Woodfordes Wherry Review

[terrym]

Woodfordes (and some Forumites), might disagree, but fermentation is known to regularly stick at about 1.020 using the kit supplied yeast. This happened to me twice and I never figured out why. I had to rush out to Wilco's for a sachet of their GV12 yeast. Since then, I've become a bit paranoid about using the supplied packet. Also, you get almost double the quantity from Wilco's - 11gms. GV12 also seems more 'tolerant' and the finished gravity is usually lower and therefore ABV will be higher.
Woodfordes - don't get me wrong.!!! Your kits are my favourites! I buy more of them than all others put together, but your yeast...I can't get on with it.
This is a Wherry I pitched last night using a cultured up SN 1698 yeast. Took the snap a few minutes ago. (Tried a short video but it wouldn't load.) I've never seen this activity from a kit yeast.

Wherries brewed with kit yeast probably stick because of the miserly amount Muntons supply in the packet. You might be lucky and it doesn't stick, you may not.
My experience with the 1698 yeast is that it is fiercely top fermenting so much so that it rises to the top rather than stays in the brew. I found I had to turn in the yeast to keep it going, or else it would have stalled. Look at posts 30,31 and 32 in
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=60341&highlight=1698 if you are interested.

 

[marlon]

Wherries brewed with kit yeast probably stick because of the miserly amount Muntons supply in the packet. You might be lucky and it doesn't stick, you may not.
My experience with the 1698 yeast is that it is fiercely top fermenting so much so that it rises to the top rather than stays in the brew. I found I had to turn in the yeast to keep it going, or else it would have stalled. Look at posts 30,31 and 32 in
http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=60341&highlight=1698 if you are interested.

. It really is a lively one isn't it! When it slows down, I'll try very gently sloshing the FV round to put the yeast back in the wort. At the moment it's pushing up the FV lid.

 

[Personal91]

. It really is a lively one isn't it! When it slows down, I'll try very gently sloshing the FV round to put the yeast back in the wort. At the moment it's pushing up the FV lid.

no bubbler then i take it

 

[marlon]

no bubbler then i take it

It wouldn't've been a bad idea I guess. Just never experienced such crazy ferment before. This morning it'd almost stopped, so I gently sloshed the FV with a circular motion, to put the yeast back in the wort and it went reassuringly berserk again. So, all good so far.:)

 

[Covrich]

Yeah I agree with Terry

What I did was every day using the handles on my fermenter gently gyrate the fermanter around to help agitate and move the yeast and krausen around..

 

[marlon]

Yeah I agree with Terry

What I did was every day using the handles on my fermenter gently gyrate the fermanter around to help agitate and move the yeast and krausen around..

'Gently gyrate' is the phrase I was searching for. Like grasping a woman by the hips, for a gentle gig on the dance floor...:thumb:

 

[terrym]

I used this yeast three times, two @ 21 litres and one @16 litres in my Youngs FV. The two larger brews pushed the lid off after a day or so and I was mopping up the mess twice a day for the first part of the primary. If I recall the 16 litre brew hit the lid so it had a massive krausen and did make some mess. So a bubbler would have been useless.
As far as turning the yeast in, because of the mess I had to take the lid off for cleaning and so then gently pushed the krausen back into the brew, although later on when things had died down I tried swirling but this wasn't really physical enough to get the yeast back into the brew, so I kept up the stirring in.
Although it did produce some nice beers I decided it wasn't worth all the effort and won't use it again, and in fact chucked some remaining cultures away last weekend. Having said that others don't seem to have had the 'interesting' time I had with this yeast and, Marlon, you hopefully will be the same.

 

[Personal91]

Yeah I agree with Terry

What I did was every day using the handles on my fermenter gently gyrate the fermanter around to help agitate and move the yeast and krausen around..

