Woodfordes Wherry Review

[morethanworts]

I wouldn't worry about the cold too much. Maybe 2 weeks inside and then out to the garage. It'd have to be well below zero to freeze, because of the alcohol.

 

[Brewbob]

Tried my first full pint of my 1st Wherry last night, and after all the rave reviews I'm thinking there's something not quite right about it. I kegged it on the 12th Mar, had a couple of 1/4pt samples, the first one just after I kegged it was sour, I thought I'd made vinegar, but left it a few days, tried it again and it was better. Now, it isn't 100% clear, not much carbonation and not retaining a head, it has a slight ice-cream soda taste if anyone knows what I mean... Its OK... I'm going to try and leave it a while longer

Now my 2nd Wherry I added half a bag of Munton's Enhancer, just put it in the garage today, but there is great carbonation and it tastes like a different beer, the only other change was for the first brew I used Sainsbury's cheapest water, for the second I used tap water....

 

[scruffy_77]

Thought I would add my experience with my Wherry which was my first time home brew at the same time. Fermentation finished within 6 days at 22C down to 1012. Moved to secondary with sugar and barreled - 7 days in the warm and then to the garage, this Bank holiday money poured the first pint and have to say it was pretty clear considering the short time since starting out. Tastes absolutely amazing, easy to drink and has a nice amount of carbonation. I gave a couple of half pints to some friends who had no idea it was home brew as I had told them it was just bought from the supermarket - they didn't question it and were amazed when I came clean. I guess with time it will just get better too... This is an amazing kit and I will definitely be doing another once my coopers mexican cerveza has finished fermenting.

 

[bottler]

Tried my first full pint of my 1st Wherry last night, and after all the rave reviews I'm thinking there's something not quite right about it. I kegged it on the 12th Mar, had a couple of 1/4pt samples, the first one just after I kegged it was sour, I thought I'd made vinegar, but left it a few days, tried it again and it was better. Now, it isn't 100% clear, not much carbonation and not retaining a head, it has a slight ice-cream soda taste if anyone knows what I mean... Its OK... I'm going to try and leave it a while longer

Now my 2nd Wherry I added half a bag of Munton's Enhancer, just put it in the garage today, but there is great carbonation and it tastes like a different beer, the only other change was for the first brew I used Sainsbury's cheapest water, for the second I used tap water....

Hi bob what was the OG with the enhancer added.?

 

[Brewbob]

Hi bob what was the OG with the enhancer added.?

It was 1045 @ 21C, Does the higher the temp increase the volume? It does seem to have rounded out the flavour as well

 

[bottler]

Hi bob what was the OG with the enhancer added.?

It was 1045 @ 21C, Does the higher the temp increase the volume? It does seem to have rounded out the flavour as well

Thanks bob, i think mine was 1042, brewed short to 21 litres..Dont know mate about temp =volume.

 

[Toucan]

Hi all , newbie here needing some advice re the tap unit on the keg supplied with the starter kit. Fermented the Wherry ale and now transferred it to the keg. Lovely smell of ale with strong bitterness during the syphoning into the keg stage , but I am sure that will mellow.

After a few days the beer started to leak out of the tap unit , so I tightened it up with a good twist and was amased to find it turned through over 90 degrees until it was fully tight. No more leaking beer but the actual tap now is facing slightly upwards ( having been turned through 90 degrees ) Is there a way of returning the tap so its facing towards the ground , without turning the main tap assembly. I have read on here that the tap can turn independantly of the main tap assembly unit. I have lightly tried to move the tap but it does not feel like it can move. I am worried that a ) it is not designed to turn or b) if it is supposed to turn , which direction does it turn and how much force is needed before it snaps.

Thanks for any information or experiences with the tap assembly. My fault for not checking tightness before the beer went in but also not great from the manufacturer who should check the tightness....no harm done so far and the beer really did smell great during kegging.

 

[Pearlfisher]

If it's a Youngs/Wilko pressure barrel the tap should turn in either direction. Did you smear the washer with vaseline ,because you may find it starts to leak again when the pressure builds back up.

 

[steb]

the wherry was the first 2 can kit i made about 15 months ago.i think the fermentation stuck after a week but decided to leave it till it had fermented for a full 2 weeks. thanks for that bit of advice which i read on this forum.i have done various 2 can kits since. anyway i have 8 bottles left 4 for xmas this year and i have just opened a bottle. wow its bloody lovely crystal clear really nice head on it well worth the wait . its a really really nice pint. everytime i make a batch i am now saving 8 bottles for 12 months .

 

[GJB]

Hi all,

My WW has been out in the garage in the keg for 2 weeks, and while it does have a cracking taste, it is not clearing at all. This is the first beer I have kegged rather than bottled so I'm not sure oon how long I should be leaving it to clear. It does have a nice head (doesn't stay but is there after the pour).

