling in yeast/yeast poo?

Consoling myself in the meantime with a St. Peter's Cream Stout, which I've always found excellent!

 

[BeerCat]

I have a brew of this maturing and am not sure whether the batch is bad. It's been bottled maybe a month so perhaps I am being far too premature. However, there is a pronounced chemical aftertaste detectable, and the only thing I can think of to describe it that is remotely close is polystyrene. One thing I should mention is that like an idiot when bottling I forgot to put the yeast trap on the bottom of the syphon, and thus ended up with more yeast in the bottles than I should have. Could I just have wrecked it by pulling in yeast/yeast poo?

Consoling myself in the meantime with a St. Peter's Cream Stout, which I've always found excellent!

Thats an off flavour caused during fermentation. Google plastic taste in beer. Sadly it wont go away.

 

[Baggins]

Hi RichieBeer, thanks for your reply. Goog to hear it worked out. Think I'll get some spare yeast to keep in stock just in case. My StP Cream Stout has come out lovely, took 3 weeks to get to 1013 so a bit week but great taste and mouthfeel. I left the Golden Ale untouched for 3 weeks in primary then tested. OG 1047, FG 1013. Looks finished & very happy with that. Good taste and used sugar to give 2 volumes of CO2, a bit fizzier than usual preference but I think will suit chilled GA over the summer.

 

[GhostShip]

I’ve just been given this kit for Christmas. To be honest, it probably wasn’t one I would have chosen myself but I’ll happily give it a go.

I’d quite like to dry hop it (rather than rely on the hop powder that comes with the kit). It uses Goldings and Challenger but not knowing anything about either hop, should I add both or is one more pronounced than the other?

Also, would you add the hop powder at the start as per the instructions and also dry hop, or dump the powder altogether and just dry hop? I do like a hoppy beer!

Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[Sandimas]

Challenger tends to be more a bittering hop, I'd go for Goldings - I've just done a Wherry with extra goldings.

If you like it hoppy I'd do a hop steep of 25g in a few litres of boiled water, use that to make the kit up, and then dry hop a week into fermentation with another 25g. Just done this with a golden ale and it's come out good. Also worth brewing these kits short for a bit more flavour.

 

[terrym]

I tried one of the St Peters kit range some time back and that also came with the hop oils sachet. I added mine after the primary had died down like you would for a dry hop. The beer turned out really bitter, unpleasantly so, and I can only imagine it was the hop oil sachet that did it. Frankly I was glad to see the back of it. Anyway since you have no way of knowing what hop or hops is/are in the sachet I suggest you dump it and put some extra hops into your beer of your own choosing as dry hop or a hop tea. There are plenty to choose from that suit the style, but you need to choose dual purpose or aroma hops not solely bittering hops. And of course you could split your brew and put different hops into the two halves. say Cascade into one half and EKG or First Gold in the other. These might be useful in selecting your hop choice.
https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/hop-guide
http://beerlegends.com/hops-varieties

 

[GhostShip]

Brilliant- that's really helpful. Thanks guys.

 

[GhostShip]

I've found some light spraymalt that is in date, so thought I might add some of it to the Golden Ale. I've read that using it instead of priming sugar once the first stage of fermentation is finished is a waste of time as it will make no real difference to the beer. Is this true?

If so, I would need to add it at the start of the process - how would I know how much to add?

Thank you for any help.