Woodforde Werry Query

[Aterlatus]

I think I might've just made a bit of a booboo, although thankfully not before I've opened the cans up!

Just read the instructions on the side of the 3kG, 2 can wheery I picked up from wilcos (£14.99, what a bargain!). It doesn't mention anything about adding sugar/beer enhancer when it goes in the FV - says just use the cans and top up with water.

Is this right - you don't add anything to it? I picked up a kilo of beer enhancer too because I thought it'd be needed. If it's not necessary, is it worth bunging in anyway to get more body in the final product, or will it ruin it?

Thanks again for your valuable input guys (And girls? Nargh, who am I kidding...)

[bevanjon74]

Hey there Atarlatus..
Made a wherry myself the other day, it is right that all you add is water..
Not sure about adding the beer enhancer increasing alchohol strenght or body, I'll leave that to one of the experts on here.
I had the same problem with a milestone kit I bought - I worried I needed to add sugar etc, and that too was a two can kit and didn't need anything adding.
But as far as making the wherry kit goes, it doesn't need anything adding to it at all.
BJ74

[sparky Paul]

Is this right - you don't add anything to it? I picked up a kilo of beer enhancer too because I thought it'd be needed. If it's not necessary, is it worth bunging in anyway to get more body in the final product, or will it ruin it?

It would increase the alcohol of the final beer more than anything, but it will also throw the hop balance of the beer out. Although this could be corrected by adding hops, it's not really beginner's stuff... In any case, the Wherry if a very good kit as it is, and it seems a shame to risk mucking it up.

I would save the BKE for another brew.

Thanks again for your valuable input guys (And girls? Nargh, who am I kidding...)

You might be surprised... there certainly are a few lasses among the ranks.

[sparky Paul]

That's another post I've had to delete. I wish I could stop hitting 'quote' instead of 'edit'...

[Aterlatus]

Thanks for the replies

I'll save the BKE for the next brew then, give the wherry a go naturally and pray I don't get the curse of the stuck fermentation

Got a new keg for this one - proper pressurized one with the valve to inject CO2 (whereas the current one just has one of those rubber pressure release bung thingies).

[Aterlatus]

Well, got it in the FV tonight and OG seemed a bit low for my liking (at 1.040) so popped a small amount of the enhancer kit in taking it up to 1.048. I guess it'd be a little higher given that the spray malt clumped up a bit when I added it. Now the hard part - going 7 days without the temptation to poke and prod...

[martyn142]

Well, got it in the FV tonight and OG seemed a bit low for my liking (at 1.040) so popped a small amount of the enhancer kit in taking it up to 1.048. I guess it'd be a little higher given that the spray malt clumped up a bit when I added it. Now the hard part - going 7 days without the temptation to poke and prod...

Isn't there a danger that the yeast won't be able to tolerate the increased alcoholic strength of the liquor if you just boost the fermentables in this way? If so the yeast could be killed off before it's finished fermenting and you could end up with a overly sweet brew.

I'm not saying you can't add more fermentables but you need to bring the yeast into the equation. On the other hand I'm only on my 4th kit so may have misunderstood this point.

[Aterlatus]

If secondary school chemistry taught me anything, it's that yeast can tolerate up to around 12-14% ABV before it's poisoned - that's not to say that this "type" of yeast won't die sooner, but I've known alcoholics take a dabble in homebrew in the past and put upwards of 3kG of table sugar into a 5 gallon FV and still managed to pull off a brew

4-6% is about where I liked it - any less and it tastes American, any more and it you taste the alcohol, not the brew

(Although, I did try a 13%ish stout at a beer festival once and it tasted pretty good for the strength of it )

[ebbadger]

Although not an ale I have a Cranberry and apple on the go using Safale 06, This had an OG of 1.086 and is fermenting away like mad (4 days on) with no signs of any issues with the yeast, the brewing calculator http://www.liquorcraft.com.au/wa.asp?id ... etails=106 gives me 12.1% if it keeps going till it reaches 1.000........ should be comical if the good lady tries a bottle at xmas (teatotal normally and had fits of giggles after a quarter of a pint of my last TC)

Cheers Steve

[Aterlatus]

Got a huge head on it tonight (less than 24 hours since the yeast hit it), pretty much filling all remaning space in the FV. Guess fermentation is well underway

[faeyd]

Wherry doesn't need any adjustments It's a fantastic tasting beer that's not really about blowing your socks off. Hope it stays balanced and still tastes great for you!

[Aterlatus]

Checked it out today on day 7 (don't know how I managed to go this long without sampling!) and the gravity is down to 1.012 (@20C). I don't expect it to get much lower now with it starting at 1048@24C.

Still, stuck in some beer finings and popped the lid back on and if it's constant at 1.012 by Sunday I'll get it kegged up. Got a decent keg this time with a thingy at the top for putting CO2 in (the other one I have just has some pressure release valve) so if it runs low on pressure half way through I can give it a bit of a boost

All in all I'd mark this one as a success so far, not a hint of sarsons. 2 for 2, think I'll be moving on to extract next time

[chopperswookie]

not posted for a bit but i'd thought i'd share this with the forum. have a look, i think muntons has sorted out the sticking wherry problem. it scared mrs chopper something rotten this morning.

[Aterlatus]

My Wherry did the same thing - LOADS of head in the first few days trying to pop the top off the FV. Not quite so dramatic as some I've seen on here, but still significantly more than my first brew (youngs ubrew starter kit jobbie) managed.

Finally found some time today to keg up the wherry, almost 12 days in the FV. The finings (only a cheapo packet from wilcos) worked wonders - got a lovely, slimy but almost solid sediment in the bottom of the FV, so much so I managed to tilt it and get even more beery goodness out without a touch of the sediment. Almost a full 5 gallon sat in the keg - glad I've got the ubrew just about ready to keep my hands off the wherry while it conditions.

Used a 50/50 table sugar and BKE to prime it. Hydro was reading 1010 at 18C. Really looking forward to a nice brew for late November now