Woodforde Wherry - My First Brew

[sblair1979]

Hi Everyone,

I've just started my first ever brew and hope to get some good advice on here to make it as good as possible.

I'm using a Woodforde Wherry kit. I have a fermenting vessel and a pressure barrel.

I mixed up my first batch on Sunday in a sterilised fermenting vessel. I placed it in my airing cupboard which sits about 18 degrees usually.

I'm planning to check the gravity in the next couple of days before i decide how to store it.

I would like to bottle some beer and keep the rest in the barrel.

I plan to add some pics to this post to make it more interesting for people to read and to make it easier to give advice.

(Stupid)Questions:

Would it be ok to syphon the beer from the fermenting vessel into the barrel and then fill the bottles from the barrel (much easier)? I would prime the bottles with sugar and then when im finished bottling add sugar to the leftover beer.

Is it OK to half fill the barrel? Any issues with this?

I would like to bottle some beer so I can keep it for longer to assess the change in taste over time. I also dont know how long the beer will keep in the barrel.

Any help will be appreciated, the questions will get more intelligent i promise

 

[seanymc]

welcome you will gets loads of good advice :thumb:

 

[c_burgess]

I would prime the bottles and syphon to them first (for clarity) then prime your keg and fill with remainder of the beer from the FV. It sounds like a good idea to bottle from keg but the tap might not be suitable for filling bottles. I know that the tap on my king keg would be a nightmare to bottle from but without knowing what gear you have it's hard to be certain. If you can fit any kind of tubing to the tap it will help a lot.

I've never had a problem with half filling a keg whether a corny or a king keg. I wouldn't touch a beer until at least 3 weeks and I don't think the Wherry I did peaked until 3-4 months. My dad reckons 6 months minimum but its fun to check on a beer and see how it matures, just remember that the more often you sample the more likely the beer will run out before it peaks.

 

[ohbeary]

Hi Everyone,

I've just started my first ever brew and hope to get some good advice on here to make it as good as possible.

I'm using a Woodforde Wherry kit. I have a fermenting vessel and a pressure barrel.

I mixed up my first batch on Sunday in a sterilised fermenting vessel. I placed it in my airing cupboard which sits about 18 degrees usually.

I'm planning to check the gravity in the next couple of days before i decide how to store it.

I would like to bottle some beer and keep the rest in the barrel.

I plan to add some pics to this post to make it more interesting for people to read and to make it easier to give advice.

(Stupid)Questions:

Would it be ok to syphon the beer from the fermenting vessel into the barrel and then fill the bottles from the barrel (much easier)? I would prime the bottles with sugar and then when im finished bottling add sugar to the leftover beer.

Is it OK to half fill the barrel? Any issues with this?

I would like to bottle some beer so I can keep it for longer to assess the change in taste over time. I also dont know how long the beer will keep in the barrel.

Any help will be appreciated, the questions will get more intelligent i promise

Bulk prime after racking with 2oz per gallon prefferably inverted ( simmer/heat and hold at 85C sugar in 2 pints beer for 20 mins with 1tsp citric/tartaric acid) bottle all of it as a half barrel will never properly condition, keep it warm for 14 days and store cool to condition for 5-6 weeks minimum.

 

[sblair1979]

Thanks for the great feedback guys. Gave me some good ideas.

 

[jonnymorris]

Personally, I'd recommend batch priming with 100g of sugar (disolved in some pre-boiled water). You could then barrel half and bottle the rest no problem. Get a bottling wand/little bottler for the bottling - it makes the task so much easier. With respect to the barrel... once it's in I'd give it a squirt of CO2, let it settle and then crack the lid to let some O2 out and then re-seal. I see no reason why it wouldn't condition in a half empty barrel.

As has been said, it'll need 2 weeks in the warm to carbonate and then a few weeks in the cold to condition though you're never going to get past the first week without having a little try.

