woodfordes wherry beer kit approx abv 4.5%

[morethanworts]

Well l've just done mine, a very dissapointing 1035 on the reading (at about 25C) before throwing in the yeast which was re-hydrated at 35C for 20 mins before a stir and another 5 mins wait before adding to the wort. I kept it fairly lean at about 21 litres so was definately hoping for more. If this works I'll be lucky to scrape close to 4% :pray:

Hope yours has eventually started Mick.

Not sure what you did, but markings on fermenting buckets are notoriously inaccurate, as are measuring jugs. In any case, I tested mine as I was topping up, because I didn't want lower than 1.044, even if brewing short can affect the balance of bitterness and malt very slightly...

The other thing is if you didn't mix the extract in really well - That can give a false low-reading. In that case, the true OG might be higher.

to be fair i did give it a dam good mix with my big spoon...
but...
normaly i give it a dam good whisk as well...

but as i didnt add anything els i thought i didnt need it ...
but i will do it every time from now on..just in case ...
regards mick... :hat: .

I was talking about Maffa's 1.035, regarding the mixing etc...

 

hi all. I read this all with interest. The Woodfordes Wherry was my second brew a couple o months back. i too didnt notice a lot of activity but kept taking hydrometer readings and this confirmed that something was happening. Now it has been in bottles a while and it is the best of any of the brews i have done. Funny thing is , all my mates are lager drinkers and they all prefer this to the numerous types of lager i have made, and so do i, it has a wonderful taste, if as someone mentioned, a little thin.
i too used a airlock on my FV and this was a big mistake to rely on. As someone on this great forum advised me, the gasses still escape, even when the lid is snapped shut as they are never 100% airtight. That is why the hydrometer is your best friend, as is time. I left mine 2 weeks in FV with a aquarium heater set at 20degrees, then bottled with sugar and left in airing cupboard for 2 weeks then out into the cold garage. It is now a lovely tasting pint, with a good head that clings to the side of the glass right down to the last sip.
I am actually off to wilcos in the morning for another one of these J
Jim

thanks jim ... :thumb: .

i dont feel as bad about it now reading your post ...

but i still feel stupid for not noticing the ring around the fv...

i no i need glasses for reading or looking at things up close ...

becuse iv always had air lock activity on all my other brews ...
i was so blind to everthing els...

still alls well that ends well...

 

[morethanworts]

hi all. I read this all with interest. The Woodfordes Wherry was my second brew a couple o months back. i too didnt notice a lot of activity but kept taking hydrometer readings and this confirmed that something was happening. Now it has been in bottles a while and it is the best of any of the brews i have done. Funny thing is , all my mates are lager drinkers and they all prefer this to the numerous types of lager i have made, and so do i, it has a wonderful taste, if as someone mentioned, a little thin.
i too used a airlock on my FV and this was a big mistake to rely on. As someone on this great forum advised me, the gasses still escape, even when the lid is snapped shut as they are never 100% airtight. That is why the hydrometer is your best friend, as is time. I left mine 2 weeks in FV with a aquarium heater set at 20degrees, then bottled with sugar and left in airing cupboard for 2 weeks then out into the cold garage. It is now a lovely tasting pint, with a good head that clings to the side of the glass right down to the last sip.
I am actually off to wilcos in the morning for another one of these J
Jim

Jim. After recent threads on THT (that homebrew twang) I would make sure the kit Best Before date has got ar least a year left on it when you go to wilkos this morning. There is a strong theory that kits/extract much past their production date deteriorate quickly in the can and give that common homebrew twang, no matter how well they are brewed. My current Wherry had til July 2014 and seems fairly twangless. It's one thing to keep an eye on, even though you've already had success!

Seeing that the 6g sachet is also an under pitch, I would again be picking up their 89p Gervin Ale yeast, and including that at the outset, as I mentioned way above, even though 6g will often work.

Cheers : both

 

[Maffa]

Back again, going back to my 1035 reading, I was very thorough with the stirring. making sure it was well mixed before each 5ltr of water was dropped in from high - I was more concious this time as I thought I had understrirred in my last brew. Anyway, I heard the first bubble of airlock after 6 hours yesterday and worke up to find this.

As you can see it is well wrapped up and still showing about 24C so I'm happier now (a bit like Mick :thumb: ). It may not end up being a strong beer, but it has started off well.