I'm thinking of pouring the beer into bottles, adding a small amount of sugar to get a little more head and then leaving it again to condition.

Would putting it into bottles after 2 weeks in the keg be a waste of time? Will it lose all carbonation or would a small amount of sugar added to the bottle create a bit more fizz.

Any help would be great.

 

[Kinleycat]

Checked in on the bottled wherry yesterday and after nine weeks in the bottles its starting to look pretty good :thumb:

 

[GJB]

Hi all,
My WW has been out in the garage in the keg for 2 weeks, and while it does have a cracking taste, it is not clearing at all. This is the first beer I have kegged rather than bottled so I'm not sure oon how long I should be leaving it to clear. It does have a nice head (doesn't stay but is there after the pour).

You know what, I did nothing; . John Lennon was wrong about love, a little patience is all you need...

Left it another week in the keg (still wrapped in bubble-wrap) and have just poured a glass.

Pretty much crystal clear. It tastes wonderful and the head remained at about 10mm all the way down the glass. I could praise this beer for a few more lines, but I'm going ou to the garage for another glass....

 

[mattrickl06]

Agreed - in the space of a couple of weeks this brew changes from a cloudy, fairly vinegary type of brew to a lovely smooth, crystal clear pint of velvet loveliness :clap:

 

[Brewbob]

Well here's my verdict so far on the two Wherry kits I've done.

I really do think patience is the key with this kit, as you're right Mattrick, when I first tried it I thought I'd ruined my brew it was thin and sour, and unkown to me my PB had a warped top so all the gas leaked out, once I managed to sort that with copious amounts of Blu-tak and probably most of a Hambletons CO2 injector, what I was left with was eventually delicious though it didn't retain a head very well, a little tang because I think it had maybe oxidised a little with the leaky top, and because of this I tended to want to get it drunk before it did properly go sour. But it was, like I say, eventually very nice.

Now, the second Wherry I done had 500g of Muntons enhancer added. I had intended to leave this as long as possible, but after necking the first Wherry down I have now started on this one. Already I can taste the difference, its not 100% clear (I do now have a secondary vessel which has worked wonders with my Hoppy Copper), and the flavour is sweeter, as you would expect. There is more body to it, and due to the fact this PB is sound its carbonated just beautifully and keeps a creamy head all the way down. I've got maybe 4G left, now I'm working lots of night shifts and am due to go away for a couple of weeks, so I'm expecting to have at least a couple of gallons left for when I return, and it will be interesting to see how it has developed in that time.

All in all if you have enough stock to leave this brew as long as possible it will reap rewards and the resulting brew will be very pleasant.

(Oh, and my LHBS happily changed my barrel as it was a brand new barrel and I showed them the warped top with the help of an O-ring, and the new PB currently conditioning my Hoppy Copper seems sound)

 

[Inneed]

Patience, patience, patience.

I was hugely dissapointed in my Wherry, until the 7th week of conditioning when it all seemed to come good and it lost it's twangyness. Of course, it's all gone now...

Like so many others have said, just hold on to it for as long as you can.

 

[Kinleycat]

Had a further couple of bottles last evening with the old man.
Crystal clear now and a beautiful floral hoppy taste with a decent enough head.
We cracked these open after a pint of Coopers English Bitter from the KK and you could tell the difference a mile off, and that is no criticism of the Coopers brew which for half the price of the Wherry is also a cracking pint. :thumb:
The shed temp was 15c and i would say perfect for both these beers.

 

[GJB]

My first mistake.

I have been pouring the WW from the keg, but every night, the first pint is usually awesome, next pint cloudy...

I will now remember to undo the top of the keg slightly to stop bubbles going in through the tap and unsettling the yeast, making the brew cloudy....

I'll get my coat.

 

[gibb58]

I tasted my wherry after being in the keg for a week and it was absolutely fantastic. I have now tried it again after 4 weeks in the keg and it has gone a bit watery and almost tasteless. What could I have done wrong :hmm:

 

[redhousebrewing]

Ran out of patience this evening and tried a pint of Wherry that has been conditioning in a barrel for just 2 weeks.
Very pleasantly surprised - a bit cloudy but very agreeable, as was the 2nd and 3rd...
This was a completely std brew and I sucked up some of the yeast cake when syphoning to the barrel, no campden tablet, no yeast rehydration or nutrient so to be this drinkable is a good sign :thumb:

Thinking I'll stick another one of these on in the near future - do all the things I've learnt since this first brew and give it a decent chance to condition.

:

 

[Pearlfisher]

My first mistake.

I have been pouring the WW from the keg, but every night, the first pint is usually awesome, next pint cloudy...

I will now remember to undo the top of the keg slightly to stop bubbles going in through the tap and unsettling the yeast, making the brew cloudy....

I'll get my coat.

You need to get it drunk very quickly if you've been letting air into the keg ,it won't last many more days without going off.