WHERRY - only 3% (add sugar?)

[andysills]

Hi all,

Bit new to this but already have four kits under my belt (mostly woodfordes) and all great so far! I currently have a 'Wherry' on the go. I've never measured the SG (I just follow the kit instructions and brew for 6 days). This time however, I have taken some readings (orig SG: 1036, current SG: 1014), this equates to 2.81 or 3.5% (depending on which web calculator I use!)

Anyway, its on its 11th night of brewing and the SG isnt getting any lower although Co2 is still being verryy slowy produced. Its not at 4.5 % so I'm thinking

1. Add some sugar to get the alc up (maybe half a kilo?)
2. Leave it for a bit longer (although Ive already gone past the six days)
3. Bottle it!

Thanks for any help / advice

Andy

[fractureman]

adding sugar wont do anything mate. I reduce my brew length to 20l for all my kits which helps with abv

[Lillywhite]

Can't believe your OG was that low. Usually expect 1.042-1.044.

Suggest you didn't not mix it correctly or mis-read your hydrometer.

An expected final % ABV should be 4.3-4.5.

Did you brew to 22.7 litres (40 pints)?

[Jack Hackett]

Did you also make any necessary temperature corrections for your hydro readings?
Most hydrometers are calibrated at 20°C, if your brew was warmer/cooler than this then you should be taking that into consideration and adjusting your hydro reading accordingly.

[EoinMag]

Wherry is a weakish session beer, it comes out about 3.9 when done exactly to instructions, although it claims 4.5 on the packaging. I'd not bother with beefing it up, it's not about the strength, it's a very tasty beer and will get you pissed.

[Lillywhite]

Wherry is a weakish session beer, it comes out about 3.9 when done exactly to instructions, although it claims 4.5 on the packaging. I'd not bother with beefing it up, it's not about the strength, it's a very tasty beer and will get you pissed.

The commercially brewed version of Wherry is stated as 3.8%.

[EoinMag]

Wherry is a weakish session beer, it comes out about 3.9 when done exactly to instructions, although it claims 4.5 on the packaging. I'd not bother with beefing it up, it's not about the strength, it's a very tasty beer and will get you pissed.

The commercially brewed version of Wherry is stated as 3.8%.

Ah ok, well the pack has 4.5% on it.

[KevP]

Usually the culprit for the poor SG on these 2 can kits is insufficient stirring when mixing, you really need to give it a good 5-10 minutes vigorous stir.

[EoinMag]

Usually the culprit for the poor SG on these 2 can kits is insufficient stirring when mixing, you really need to give it a good 5-10 minutes vigorous stir.

It's a low OG kit, no culprit there, it's designed to hit 3.8-3.9 %

[sparky Paul]

It's a low OG kit, no culprit there, it's designed to hit 3.8-3.9 %

That's not what it says on the outer carton of the kit, it clearly states Approx 4.5% ABV.

With these Woodefordes kits, I always hit around 1040 SG adjusted for temperature, but the FG is rarely below 1014 - giving an ABV of around 3.7% with the addition of priming sugar. Unless you can hit an FG of around 1008 or below, which is extremely unlikely, you are not going to achieve the ABV printed on the carton.

Whilst these kits make a great tasting beer, the ABV claim on the carton is incorrect. There has been some discussion about this on the forum before.

[andysills]

Hi all- thanks for the replies.

I mixed the kit very very well so I know thats not the issue. The original SG of 1036 was measured when the beer temperature was 27 deg c. Does anyone have an equation / web site / excel spreadsheet where I can compensate the SG by temperature ?

Having left it for 12 days to ferment, the SG has finally fallen to 1012 - so I'm bottling it tonight! I'm pretty happy with 4%. It was the 2.81% figure that had me worried!

Thanks

Andy

[sparky Paul]

I mixed the kit very very well so I know thats not the issue. The original SG of 1036 was measured when the beer temperature was 27 deg c. Does anyone have an equation / web site / excel spreadsheet where I can compensate the SG by temperature ?

Try here

http://winesathome.co.uk/downloads/jims ... lator.html

It says add about 2.5 points for a temperature of 27°C, so you're probably not too far out.

[EoinMag]

It's a low OG kit, no culprit there, it's designed to hit 3.8-3.9 %

That's not what it says on the outer carton of the kit, it clearly states Approx 4.5% ABV.

With these Woodefordes kits, I always hit around 1040 SG adjusted for temperature, but the FG is rarely below 1014 - giving an ABV of around 3.7% with the addition of priming sugar. Unless you can hit an FG of around 1008 or below, which is extremely unlikely, you are not going to achieve the ABV printed on the carton.

Whilst these kits make a great tasting beer, the ABV claim on the carton is incorrect. There has been some discussion about this on the forum before.

None of the ones I ever did hit that, so I agree with you, I thought it should hit 4.5 the first time too, but I never missed the few points....