Added: Oh yeah, beer kit expires Dec14!

 

[morethanworts]

Oh yeah, beer kit expires Dec14!

Wow! That shows that they give at least a 21 month shelf life on the kit.

If you read the Danstar instructions for storing dried yeast, it says it loses 25% viability per year - and that's if it's stored at under 8C. 50% loss per year at 22C. Not many places refrigerate kits (with their yeast sachets)! And then there's the suspicion that the malt darkens and oxidates in the tins...

I'm checking everything closely from now on.

 

Back again, going back to my 1035 reading, I was very thorough with the stirring. making sure it was well mixed before each 5ltr of water was dropped in from high - I was more concious this time as I thought I had understrirred in my last brew. Anyway, I heard the first bubble of airlock after 6 hours yesterday and worke up to find this.

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As you can see it is well wrapped up and still showing about 24C so I'm happier now (a bit like Mick :thumb: ). It may not end up being a strong beer, but it has started off well.

Added: Oh yeah, beer kit expires Dec14!

funny you should say yours is sat at 24c mine is aswell ...
its this dam weather its got so mild today its taken it from 21/22c to 24 over night ...
theres 4 opening windows it my room there all open but nothing getting any cooler...




i keep hearing hot brews give bad tastes so im worried about this brew again now ...

 

[bottler]

I wouldnt worry mick, its hard to keep the temp stable. It will get harder in summer though. :thumb:

 

I wouldnt worry mick, its hard to keep the temp stable. It will get harder in summer though. :thumb:

id best get more done now then...
and forget brewing in the summer... :whistle:

regards mick... :thumb:

 

[morethanworts]

If you can't get the fv anywhere cooler, then standing it in a water bath can even out night/day temperature swings a bit I think, as the summer comes. A £5 trug from B&Q may be a good move!

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Back again, going back to my 1035 reading, I was very thorough with the stirring. making sure it was well mixed before each 5ltr of water was dropped in from high - I was more concious this time as I thought I had understrirred in my last brew. Anyway, I heard the first bubble of airlock after 6 hours yesterday and worke up to find this.
As you can see it is well wrapped up and still showing about 24C so I'm happier now (a bit like Mick :thumb: ). It may not end up being a strong beer, but it has started off well.

Added: Oh yeah, beer kit expires Dec14!

funny you should say yours is sat at 24c mine is aswell ...
its this dam weather its got so mild today its taken it from 21/22c to 24 over night ...
theres 4 opening windows it my room there all open but nothing getting any cooler...
i keep hearing hot brews give bad tastes so im worried about this brew again now ...

I learned a trick back in the 80's to keep the ferment cooler especially lager. Stick the FV in your kitchen sink filled with cold water and leave the tap dripping about one drop every 5 seconds. It's enough to maintain a constant temperature.
After a few hours you will see how it works as condensation starts collecting on the wort above the waterline.
If anyone needs the sink just pop it out and re-fill with fresh cold water again afterwards. Either that or throw the winging party outside and don't let her back in until she promises to behave again. :shock:

 

If you can't get the fv anywhere cooler, then standing it in a water bath can even out night/day temperature swings a bit I think, as the summer comes. A £5 trug from B&Q may be a good move!

iv got a bucket from b n q already...
i use it when i do a coopers stout as they tend to go over the top ...

regards mick... :thumb:

 

Back again, going back to my 1035 reading, I was very thorough with the stirring. making sure it was well mixed before each 5ltr of water was dropped in from high - I was more concious this time as I thought I had understrirred in my last brew. Anyway, I heard the first bubble of airlock after 6 hours yesterday and worke up to find this.
As you can see it is well wrapped up and still showing about 24C so I'm happier now (a bit like Mick :thumb: ). It may not end up being a strong beer, but it has started off well.

Added: Oh yeah, beer kit expires Dec14!

funny you should say yours is sat at 24c mine is aswell ...
its this dam weather its got so mild today its taken it from 21/22c to 24 over night ...
theres 4 opening windows it my room there all open but nothing getting any cooler...
i keep hearing hot brews give bad tastes so im worried about this brew again now ...

