Woodfordes Wherry Review

[Slid]

You should be OK at 25C only a few hours after pitching - if there is no obvious foaming within 36 hours, then there is a slight possibility that yeast is not going to cope with the fermentation, but it sounds pretty much OK.

 

[miiikeee101]

You should be OK at 25C only a few hours after pitching - if there is no obvious foaming within 36 hours, then there is a slight possibility that yeast is not going to cope with the fermentation, but it sounds pretty much OK.

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking of picking up some extra yeast just in case from WIlkos as I am heading there tomorrow. I think the one sold at Wilko are 'Gavin English Ale' yeast. Would that be potentially suitable/beneficial to add to a Wherry?

 

[Slid]

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking of picking up some extra yeast just in case from WIlkos as I am heading there tomorrow. I think the one sold at Wilko are 'Gavin English Ale' yeast. Would that be potentially suitable/beneficial to add to a Wherry?

The Garvin badged yeast is generally reckoned to be Nottingham, as is the yeast that comes with (almost) all the Muntons made kits. I for one, cannot conceive that Muntons would sell kits with 2 different types of Ale yeast into the UK market. It makes no sense at all to me. As their yeast is so widely derided, it must be the best they have access to, given that making actual beer gives you a super-abundance of the stuff. So my guess is all the Muntons Made Kits have the same yeast.

Having a spare yeast or two in the fridge is always a good idea. If the Wherry gets stuck later, then there is an all too familiar range of ways to get it started again.

 

[GHW]

It's what I used though my wherry is rather sweet and malty.

 

[miiikeee101]

Hello all,

So here So here is my update 10 days in (Tuesday - I have not had a chance to check).

Fermentation seems to have quietened down and I am left with a rich dark almost mahogany-coloured beer. From a casual glance while opening the fv to take my gravity reading it appeared to be quite... thick is the only word that immediately came to mind.

I sampled the SG using my Hydrometer. It was showing a resding of around the dreaded 1.020 mark, but I am not worried about the dreaded stuck fermentation after just ten days. The temperature fluctuated a bit over the last week or so, so I have moved it closer to the radiator and given it a stir.

I drank the sample that I had taken for the gravity reading. Strangely, the initial sip tasted very weak and carbonated, almost like soda water. Then, the full flavour could be tasted as I continued to drink. I suspect this is simply due to the incomplete fermentation. I will take another reading at the weekend.

 

[LarryF]

I'm doing my first Wherry this Saturday, doing it as it comes and to the letter of the instructions. I'm thinking of a tsp of yeast nutrient and gentle stir at day nine, just in case and giving it a full two weeks in the FV.

 

[miiikeee101]

Sounds good! Let us know how it turns out!

 

[Crusty]

My latest Wherry has just finished conditioning. Tweaked it by the simple addition of 250gms of medium DME and brewed short to 21 litres. It's transformed it into a superb pint! Around 5% ABV

 

[miiikeee101]

Looks lovely! For my part, I have just transferred mine from the FV to the PB. FG 1.012 after three weeks, so I don;t think it would have got any better. I decided against using finings this time, so we'll see how it goes. The sample was lovely and clear and tasty!

 

[JamesG]

That does look good Crusty.
I found the Wherry a bit thin, even when brewed short so added 250g of DME and 30g of Goldings hop pellets and was pleased with it.
I have a Wherry in the FV now, been in a week and it is at 1012 and I plan to dry hop with 20g of East Kent Goldings and 20g of Fuggles pellets.
I am also toying with the idea of adding oak chips. Is that worth doing or would the dry hopping overpower the oak chip flavour?

 

[LarryF]

Sounds good! Let us know how it turns out!

Miiikeee, I just couldn't resist tweaking it, added a tin of golden syrup and 15g of Cascade hops at a 15 minute boil and I used 11g Wilko Gervin yeast, this gave me an OG:1054. Good fermentation over the last nine days, after seven days I had an SG reading of 1012, which I'm pleased with. I'll be bottling it this weekend with 3/4 tsp of light brown caster sugar per 500ml bottle, then comes the hard part......leaving it alone.

