Wherry - first brew in years!

[davelee212]

Will leave well alone until next weekend then... I had an excuse though so I went to homebrew shop this morning anyway. I got some yeast (just in case I need it) and another 2 can kit to do once the wherry is done and some gas for my king keg.

It's actually been 4 years since I visited the shop and they'd move to bigger premises around the corner. Glad to see it's going well!

Dave

 

[FatCol]

Will leave well alone until next weekend then... I had an excuse though so I went to homebrew shop this morning anyway. I got some yeast (just in case I need it) and another 2 can kit to do once the wherry is done and some gas for my king keg.

It's actually been 4 years since I visited the shop and they'd move to bigger premises around the corner. Glad to see it's going well!

Dave

Out of interest, which kit did you buy?

I can highly recommend the Woodfordes Admirals Reserve - a beautiful beer that really rewards patience.

Also, Wilko have a sale on at the moment and their own brand 2 can kits are about £13 at the moment. They are made by Muntons, who also produce the Woodfordes range as well as most of the other 2 can kits out there.

FatCol :

 

[pms67]

Fatcol
Did you add anything to your Wherry ?
I am going to brew my first one soon (even though I've done around 50 kits !)
Cheers :

 

[FatCol]

Fatcol
Did you add anything to your Wherry ?
I am going to brew my first one soon (even though I've done around 50 kits !)
Cheers :

On my last one, I brewed it to 20L and gave it a good squirt of Rowse Australian Honey just as an experiment. It's turned out superb!

FatCol

 

[pms67]

Ok,cheers mate

 

[remov3ableMASS]

Hello again.
So started the wherry off last night, it's now going fairly hard with a good couple of inches of head.
Now when I do wine I tend to give it a stir every day while it's in the bucket, mainly to push all the must back under.
Do you tend to do this with beer or just leave well alone?
Also when you "rack off" if you even use that term in beer brewing? Do you just pour it in to the next container or are you siphoning and leaving sediment behind?

Sláinte

 

[Slid]

Hello again.
So started the wherry off last night, it's now going fairly hard with a good couple of inches of head.
Now when I do wine I tend to give it a stir every day while it's in the bucket, mainly to push all the must back under.
Do you tend to do this with beer or just leave well alone?
Also when you "rack off" if you even use that term in beer brewing? Do you just pour it in to the next container or are you siphoning and leaving sediment behind?

Sláinte

No need to stir a beer, in fact it's probably best not to touch it unless absolutely necessay. Racking beer is almost always by siphoning and the aim is to leave all sediment behind. Some brewers rack their beer to allow better clarity in the finished article. Others believe that the additional risk of contamination is not worth it.

Think Gullivers World and the best end to open a boiled egg...

 

[remov3ableMASS]

Ok I will leave her alone then. Going to get a pressure barrel tomorrow from wilco. £18 seems ok to me?
My nearest homebrew shop is in Gorleston which the other side of norfolk, a good hour and a bits drive!
I thank you. : )

Sláinte

 

[FatCol]

Ok I will leave her alone then. Going to get a pressure barrel tomorrow from wilco. £18 seems ok to me?
My nearest homebrew shop is in Gorleston which the other side of norfolk, a good hour and a bits drive!
I thank you. : )

Sláinte

When you get the pressure barrel, it will only come with the standard cap with a pressure relief vent - to get the most out of a barrel, you will need to buy the optional cap with CO2 injection valve and a pack of the 8g bulbs - all are available at Wilko.

FatCol

 

[davelee212]

Out of interest, which kit did you buy?

I can highly recommend the Woodfordes Admirals Reserve - a beautiful beer that really rewards patience.

Also, Wilko have a sale on at the moment and their own brand 2 can kits are about £13 at the moment. They are made by Muntons, who also produce the Woodfordes range as well as most of the other 2 can kits out there.

