Woodfordes Wherry Review

[mapron]

I always make up a yeast starter in a pyrex jug, to hydrate the yeast and get it going for an hour or so before I pitch it.
I haven't had a stuck fermentation but I find that the Muntons kits are slow fermenters and take quite a long time to ferment out.
But worth the wait.

 

[Dicko]

Hi all.
I've read through all of the posts on the wherry and a lot of people have said while its a nice pint it lacks body and they prefer nelsons revenge. Has anyone tried mixing wherry and revenge, (I mean at fermentation stage), and if so what was the results.
I see it's tried to be tweeked but no one has really said it was a better pint to the point where others have tried it.
Any thoughts?

Cheers
Dicko

 

[AdeDunn]

To be honest, I wouldn't buy a Wherry kit ever again. It's seriously lacking in body, with a weak flavour and watery mouth feel. Lacks much in the way of hop flavour. Was cheaper buying the bits to tweak a Wilko's Golden Ale kit with hops and fermentables, and that came out much much nicer than this weak rubbish.

My wife however liked it, and said it was even nicer served cold... She drinks lager too though.... :lol:

 

[mcphail]

I like the Wherry kit. I have one fermenting just now. I've always used the stock yeast and have been lucky enough to have not had a stuck fermentation yet.

I do wonder whether the flavours I like on the Wherry are generated by the somewhat anxious yeasties. Perhaps the underpitching contributes to the flavour profile in a similar way to a German wheat beer? Are those people who find this kit a bit insipid pitching a different yeast and getting a cleaner fermentation?

 

[RichieBeer]

I like the Wherry kit too. I had my second bottle of my first Wherry brew the other day and although it's still quite young (almost 4 weeks in bottle) it tasted great. I'm a huge fan of the cask version and will always get a pint if I see it in a pub.

 

[AdeDunn]

Pass, as to be honest the only kit brew I've liked to date was a massively tweaked Wilko's golden ale one... The rest have all been rather watery and meh (not counting the Bad Cat, which blows the top of your head off.... lol).

For me it's more likely that I like VERY hoppy beers and/or beers with a lot of body (good porters and stouts, I've had porters before now that I found to be watery). I did however use a yeast well known for making very malt forward beers (CML Real Ale yeast) as I did a Headcracker kit before the Wherry and it stuck (I find the Headcracker meh too... Similar flavour but more intense and stronger).

As I said, my wife likes it.

 

[Thumper]

I like the flavour of the wherry, but would agree it's lacking body. That said, I'm drinking through my batch at the moment and I'm very pleased with it.

 

[ninja_geeze]

Done a fair few kits now but never a Wherry,the last woodfordes was Admirals reserve still drinking (superb ) that stuck.
anyway just done a Wherry the other day brewed short 21 litres no tweaks.sat in fermentation fridge at a constant 20c +- 0.3 c OG 1.053 3 days later down to 1.019 so if it stays as it is (seems to have finished) it works about at 4.46% virtually bang on the money.i will leave it where it is for a full 10 days then rack it off into a second FV then cold crash for a week before putting into a cornie.
then try and keep my mitts off it for a few weeks.
got a coopers Canadian blonde dry hopped in a cornie at the moment only been in there 10 days trying to keep hands off that at the moment.
if the Wherry is as good as the Admirals reserve i am drinking at the moment i wont complain...

 

[Clint]

1019 seems a bit high and 3 days isn't long enough...I'd give it another week at least...if not two!

 

[terrym]

Done a fair few kits now but never a Wherry,the last woodfordes was Admirals reserve still drinking (superb ) that stuck.
anyway just done a Wherry the other day brewed short 21 litres no tweaks.sat in fermentation fridge at a constant 20c +- 0.3 c OG 1.053 3 days later down to 1.019 so if it stays as it is (seems to have finished) it works about at 4.46% virtually bang on the money.i will leave it where it is for a full 10 days then rack it off into a second FV then cold crash for a week before putting into a cornie.
then try and keep my mitts off it for a few weeks.
got a coopers Canadian blonde dry hopped in a cornie at the moment only been in there 10 days trying to keep hands off that at the moment.
if the Wherry is as good as the Admirals reserve i am drinking at the moment i wont complain...

