Woodfordes Headcracker kit

[parpot]

Does any one have one of these kits sat on the shelf that they would sell me? Muntons have stopped production of this kit and I am desperate?

 

[Bobtheblob]

In stock here Woodfords Headcracker. 3kg. | Quality Beer . | Burghley Homebrew

 

[Chippy_Tea]

http://www.quaysidehomebrew.co.uk/woodfordes-headcracker-24-pint-3kg-home-brew-beer-kit

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Google found this from 2013 over at Jims forum -


Woodfordes Headcracker
Woodforde's Norfolk Ales - Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Style: Barleywine
OG: 1069
ABV: 7.0%
Grainbill: Pale, Caramalt, Wheat Malt
Hops: Goldings, Styrian/Savinjski Goldings-Bobek
IBU: 24
Colour: orange amber
Yeast: proprietary Woodfordes brewery English ale strain, perhaps derived from Whitbread-B

I don't know the grainbill percentages, but I think something like 85% Pale, 10% Caramalt, 5% Wheat Malt would put get you in the ballpark. Bobek hops are very nice--I would guess the late additions, melding with the high alcohol into a beer perfume--are what you like best about this beer.

 

[parpot]

Thanks Guys, tried both of those and they are out of stock and say it has been discontinued!

 

[parpot]

Google found this from 2013 over at Jims forum -


Woodfordes Headcracker
Woodforde's Norfolk Ales - Norwich, Norfolk, UK
Style: Barleywine
OG: 1069
ABV: 7.0%
Grainbill: Pale, Caramalt, Wheat Malt
Hops: Goldings, Styrian/Savinjski Goldings-Bobek
IBU: 24
Colour: orange amber
Yeast: proprietary Woodfordes brewery English ale strain, perhaps derived from Whitbread-B

I don't know the grainbill percentages, but I think something like 85% Pale, 10% Caramalt, 5% Wheat Malt would put get you in the ballpark. Bobek hops are very nice--I would guess the late additions, melding with the high alcohol into a beer perfume--are what you like best about this beer.

Thanks chippy, only do kits!

 

[terrym]

@parpot
Why not try brewing a Wherry to 14 litres and add a 25g hop tea of Goldings or Styrian Goldings. That would put you in the same ball park for ABV and some of the hops allegedly in the original would be in there as well. Wherry is not a high bitterness kit imo so the concentration should not present you with a problem. At the very least it would be drinkable, and if the experiment is a success you are then set up to continue it since Wherry is a popular readily available kit and unlikely to be ever discontinued. Plus its usually cheaper than others in the Woodefords range.

 

[parpot]

Thanks Terrym, that is worth a try, are the Wherry ingredients basically the same as Headcracker then apart from the hops mentioned? When would you add tea hop tea bag?

 

[terrym]

Thanks Terrym, that is worth a try, are the Wherry ingredients basically the same as Headcracker then apart from the hops mentioned? When would you add tea hop tea bag?

All the Woodefordes kits are based on 3kg LME. The difference in ABV in the product beers is achieved by dilution. But there will be subtle ingredient differences in the concentrated hopped wort that make up the individual kits, to try to replicate the original brewery beers, so the downside of my suggestion is your Wherry based Headcracker may taste different, but you won't know that until you try it.
Making hop teas is quite easy. You just need to steep hops (a hop tea bag or pellets) in hot water at no more than about 85*C until it cools then add the separated liquid to the beer when the fermentation is nearing completion, to allow it to thoroughly mix in, although if you batch prime you can add to the bottling bucket before you transfer. I used about 100ml water for every 10g hops. If you used pellets you could add liquid and hop bits but be prepared to have to filter out the hop bits at bottling time as you would for a dry hop. And if you are new to using hops Crossmyloof Brewery will sell you some and there is a small forum discount (look under sponsor forum).
https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/hop-guide

 

[parpot]

All the Woodefordes kits are based on 3kg LME. The difference in ABV in the product beers is achieved by dilution. But there will be subtle ingredient differences in the concentrated hopped wort that make up the individual kits, to try to replicate the original brewery beers, so the downside of my suggestion is your Wherry based Headcracker may taste different, but you won't know that until you try it.
Making hop teas is quite easy. You just need to steep hops (a hop tea bag or pellets) in hot water at no more than about 85*C until it cools then add the separated liquid to the beer when the fermentation is nearing completion, to allow it to thoroughly mix in, although if you batch prime you can add to the bottling bucket before you transfer. I used about 100ml water for every 10g hops. If you used pellets you could add liquid and hop bits but be prepared to have to filter out the hop bits at bottling time as you would for a dry hop. And if you are new to using hops Crossmyloof Brewery will sell you some and there is a small forum discount (look under sponsor forum).
https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/hop-guide

So I could try it using the Admirals Reserve kit?

 

[terrym]

So I could try it using the Admirals Reserve kit?

If you want to broaden your potential choices I suggest you look at the descriptions of the beers on Woodefords Brewery site and those of the Woodefords beer kits currently available and try to get the best kit match to a Headcracker in terms of sweetness hoppiness and flavour, given the concentration factor, which is what I roughly did before I made my Wherry suggestion.

 

[parpot]

@parpot
Why not try brewing a Wherry to 14 litres and add a 25g hop tea of Goldings or Styrian Goldings. That would put you in the same ball park for ABV and some of the hops allegedly in the original would be in there as well. Wherry is not a high bitterness kit imo so the concentration should not present you with a problem. At the very least it would be drinkable, and if the experiment is a success you are then set up to continue it since Wherry is a popular readily available kit and unlikely to be ever discontinued. Plus its usually cheaper than others in the Woodefords range.

Started the experiment this morning using just one of the two tins of Wherry added half a jar of H&B LME for good measure and one of the sachets of yeast. The opening gravity reading is 1.074 which looks good but looking back on my records the last HC I did was at 1.062 so perhaps didn't need the extra LME, brewed to 7.5 ltrs. Lets see.

 

[terrym]

Started the experiment this morning using just one of the two tins of Wherry added half a jar of H&B LME for good measure and one of the sachets of yeast. The opening gravity reading is 1.074 which looks good but looking back on my records the last HC I did was at 1.062 so perhaps didn't need the extra LME, brewed to 7.5 ltrs. Lets see.

From what you have said above the BF calculator here
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculatorpredicts an OG of 1.075, an FG of 1.019 and an ABV of about 7.4%, so your hydrometer reading is just about spot on.
If you add 500ml of water to your wort now (preferably not later) that should lower the predicted ABV to about 7% which is comparable to the HC kit you are trying to emulate (the predicted OG for that being 1.070).

 

[parpot]

From what you have said above the BF calculator here
https://www.brewersfriend.com/homebrew/recipe/calculatorpredicts an OG of 1.075, an FG of 1.019 and an ABV of about 7.4%, so your hydrometer reading is just about spot on.
If you add 500ml of water to your wort now (preferably not later) that should lower the predicted ABV to about 7% which is comparable to the HC kit you are trying to emulate (the predicted OG for that being 1.070).

Great thanks Terry, have added the water so fingers crossed!