FatCol :

We picked up a "Dasher the Flasher" kit from Milestone Brewery. Thought we'd do a brew with an xmas theme and see if we can keep our hands off it until then! The wherry will be in my only barrel so might pick up a couple of smaller ones to put this in so we can strategically position one at my parents house and one at the wifes parents. That way I can't fiddle/drink it too early and we'll have beer at both places we're likely to be over the xmas holidays!

I want to give Woodfordes Nelsons Revenge a go as that's one of my favourite beers but might try the Admirals Revenge as well... too many beers to brew!!

Dave

 

[remov3ableMASS]

Ok Ive read some reviews of this barrel that say it tends to leak from the seal round the tap once it gets a big of pressure built up. I mean I suppose you get what you pay for but surely a bit of ptfe tape around the thread would sort this?
Having never rearly inspected one I have no idea!

Sorry I'm hi jacking this thread here hey!

So the co2 obviously gives the beer a bit of liveliness, why is this necessary for ale?

Sláinte

 

[davelee212]

I think it's as much to do with the empty space (once you've had a few pints out) being occupied with CO2 rather than the ambient air which may contain bacteria that will harm your beer as much as carbonation.

My Wherry was down to 1024 on Monday and now it's at 1022.... fermentation has slowed somewhat! I've given the barrel a bit of a shake to mix things up a little and I'm hoping that'll get it going again. Will test it tonight and see if it's dropped.

I have a packet of emergency yeast ready to go on if it's stuck!

Dave

 

[FatCol]

I think it's as much to do with the empty space (once you've had a few pints out) being occupied with CO2 rather than the ambient air which may contain bacteria that will harm your beer as much as carbonation.

My Wherry was down to 1024 on Monday and now it's at 1022.... fermentation has slowed somewhat! I've given the barrel a bit of a shake to mix things up a little and I'm hoping that'll get it going again. Will test it tonight and see if it's dropped.

I have a packet of emergency yeast ready to go on if it's stuck!

Dave

Hi Dave,

Wherry is notorious for stuck fermentations at around 1020. Give it a good stir with a sterilised spoon to rouse the yeast and if you have any yeast nutrient, it wouldn't be a bad idea to add half a teaspoon when you give it a stir.

FatCol

 

[davelee212]

I think it had dropped a little bit by last night, but not much. Gave it a good stir up so hopefully that'll get it going again.

Dave

 

[remov3ableMASS]

Well I got the keg and optional cap with CO2 bulbs. Cheers for that Fat Col, and I now understand what the CO2 is for cheers Dave.
It's all kegged up now with 80 ish grams of priming sugar (dissolved in a small amount of boiled water) and a shot of CO2.
After a all amount of dripping from the tap it seems to be holding. I just hope it's all sealed.
I did lube the seals with vaseline so fingers crossed!
I haven't "cracked" the lid yet. Is this essential?
I'm assuming cracking the lid is just a matter of loosening the cap briefly?
I have also been no where near as vigilant as dave when checking SG. Primary fermentation seemed to have ceased and it was down to 1010 or lower
There was no froth left and tasted pretty good also!

 

[FatCol]

Well I got the keg and optional cap with CO2 bulbs. Cheers for that Fat Col, and I now understand what the CO2 is for cheers Dave.
It's all kegged up now with 80 ish grams of priming sugar (dissolved in a small amount of boiled water) and a shot of CO2.
After a all amount of dripping from the tap it seems to be holding. I just hope it's all sealed.
I did lube the seals with vaseline so fingers crossed!
I haven't "cracked" the lid yet. Is this essential?
I'm assuming cracking the lid is just a matter of loosening the cap briefly?
I have also been no where near as vigilant as dave when checking SG. Primary fermentation seemed to have ceased and it was down to 1010 or lower
There was no froth left and tasted pretty good also!

Generally speaking, you shouldn't need to add a shot of CO2 until the barrel is around half empty, as the priming sugar will create enough CO2 for the initial pressurisation of the barrel. As for cracking the lid, I never have and have not experienced any problems.

Hope it all goes well for you and if you show some patience, you may well be surprised at how good your creation is :thumb:

FatCol