 

[Crusty]

I am also toying with the idea of adding oak chips. Is that worth doing or would the dry hopping overpower the oak chip flavour?

That's not something I've ever done. Mine just had the extra medium DME and two 20g packs of Fuggles. I'm really pleased how well it turned out!

 

[simoncrouch]

Brewed to the full 23l and added 500g of Brewing Sugar. Just transferred to secondary after 3 weeks and a) It tastes great and b) 4.99% not too shabby either. Will leave in secondary for a couple of weeks.

One quick q re bottling, seen a few people priming, wasn't sure that you need to prime an ale. Won't it come out too gassy ? Or is this a personal choice, think I might be happy to bottle without. In which case I'll throw the secondary in a spare fridge to try and cold crash it.

 

[Slid]

Am making my third Saison style beer using a Wherry as the base kit.

As Saison #2 dropped to 1.003 I have high hopes for the blighter not sticking at 1.020. :hmm:

This was bottled on 19th December and am just drinking my first one now.

I would have drunk some much sooner, but my chaotic garage storage "system" only got sorted out yesterday, after I had been dragged by the ear (by SWMBO) down to B&Q for shelving and storage boxes that are not laundry crates.

This is really quite good and as it was brewed in December and not July / August it has the distinctive saison taste, but no "funky" flavours to speak of. The yeast has masked the usual profile of the Wherry and adding Belle Saison yeast to a "stuck Wherry" is not going to be the best solution.

Possible downside is that it goes down like a session beer, but is nearer to 6% ABV than the number on the box.

All the same, if you want to try a Saison, this is a decent kit to have a go with, especially at the £14.25 Wilko charged me for it. For the record, I added 700g sugar and brewed to 25L.

 

[JamesG]

That's interesting Slid.
I have done the Youngs Saison,which is coming good now.
Did you brew it above 25 degrees? If you used a saison yeast at say 20 degrees would you get something similar to the wherry? Just thinking how you might get the attenuation of the saison yeast without the esters taste?

 

[miiikeee101]

Great to hear about all of the tweaks which you guys have made. My Wherry (Vanilla - No tweaks) is currently maturing in the PB, where it will stay for a couple of weeks. However, there was a little excess which I bottled and I am going to use that as a tester to degermine when the main batch is ready.

Flavour so far (as of last sample) was sweet, with a smooth texture. Overall, it was very palletable indeed!

 

[jamesw]

I just bottled my straight up instruction followed wherry a week or so ago. How long is it worth waiting for Before trying?

 

[Toffee]

3 or 4 weeks in my experience. But best after 7 or 8

 

[Slid]

That's interesting Slid.
I have done the Youngs Saison,which is coming good now.
Did you brew it above 25 degrees? If you used a saison yeast at say 20 degrees would you get something similar to the wherry? Just thinking how you might get the attenuation of the saison yeast without the esters taste?

I would expect that this Wherry Saison was brewed around 20C - the cupboaard is usually between 19C and 22C. It does not taste like a Wherry done with the kit yeast, which I understand is Nottingham, but it is not what I would call estery, but does have a very distinctive taste.

 

[Lesinge]

69th brew Woodfordes Wherry. Brewed to 23L and pitched at around 21/22 degrees. Didn't use kit yeast but instead used Danstar Windsor British style beer yeast 11g. This was rehydrated in 100ml of water around 32 degrees for 15 mins. I am doing this to see if it a) avoids getting stuck at 1020 which is a problem with the Munton kit yeasts and B) how much a different yeast affects the beer flavour. OG at pitch 1044/6, taste at pitch is the usual lovely Woodforde's taste, malty, sweet with a hint of bitterness. I will dry hop this with East Kent Goldings in about a week or so if all goes well.