Woodfordes Wherry failure

[nigelw6]

Hi everyone, I am new to the forum but have been brewing for about 12 months now mainly ciders but have done the occasional lager for family members. I bottle all my ciders but have recently bought 2 king kegs to try some real ales.

Following the many good reviews i decided to try a woodforde's Wherry bitter. I followed the instructions to the letter and have had the brew in a barrel for about 4 weeks now. I tried a small amount this morning in preparation for our New Year bash and sadly I found it to be quite weak, watery and disappointing. Looking online many retails have a hop enhancement sachet included in the kit but I dont recall there being one in this kit. I wonder if this kit is better brewed short at 36 pints rather than 40?

 

[devexwarrior]

I've done several Wherry's over recent years and even brewed to full volume, without additions, I found it perfectly drinkable. Perhaps it is just not to your palate and your fellow revellers will find it much to their liking, leaving the other stuff for you to get stuck into.

 

[tim21089]

I have made 3 Wherry kits in my short brewing career and all have been brewed to the kit instructions with the exception of the time spent in the FV and the time left in the warm after kegging. I have left it in FV for 14 days and in the keg indoors for 2 weeks also the beer has been very good on both occasions and compared to the bottled Wherry i buy from Woodfordes i have to say there is not much in it at all. The Wherry kits tasted so good i brewed Nog and Nelsons revenge for Christmas which have both gone down a storm. Out of all of them i prefer the Nelsons but as a session beer the Wherry is pretty unbeatable. :

 

[Wolfracer]

Ive now brewed 13 wherrys.... none have been watery. From the first bottled after 6 days to the last, dry hopped after 14 days...

Maybe it stuck and didn't ferment through completely?

Don't give up on the wherry. Its raved about for a reason...

 

[Sandimas]

Like others have said, Wherry is one of the better kits. I do mainly Extract bews these days but still do the occasional Wherry, although I usually brew it short to 20L rather than 23L, and add some extra hops (dry-hopped) for a bit more flavour. This kit doesn't come with any extra hops/ sachet like some kits.

Were your OG / FG measurements as expected (starting around 1040, finishing around 1010)? Wherry is prone to getting stuck around 1020 so you do need to measure the FG before barrelling it.

 

[nigelw6]

Perhaps Wherry is'nt quite suited to my taste. I did check the opening and closing SG which finished at 1008. I was more concerned that I had missed out the hop enhancement that some retailers say is included in the pack but clearly that is not the issue. I will leave it a little longer to see if it matures further. if I try it again I think I will try dry hopping to add a little more aroma and flavour

I have now started a Muntons IPA and Santa brought me a thermostat that I can use to control my heater belts so I am able to keep it at a steady 18-20 degrees in primary in the garage.

thanks for all your replies.

 

[Sandimas]

Sounds like you prefer hoppy beers (like me). You won't get a hoppy beer without hops, sounds obvious, but a lot of the kit producers claim the cans are hopped - they might be, but the taste is pretty subtle in my experience.

Suggest seeking out some kits with hop additions, or do a bit of hopping yourself, which can significantly improve a kit. You could try it with that Muntons kit: get some Goldings (or Citra if you like a more in-your-face US style hop taste), make a hop tea by steeping 20g in a large pan of boiled water with the heat turned off for 30 mins, then strain and use the liquid to help make up the kit. Or dry hop: put the 20g of hops in after it's been fermenting for a few days and has just started to die down, and leave them in until you keg it.

 

[clibit]

Hops don't reduce wateryness. But I don't have an answer sorry. I'm not a kit brewer, but a two can kit should not be watery. Let us know how the Muntons goes.

 

[Crewewolf]

As soon as Possible in between work and traveling to work I'm gonna get the wherry kit but what hops would you suggest would be the perfect accompaniment to bring out the great flavours I hear about on youtube

 

[nigelw6]

I think I have been a little premature as another week conditioning has seen the flavour improve a little. I think I will leave well alone for another couple of weeks and see what the brew is like then.