 

[sblair1979]

Personally, I'd recommend batch priming with 100g of sugar (disolved in some pre-boiled water). You could then barrel half and bottle the rest no problem. Get a bottling wand/little bottler for the bottling - it makes the task so much easier. With respect to the barrel... once it's in I'd give it a squirt of CO2, let it settle and then crack the lid to let some O2 out and then re-seal. I see no reason why it wouldn't condition in a half empty barrel.

As has been said, it'll need 2 weeks in the warm to carbonate and then a few weeks in the cold to condition though you're never going to get past the first week without having a little try.

Thanks for the advice. I've been thinking hard all day about what to with this batch and where i want to go in the future with my brewing. It seems that bottles are much more practical for me. I like the idea of keeping them in the garage and moving some into the fridge as and when i want to drink them. The barrel is a lot more romantic but I dont fancy walking to the garage each time i want a pint and it will be hard to keep the beer cold when the weather improves.

My plan now is to put all this batch into the barrel. The novelty of pouring my own beer will cancel out the nuisance of walking out the house to the garage between beers.

I then plan to buy a new fermenting vessel with little bottler, more bottles and convert to bottle production. I'll use the old fermenting vessel to sterilise in and ill keep the barrel for future brews depending on the success of this attempt.

I've ordered this kit

And i plan to bottle the entire production once the new fermenting vessel arrives.

God im already spending too much money and getting addicted :shock:

 

[sblair1979]

OK Ladies and Gents.

Just back from working away for a few days and decided that after two weeks in the FV i should barrel my first ever kit.

I sterilised the barrel, hose and clip and rinsed thoroughly.

I was nervous about opening up the FV, I've read horror stories about layers of scum, bacteria and horrible smells etc. and was dreading a ruined batch. :pray:

I was pleasantly surprised with what i found. :

Smelled amazing no obvious funk evident. :party:

I positioned the FV above the barrel and added 75g caster sugar (mixed with 1/4 pint boiled water) to the barrel.

I started syphoning and tried my best to keep my 5 year old boy from pulling on the pipe or contaminating my precious brew!

After i emptied the FV there was this layer at the bottom. Does this look normal?

Once the beer was secured back in the airing cupboard i tasted my sample. :drink:

It was really nice! flat of course and still got some maturing to do but Ive had worse drinks in pubs. :thumb:

Im delighted with the start and look forward to tasting the final product.

In the next two days I plan to start my next brew

Cant wait!

 

[Rwilts]

Looks all good to me. Well done on your first brew. You have the right idea, get another one on asap :thumb:

 

[sblair1979]

Bavarian wheat beer now in second FV. :

Smelled amazing when i was emptying the tins. Tested the gravity this time but it was difficult to be accurate due to the foam. Was just over 1040.

Mixed much more thoroughly than with my Wherry after reading tips on here and used bottled water this time.Now FV is stored safely in Airing Cupboard for a couple of weeks.

My Wherry have been moved to a bedroom due to a lack of space and will be garage bound in a few days for its final spell before being drunk.

Spent today clearing the garage to move all my unused equipment to keep the moaning to a minimum from SWMBO.

Now im looking at the FV vacated by the Wherry and wondering, should I get a third on the go?

Problem is I'm saving the bottles I bought for the Wheat Beer and the Barrel is full! Tempted to buy more bottles.

I'm definately getting addicted

All grain is only a matter of time....

 

[Cooks]

I've been using 2l pop bottles for my Wherry and they have worked out great. Bottling straight from the FV into the bottles, by using a syphon tube with a tap in the middle so I can avoid splashing. The 2l bottles are dirt cheap (asda water), easy to store (loft), keep the CO2, and hold just enough for a nights drinking.

 

[sblair1979]

I've been using 2l pop bottles for my Wherry and they have worked out great. Bottling straight from the FV into the bottles, by using a syphon tube with a tap in the middle so I can avoid splashing. The 2l bottles are dirt cheap (asda water), easy to store (loft), keep the CO2, and hold just enough for a nights drinking.

Good idea! Will give that a bash for my next brew