Wherry Worry

[sparky Paul]

Today's update...

It's been fermenting quite vigourously for the first few days, looking like something off Quatermass

Things are quietening down now though, it's now around the 1018 mark, or maybe a bit lower... and there's still plenty of activity - so things are looking good.

[prodigal2]

Sparky Paul, sounds good

Which yeast did you use?

Oh and if you can leave it for at least a month to mature(it really makes the difference)

[sparky Paul]

I've used the yeast supplied - 'Muntons Gold' I presume? Anyway, it went off like a rocket!

With all the reported problems with these kits, I've made a point of not doing anything fancy this time. It may sound a little odd, but at the end of the day I reckon you should be able to make any kit with the instructions on the side of the box...

I've not treated the water in any way either - but then I never do, the medium/soft water here seems to make good beer.

if you can leave it for at least a month to mature(it really makes the difference)

The brewing went a bit off the agenda in Feb due to unforseen circumstances, and I'm suffering now drinking beer that's a bit too new. I have a small stock on now , so hopefully the Wherry will get a bit of a respite before being cracked open...

[sparky Paul]

You'd think!

If they can't make a kit that works to the instructions with reasonable reliability, they really shouldn't be pushing them through Wilko's.

It would be enough to put many beginners off their kits, or worse still, off homebrewing altogether.

[sparky Paul]

Why do you think there has been so much fuss on the forum made about them

I appreciate that, but I was just trying to say that the average Joe homebrewer strolling into Wilkos may not be aware of the problems which are so well documented on here.

The information and experience here are invaluable, including of course the excellent guides produced by yourself and other forum members. Unfortunately, there are lots of folk who do not use the internet - and of those that do, many don't know about forums.

I just hope that Muntons take onboard the comments of forum members who have submitted details of their stuck ferments.

[BarryNL]

I'd like to see better instructions/documentation in all kits. Nowhere in the instructions for a Brewferm kit for example will you see a suggestion to use spray malt or glucose instead of sugar, which is a shame because the kits are great but I'm sure most people ruin them by putting in a kilo of sugar.

[sparky Paul]

That's another good point.

On a brighter note, the Wherry is now down to around 1014, or maybe a fraction lower, and it's still a bit of bubbling going on. I seem to have escaped the 'Stuck Ferment Syndrome'!

[SiHoltye]

I'm now drinking this wherry and having been stuck at 1018 after pimary (check earlier in this thread), I have measured it now poured from the bottle and it's 1012. What do you think it is intended to be at drinking? Difficult to talk about taste 'cos my water's wrong (didn't know this) and needed ½ a campden tab to remove the TCP taste that masks all but a little hoppiness. What FG have others achieved? PS what did it start at, I didn't check!

[sparky Paul]

Mine's still in the fermenter - but according to my hydrometer it started at about 1043, and it seems to be conking out at about 1012.

I think that CO2 may affect the reading a little post-conditioning?

[sparky Paul]

Well, the Wherry ended up at a nice 1.012 FG and was bottled about a week ago. No ferment problems whatsoever.

Just to recap, I did nothing special... I added no treatment to the water, used the supplied yeast, and pitched it dry onto the surface - I figured that if it didn't work I could always rehydrate a Safale and throw that in. However, the supplied yeast did its job and soon started fermenting vigorously.

I had a sneak preview last night, and its really quite impressive for a kit beer - quite complex tasting with lots of character, and I'm sure it will mature very nicely indeed.

[sparky Paul]

Unfortunately that is no guarantee of success as not all kits suffer this problem.

Yes, it does seem to be a completely random issue. I was, however, getting a little nervous about doing the Wherry kit after watching this thread grow daily...

My Conkerwood ale kit has stopped ! It is not bubbling but has not reached gravity for bottling. It is over 2 weeks old and kept quite warm. What can I do ?

Answer :
There is a few reasons why this could have happend and if you can send me a note of the batch code i will check the yeast and extract we have as a retained sample.

In the mean time you could add another yeast sachet to the brew as this may kick start the fermentation again.

It does seem to indicate some sort of acknowledgement - perhaps if enough customers report the batch numbers of their faulty kits, they may well be able to identify and correct the defect. As well as retained samples, they would also have to keep materials and process records.

[Tufty]

Have I just been 'Wherry' lucky at my first attempt at making Wherry?

I've read all sorts in this Forum about problems with Wherry but I've made this wonderful stuff without any problems at all. The same as 'Sparky Paul', I was wondering if I'd made the right choice after watching some of the threads, I added nothing to the kit, used plain water and all has gone well and I now have 5 gallons ready to bottle.

I'm now trying some of the cheaper kits with some additions (hops, spray malt etc) to see what happens

[Tufty]

Some of them will turn out some very good beer, Coopers kits in particular.

Well, that's just renewed my confidence

I wouldn't want to be left with something that I wouldn't bath the dog in

[delboy]

Well the hell can't muntons provide people with a silver foil package of yeast nutrients along with their kits (as a safety net), this must know there is a problem with some of the batches they are producing.
Also woodfordes should tell them to get it sorted, surely it can't be good for them to have the name plastered all over kits that fail regularly.
Sort it out Muntons for the sake of a few pence on a £17 kit they are probably losing customers from this hobby (very short sighted IMO).

[prodigal2]

My Conkerwood ale kit has stopped ! It is not bubbling but has not reached gravity for bottling. It is over 2 weeks old and kept quite warm. What can I do ?

Answer :
There is a few reasons why this could have happend and if you can send me a note of the batch code i will check the yeast and extract we have as a retained sample.

In the mean time you could add another yeast sachet to the brew as this may kick start the fermentation again.

I'm sure they know about it, i'm wondering how many potential homebrewers this problem has put off, also according to the Mr Malty.com yeast pitching calculator 5 gals of 1040 wort requires 90% more yeast than is supplied (1.9x5g sachets) assuming the yeast was packaged fresh on the day of purchase, 2 sachets if it has been in the warehouse/shop shelves for 4 months

This adds weight to the arguement that an 11g sachet of yeast should be bought with a box of Wherry etc and also some yeast nutrient. (Keeping the slurry for a couple of generations will keep the cost down, then again what's a couple of quid if it means saving a £17 kit).

It would also help if they corrected that water temp issue on the instructions for creating a yeast activation. 42-45C. There are a few other typos and c@!@ instruction.

And on a side note I have had no reply to my emails to muntons which I sent well over a month ago. Its such a shame as the when their products work, they are great