'Gently gyrate' is the phrase I was searching for. Like grasping a woman by the hips, for a gentle gig on the dance floor...:thumb:

GIIIGGGIIIDDDDYYYYYYY!!!!:twisted::whistle::twisted:

 

[cyderspace]

I just bought my 3rd wherry kit. Decided to hop it up a bit with some Citra hop pellets (cost me an arm and a leg!).
My question to you all is, am I wasting my money or will they do anything? . It's a good product on its own but I enjoy hops and ipa type beers so I thought I'd mess about. What do you reckon?

 

[BeerisGOD]

I just bought my 3rd wherry kit. Decided to hop it up a bit with some Citra hop pellets (cost me an arm and a leg!).
My question to you all is, am I wasting my money or will they do anything? . It's a good product on its own but I enjoy hops and ipa type beers so I thought I'd mess about. What do you reckon?

I added 20grams of challenger to both the wherry and the st peters ruby red.
I believe though dry hopping does fade over time so if you drink them within two months Youl notice the benefit.
can't say I notice much difference in the hop additions three months on, especially since I added only a small amount.

Im not sure the hops you got sit well with this English ale but sure it won't do any harm

if youve already got a few brews under ur belt, why not try adding some cold steeped grains. i added 150g of amber and 50g crystal with this kit. if youve already done the kit o naturel these additions along with the hops will make it a much more satisfying pint

 

[marlon]

Been out this afternoon and picked a few hedgerow hops to add green to the Wherry. Mrs. M even made me a muslin bag for them, what a star she is, there was a fabulous aroma as we were de-strigging. Managed to get 200grams - green weight - and threw'em in with the Shepherd Neame yeasted Wherry. Smelled bloody good - can't wait....I'm salivating here thinking about it..! :party:

 

[terrym]

Been out this afternoon and picked a few hedgerow hops to add green to the Wherry. Mrs. M even made me a muslin bag for them, what a star she is, there was a fabulous aroma as we were de-strigging. Managed to get 200grams - green weight - and threw'em in with the Shepherd Neame yeasted Wherry. Smelled bloody good - can't wait....I'm salivating here thinking about it..! :party:

Well your 'green' addition will either be fantastic or a potential disaster. I'm not sure about green hops being naturally anti-bacterial, like the dried hop flowers we normally use. Did you rinse the bugs off before you chucked em in.
I really hope it works out for you. :thumb:

 

[marlon]

Well your 'green' addition will either be fantastic or a potential disaster. I'm not sure about green hops being naturally anti-bacterial, like the dried hop flowers we normally use. Did you rinse the bugs off before you chucked em in.
I really hope it works out for you. :thumb:

Hi terry, :lol: Ha- ha, yes, l've always been a bit of a chancer - living life on the edge - you're absolutely right of course, either a great move - or not..! I rinced them gently (lightly-slightly), under a dribbling tap, that's all, didn't want to wash out the yellow pollen stuff. I'll post results in due course.
Loosing 40 pints would be a disaster - even a tragedy...!! But, it's probably my last kit and I've got to give 'green' a try, as I'm moving into AG soon - maybe even as soon as next week. ;-)

 

[Clint]

Hello all
Wherry update..
My first brew,started 8/6/16,bottled 23/6/16,2 weeks indoors to carbon, primed with 85g brewing sugar. I panicked around 5 days in and thought it had stuck and added a wilko gervin yeast..SG 1042 FG 1008 ABV 4.4%
It's had a couple of months in the bottle and is a lovely drink. Clear,good carbonation and head retention to the bottom of the glass.
Come on Wilko get that sale on!

Cheers

Clint

 

[cyderspace]

Started my 3rd wherry kit today. Scrounged 200ml live liquid yeast from a local brewery. It's a bottom fermenter and likes 19.5c. Beggars can't be choosers! I pitched at 22c cos I couldn't get it down. Threw in 50g of Citra hop pellets loose. Bit rash that. Not sure how I'll fish them out. Will probably add the rest of the hops in a few days.