Two things on what you have said
1) 3 kg of LME (as supplied with the kit) without any other sugars added made up to 21 litres should only give an OG of around 1.042 not 1.053, so assuming everything was properly mixed at the time you measured your OG, your hydrometer may be out and therefore the current SG may also be lower than your measured 1.019
2) However if the 1.019 is a true reading you are likely to have a stuck fermentation which often seems to happen with Muntons kits with only 6g of yeast. If you look back up this thread you will see what I mean
My usual advice for stuck fermentations is here
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=721217&postcount=2

 

[ninja_geeze]

1019 seems a bit high and 3 days isn't long enough...I'd give it another week at least...if not two!

Yes will leave it in situ :thumb:

 

[ninja_geeze]

Two things on what you have said
1) 3 kg of LME (as supplied with the kit) without any other sugars added made up to 21 litres should only give an OG of around 1.042 not 1.053, so assuming everything was properly mixed at the time you measured your OG, your hydrometer may be out and therefore the current SG may also be lower than your measured 1.019
2) However if the 1.019 is a true reading you are likely to have a stuck fermentation which often seems to happen with Muntons kits with only 6g of yeast. If you look back up this thread you will see what I mean
My usual advice for stuck fermentations is here
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=721217&postcount=2

Yes i see what you mean but double checked on 2 different hydrometers ,both the same reading even stirred like a maniac and came back and took 3 separate readings all the same.i was uber careful on the mixing believe me.
so not sure.i will leave it be for another week at least .i gave it a really good stir up today and upped the temp by 1c .
thanks for the reply i will let you know how it turns out...

 

[LarryF]

Give it a week, if it's still at 1019 then look to remedy it, it may well have moved by then.

 

[ninja_geeze]

Give it a week, if it's still at 1019 then look to remedy it, it may well have moved by then.

will do thanks:thumb:

 

[AdeDunn]

Did you check the temperature of the sample and adjust if above or below the calibration temperature of your hydrometer?

That said, the time I did one the OG was 1.048 (23 litres....) but I mixed using a power drill :lol:, I used CML yeast though and it went right down to 1.016... At 1.019 that's rather close to the legendary 1.020 stuck fermentation so many get (1.020 was the exact SG Headcracker got stuck at for me too...).

 

[ninja_geeze]

Did you check the temperature of the sample and adjust if above or below the calibration temperature of your hydrometer?

That said, the time I did one the OG was 1.048 (23 litres....) but I mixed using a power drill :lol:, I used CML yeast though and it went right down to 1.016... At 1.019 that's rather close to the legendary 1.020 stuck fermentation so many get (1.020 was the exact SG Headcracker got stuck at for me too...).

yes always do the adjustment for high or low temps using the brewing tools chart.
since checked with 2 Stevenson reeves and both say 1.014 now .:thumb:

 

[Jvb]

The Canadian blonde I really enjoyed. A good kit. I enjoyed their Nog too, very tasty.

You see wherry everywhere and it's a style that passes me by, but, sometimes the most popular are there for a reason

 

[BeerisGOD]

Just a heads up

eBay are doing this kit for 21.65!, This including postage.
Hope this link works

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodfordes-Wherry-Beer-Kit-Home-Brewing-Beer-Making-Real-Ale-40-Pints/181677271425?epid=1312111857&hash=item2a4ccf2981:g:xSoAAOSwrklVPs4t

 

[Dicko]

Just a heads up

eBay are doing this kit for 21.65!, This including postage.
Hope this link works

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Woodfordes...111857&hash=item2a4ccf2981:g:xSoAAOSwrklVPs4t

Their only �£18 at Wilko's!

 

[BeerisGOD]

Their only �£18 at Wilko's!

Nice one, didn't notice this offer. I'd given up with wilkos as they'd put this kit up to 24 quid and stoped selling the pet caps.