Wilko Hoppy Bitter

[TarnSup]

I’ve caught the bug already been to Wilko’s and got myself the following:

- Wilko Hoppy Bitter
- 1kg Brewing Sugar
- 500g Medium Spray Dried Malt



I also ordered a all grain kit which to be honest as this is my second brew think I had overshot my confidence and decided to leave that to one side for the minute and get a few kit/extract beers done first before jumping into that.

I’ve got the following hops from that all grain kit.

- 70g Celeia (Styrian Goldings)
- 30g of EKG

As these are from a landlord clone, I’m wondering if I could dry hop with them to spice it up a little?

Planning on getting this all in the FV sometime this week.

 

[kelper]

I just followed the instructions to the letter and was very pleased with it.

 

[terrym]

Both your hops suit the style so I suggest ...
Kit can plus 500g each of the brewing sugar and the spray malt, brewed to 21 or 20 litres, which should produce a beer of about 4.0 or 4.3%ABV. Then when the fermentation has very nearly finished or eight days in whichever is longer, dry hop with 30g of either EKG or Celeia for four to six days, with the last two in the coldest place you have.
Then prime bottles at the rate of 4.5g table sugar per litre to give about 2.0 vols CO2. And one level tsp is approx 4.5g.

 

[dwhite60]

If you're new to this you might just make the kit per the instructions then try to figure out which way you want to go for the next one.

 

[TarnSup]

I just followed the instructions to the letter and was very pleased with it.

I might just do that then, I did a mangrove grapefruit ipa for my first brew and really enjoyed doing the dry hopping!

 

[terrym]

I might just do that then, I did a mangrove grapefruit ipa for my first brew and really enjoyed doing the dry hopping!

There's a big difference between a cheap Wilko 1.5kg kit brewed to 23 litres with basic sugar additions and no extra hops, and a MJ kit with, as far as I can make out in excess of 2kg LME, plus hops. But I guess you will find that out if you do it as the instructions suggest.

 

[TarnSup]

There's a big difference between a cheap Wilko 1.5kg kit brewed to 23 litres with basic sugar additions and no extra hops, and a MJ kit with, as far as I can make out in excess of 2kg LME, plus hops. But I guess you will find that out if you do it as the instructions suggest.

Yeah, I’m not going to brew the Wilko kit to recipe as I’m going to knock it to 19/20l to bring up the body of the beer itself. I’m tempted to do this just as recipe and no hop additions then try hop additions after.

 

[Banbeer]

Yeah, I’m not going to brew the Wilko kit to recipe as I’m going to knock it to 19/20l to bring up the body of the beer itself. I’m tempted to do this just as recipe and no hop additions then try hop additions after.

Just a bit of advise when you brew short i.e. 19/20L instead of 23L, the beer will be more bitter than normal, I used to brew short as I now use corny kegs but found most of the beers I enjoyed were too bitter for me (still drank them tho') so I'm going back to a 23L brew.

 

[terrym]

Just a bit of advise when you brew short i.e. 19/20L instead of 23L, the beer will be more bitter than normal, I used to brew short as I now use corny kegs but found most of the beers I enjoyed were too bitter for me (still drank them tho') so I'm going back to a 23L brew.

If you brew this kit down to 20/21 litres the IBUs are only increased by about 10-15% which is not too significant imo. In support of that some time ago I brewed my one and only Hoppy Copper bitter to 15 litres and it was fine as far as I can remember and I too am not a particular lover of very bitter beers.

 

[Banbeer]

If you brew this kit down to 20/21 litres the IBUs are only increased by about 10-15% which is not too significant imo. In support of that some time ago I brewed my one and only Hoppy Copper bitter to 15 litres and it was fine as far as I can remember and I too am not a particular lover of very bitter beers.

Thanks Terry, Just making him aware.

 

[yrhendystu]

Tried this a while back. Not really a bitter fan but I had a Bulldog bitter kit with my starter set and really liked it so wanted to try the Wilko kit. Didn't add anything fancy just regular sugar and it turned out fine.

It went really nice with a dash of orange squash.

 

[kelper]

It went really nice with a dash of orange squash.

How ghastly! Must try it once.

 

[terrym]

How ghastly! Must try it once.

Just the once. Perhaps in a small glass.

 

[kelper]

I was thinking an egg cup!

 

[jMac]

Orange squash infused bitter is the new grapefruit/mango/dangleberry infused IPA. They’re all on it down Shoreditch, donchaknow.

 

[yrhendystu]

I did say I wasn't really a bitter fan :)
My neighbour really liked it though, I often poured him a glass over the wall during lockdown.

 

[Bizzo]

Just a bit of advise when you brew short i.e. 19/20L instead of 23L, the beer will be more bitter than normal, I used to brew short as I now use corny kegs but found most of the beers I enjoyed were too bitter for me (still drank them tho') so I'm going back to a 23L brew.

I'm with you on that one, I've done a few of the Wilko's kits. I used to brew short to 19l, but now I use 1kg malt plus 1kg brewing sugar and brew to 23l. I've just bottled a Wilko IPA on Sunday, which I used a M29 Saison yeast with as it was so hot (brewed at 30 degrees), dry hopped with Casecade hops, from the sample I tasted it was lovely! It got the FG down to 1.001, giving me 6.4%

 

[kelper]

As a Times subscriber, I was able to order a case of craft beers from Flavourly for £24 delivered. The one I'm trying now is a tangerine pale from Fourpure. It's not bad and the tangerine is very subtle.

 

[Datanode101]

I'm still learning a lot, so what would you use the 500g Medium Spray Dried Malt for, and when would you use it? is it like to give it extra flavour/body as to speak?

Thanks

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

If you brew this kit down to 20/21 litres the IBUs are only increased by about 10-15% which is not too significant imo. In support of that some time ago I brewed my one and only Hoppy Copper bitter to 15 litres and it was fine as far as I can remember and I too am not a particular lover of very bitter beers.

My only experience of this is the same as @Banbeer mentioned. I once brewed a MYO Yorkshire bitter short to 19 litres and it came out totally undrinkable it was so bitter. Although I appreciate this may not always be the case.