St Peters Ruby Red Ale review

[Marcusp]

Just finished my last pint of rr from the corni and have to say its the best pint I've had. Cleared very well after being in the fv for two weeks and 1week in a secondary.
Nothing added and brewed short to 21 litres with half a Camden tablet.

This really got very nice after a month in the corni and I enjoyed it that much I've just put another one on

 

[PD]

One of the finest kit beers on offer.... :thumb:

 

[Do_you_realise]

A couple of questions about this...

First question: I went away while this was fermenting and came back 2 weeks later to this:

http://i.imgur.com/94V8YeE.jpg

Not sure what it is - the white patches initially looked like white mould but could just be patches of very fine bubbles? But why would they be appearing this late in the game...?

Second question - I brewed this short to 19L (ran out of bottled water) and will be priming with demerara sugar purely because that's what we have in the cupboard. How much should I use, and boiled in what quantity of water?

Thanks!

 

[Do_you_realise]

Also I just tested the FG and it came to about 1.016... is that a bit too high for bottling? I would have thought it was done by now considering that it's been in there for two weeks.

Or is it only so high because I brewed it short to 19L?

 

[BrewerRS]

Just gathering a quick consensus on this beer...

Brew full or brew short?

I want to know if it's already full-bodied or if it needs some encouragement?

Also open to additions if it's a good idea?

This is my first time brewing this kit but I don't want to waste time brewing it as per the instructions and then finding out it's too thin!

Cheers all :

 

[BIGJIM72]

Brew short-21lt is great. Nice kit all round. Will take some dry hopping.

 

[Do_you_realise]

A couple of questions about this...

First question: I went away while this was fermenting and came back 2 weeks later to this:

http://i.imgur.com/94V8YeE.jpg

...

Second question - I brewed this short to 19L (ran out of bottled water) and will be priming with demerara sugar purely because that's what we have in the cupboard. How much should I use, and boiled in what quantity of water?

Thanks!

Also I just tested the FG and it came to about 1.016... is that a bit too high for bottling? I would have thought it was done by now considering that it's been in there for two weeks.

Or is it only so high because I brewed it short to 19L?

Any idea with this guys? Looking to bottle asap before I go away again.

 

[olivercollings]

Hi guys. I've started on this kit over the weekend.

I pitched the yeast at 24c which I know is too warm but the temperature was down to 20c within a few hours so I'm not expecting too many issues.

The only concern I have is the recommended fermentation time of 6 days. Usually I give most of my kits 10-14 days. Will it really be anywhere near ready in 6?

I must admit it's bubbling like a loon at the moment in the FV. It started to bubble within an hour or two of pitching the yeast. Obviously I'll take a hydrometer reading. I've seen others do this kit to the letter and get good results so hears hoping for a fairly quick brew.

I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[olivercollings]

Doyourealise, I would say that's mould personally. I would start over. To be fair though I am a novice only one 5th kit lol

 

[Do_you_realise]

Doyourealise, I would say that's mould personally. I would start over. To be fair though I am a novice only one 5th kit lol

I ended up syphoning off from below the surface and bottling it anyway on the off chance it was still OK. They've been conditioning/aging in the garage for a month and a half... Got one in the fridge now to try tonight, will report back!

 

[BIGJIM72]

The pic looks perfectly normal-bubble clusters & a few flecks of yeast.

 

[Do_you_realise]

The pic looks perfectly normal-bubble clusters & a few flecks of yeast.

That was the conclusion I came to but mostly via wishful thinking. People were concerned about what looked like some kind of film covering the surface.

 

[BIGJIM72]

Maybe a little hop oil-these do come with a hop sachet IIRC.This beer,by the stage you have it,should have cleared with a nice solid yeast cake. Best way to find out will be to sup one,but I think you will probably be fine.

 

[twoshots]

That pic looks exactly like my Wherry the night before I panic siphoned it to a barrel. By the morning it had gone, then it was back again, then gone... It looks like bubbles to me.

Looks like you've finished fermenting and now its just a case of waiting for it to clear. :drink:

A Ruby is on my hit list for 'very soon' (TM)!

 

[gitsurfer]

Looks to be an excellent kit and will be my second brew. Will be bottling a Wherry on 21st and the RRA will be going straight into the FV once cleaned and sanitized. It's going to be November before I'm drinking this so I might have to try and find a couple of bottles in the supermarket to remind myself what it's like - been ages since I had it.

 

[Andylatter85]

I'm going to be 100% honest and not biased because I live in Suffolk (yes I've been to the brewery :)) But this kit is amazing! Just kegged mine off today and it was really clear, I normally make wine but being my first kit of ale I found it a breeze and the end result looks promising!
If you want a super kit get this one, trust me you wont regret it.

 

[Fore]

My first brew in 11 years. Decided to start with this one as it's lower alcohol content and there are fewer comments that it should be left to age. Being my first, I knew it unlikely it would be left alone for long.

As I expected, I sampled almost every day, now 14 days after kegging. Initial taste showed promise but quite bitter and strong homebrew flavour. It changed very quickly early on, the homebrew flavour falling away quite quickly and becoming richer/smoother. The bitterness receded also, but it still remains quite on the bitter side; first 2 pints are lovely, then the bitterness starts to linger. I'm aware though that this is still very young beer at 2 weeks, and given the rapid changes I have experienced, I'm sure it will develop into a nice smooth ale. It terms of clarity, at about 12 days in it bacame pretty clear [as part of the process, I did tranfer to a second fermenter for clearing]. I tried a bottled example on 12 days and it was near flat.

My first sample of Woodford's Wherry (one week in ferment) and I already know it's less bitter than the Ruby Red.

P.S. of course the Ruby Red comes with a hop sachet, so if the bitterness was the only negative, it's possible to tailor to taste. I really like that flexibility.

 

[olivercollings]

This has just gone into my keg. FG was 1009 so came out with an abv of 4.1%. I'm happy with that. It did take 17 days to get down to that though. I have primed the keg with 85grms of sugar and sealed her up tight. Gonna give it 10 days in the warm then out to the cupboard to mature for a good few weeks. Tasted a drop straight out of the FV and it's tasting great. The hops really come through nice. I'm still concerned it's not as red as it should be though. I'm sure it will darken up. I'll let you know how it's going over the next few weeks.

 

[gitsurfer]

Popped this on this afternoon. Made up to 21 litres and will probably give it 3 weeks in FV.

 

[olivercollings]

Mines been in the keg four weeks now (two indoors and two out) and I've just had my first pint. It's bloody good. A touch sweet on the initial taste but with a lovely hoppy finish. It's not red really its more of an amber colour and far lighter than the commercial product. It's still a cracking pint and I'm sure it'll improve. I'm off for another.