Anyway, 2 hours later, the yeast crust was 3cm thick and grey / green, all cracked like an alien landscape. I've only used dry yeast before so that was a surprise!
Temp is spot on now so I've wrapped it in a sleeping bag. SG was only 1030, and I'm guessing this should be 1040? I think it's because I may have added a couple of litres too much water, and also probably some of the wort is coating the bottom of the FV. No worries hopefully. But I have so brewing sugar I could add, what do you reckon?

I know that all sounds haphazard, but should be OK do you reckon? Should I stir the yeast now and again or not?

Would be grateful for your thoughts.

 

[cyderspace]

Started my 3rd wherry kit today. Scrounged 200ml live liquid yeast from a local brewery. It's a bottom fermenter and likes 19.5c. Beggars can't be choosers! I pitched at 22c cos I couldn't get it down. Threw in 50g of Citra hop pellets loose. Bit rash that. Not sure how I'll fish them out. Will probably add the rest of the hops in a few days.

Anyway, 2 hours later, the yeast crust was 3cm thick and grey / green, all cracked like an alien landscape. I've only used dry yeast before so that was a surprise!
Temp is spot on now so I've wrapped it in a sleeping bag. SG was only 1030, and I'm guessing this should be 1040? I think it's because I may have added a couple of litres too much water, and also probably some of the wort is coating the bottom of the FV. No worries hopefully. But I have some brewing sugar I could add, what do you reckon?

I know that all sounds haphazard, but should be OK do you reckon? Should I stir the yeast now and again or not?

Would be grateful for your thoughts. Oh and, I used Asda Eden Falls water, just because our water is chalky and hard and I don't know how to condition the water. Possible waste of time. I just hope that my various tweaks pay off.

 

[marlon]

Hi terry, :lol: Ha- ha, yes, l've always been a bit of a chancer - living life on the edge - you're absolutely right of course, either a great move - or not..! I rinced them gently (lightly-slightly), under a dribbling tap, that's all, didn't want to wash out the yellow pollen stuff. I'll post results in due course.
Loosing 40 pints would be a disaster - even a tragedy...!! But, it's probably my last kit and I've got to give 'green' a try, as I'm moving into AG soon - maybe even as soon as next week. ;-)

My 'green hopped' Wherry is still fermenting (just about..), so, decided to remove the muslin bag of hops - (Been in 10 days now). Immediate hit of hoppy, lemon like citrus as I cracked open the lid. Resisted squeezing the bag to get the liqueur out, let it drain naturally for a minute. Poured some of the drain-off into a trial jar. Smells & tastes very, very citrusy, pleasantly good so far, but, what I can't tell is, how much is down to the hop addition and how much the Shepherd Neame yeast. Can't detect any off twangs at the moment. SG 1.009 by my measurement.
In a day or two, I think I'll probably rack it off into a clean fermenter and leave it for a bit. Any thoughts..?...suggestions..?:pray:

 

[cyderspace]

Hi folks. OK so wherry nearly ready to bottle.

Stupidly I threw some hops in loose (no bag) and now it's just loose bits floating on top, like tea leaves.

What's the best way to strain them out before / whilst I bottle? I have muslin and sieve. Do I try to skim them off, or siphon into another FV through sieve?

Anybody?

 

[louis macneice]

I stick a wire cage (like you get on a bottle of Leffe) on the end of my siphon tube, and then place one of the little muslin bags that come with Festival kits over that. The cage stops the muslin being sucked up the tube and the muslin stops the hop debris and anything else going up the siphon. Of course you need to sanitize both the cage and the muslin.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

 

[cyderspace]

I stick a wire cage (like you get on a bottle of Leffe) on the end of my siphon tube, and then place one of the little muslin bags that come with Festival kits over that. The cage stops the muslin being sucked up the tube and the muslin stops the hop debris and anything else going up the siphon. Of course you need to sanitize both the cage and the muslin.

Cheers - Louis MacNeice

Excellent idea, thanks Louis.