I learned a trick back in the 80's to keep the ferment cooler especially lager. Stick the FV in your kitchen sink filled with cold water and leave the tap dripping about one drop every 5 seconds. It's enough to maintain a constant temperature.
After a few hours you will see how it works as condensation starts collecting on the wort above the waterline.
If anyone needs the sink just pop it out and re-fill with fresh cold water again afterwards. Either that or throw the winging party outside and don't let her back in until she promises to behave again. :shock:

wow that is such a good idea... :thumb: .

regards mick... :hat:

 

[orlando]

That's why this forum is so useful! I've learnt loads too.

Just keep it there until you're around 1.012 and stable for three days. I'd guess it will be another 3 or 4 days if you keep the same temperature, but you just have to see. I'd take a reading every two days now, and then every day when it falls below 1.014, so you'll know when you've had three days unchanged. It may not end up at 1.012, that's just a rough guide here.

However, if you're not using a secondary vessel afterwards, it's probably best to leave it (still 18-20C) a couple more days after that before moving to the cool and certainly before kegging/bottling.

all i can say is thank you very much indeed....
and im dam stupid i didnt notice any activity ...
from now on its hydrometers all the way ...

wow what a wolly...
if there's a prize for the stupidest forum member i win it hands down ...

regards mick... :hat: .

Don't be too hard on yourself, it doesn't take much of a gap for the gas to escape and never end up going through an airlock. I have 3 FV's going at the moment the third usually acting as a bottling bucket the lid is firmly in place and the airlock too, not even a hint of bubble but I know it is fermenting any way. As you have found, the hydrometer tells you all you need to know just ignore everything else.

 

That's why this forum is so useful! I've learnt loads too.

Just keep it there until you're around 1.012 and stable for three days. I'd guess it will be another 3 or 4 days if you keep the same temperature, but you just have to see. I'd take a reading every two days now, and then every day when it falls below 1.014, so you'll know when you've had three days unchanged. It may not end up at 1.012, that's just a rough guide here.

However, if you're not using a secondary vessel afterwards, it's probably best to leave it (still 18-20C) a couple more days after that before moving to the cool and certainly before kegging/bottling.

all i can say is thank you very much indeed....
and im dam stupid i didnt notice any activity ...
from now on its hydrometers all the way ...

wow what a wolly...
if there's a prize for the stupidest forum member i win it hands down ...

regards mick... :hat: .

Don't be too hard on yourself, it doesn't take much of a gap for the gas to escape and never end up going through an airlock. I have 3 FV's going at the moment the third usually acting as a bottling bucket the lid is firmly in place and the airlock too, not even a hint of bubble but I know it is fermenting any way. As you have found, the hydrometer tells you all you need to know just ignore everything else.

i will thank you .... ..

regards mick... :hat: .

 

[Maffa]

5 days in and the bubbling has slowed somewhat. May have to do a reading this weekend to see where it is.

 

5 days in and the bubbling has slowed somewhat. May have to do a reading this weekend to see where it is.

sounds like a good plan ...
i took my reading today it was 1.012...

regards mick... :hat: .

 

i syphoned my brew in to the second fv today ...
so ill leave it in there for another week...then ill bottle it up ...
the reading was 1.012 today ...
i also took a few pics ...

is this what people call a yeast cake ???
or is it just sediment...

iv heard of it just never nown what it was ...

here it is in the second fv ....

regards mick... :hat: .

 

just took a hydrometer reading and its 1.012...
i was going to keg it today but im not sure its finished yet ...
ill try it again 2moro... :thumb: .

regards mick... :hat: .

 

[orlando]

just took a hydrometer reading and its 1.012...
i was going to keg it today but im not sure its finished yet ...
ill try it again 2moro... :thumb: .

regards mick... :hat: .

On the 19th you said it was at 1.012, so a week later and at the same reading tells me to get it kegged. Make sure you put a little vaseline on your seals and do not over tighten. :thumb:

 

quote="orlando"]

just took a hydrometer reading and its 1.012...
i was going to keg it today but im not sure its finished yet ...
ill try it again 2moro... :thumb: .

regards mick... :hat: .

On the 19th you said it was at 1.012, so a week later and at the same reading tells me to get it kegged. Make sure you put a little vaseline on your seals and do not over tighten. :thumb:[/quote]


thanks for that orlando . :thumb: .
i have so many things going on here at the mo ..
i simply lost track...

ill get on and do it now.... : ..

regards mick... :hat: .