Add yeast after 4 to 6 days? Bad Wilko!!!

[Random Badger]

I saw a question about this elsewhere and thought the person must have read it wrong. However, Wilko instructions do seem to advise people to add yeast to their beer kit after "After 4 – 6 days"

https://corporate.wilko.com/_pdfs/WILKO_HOW_TO_HOMEBREW_LEAFLET_2019_hr.pdf

https://life.wilko.com/beginners-gu...9An5nP4CgWdCApV93u2m4x2-rzPzliI8Go97OxvZ4HrXI
How to make beer with a 40 pint beer kit
Step 1 Clean and sterilise all equipment.
Step 2 Stand can in hot water for five minutes. Pour the can contents into the sterilised fermenter. Then add brewing sugar or spraydried malt extract.
Step 3 Add 3.5 litres (6 pints) boiling water, then top with cold water up to 23 litres (40 pints). Thoroughly mix to make sure all the contents are dissolved, then replace lid loosely.
Step 4 After 4 – 6 days, stir in the yeast, cover the fermenter and leave to stand for a further 4 – 6 days in a warm place (between 18 – 20°C).
Step 5 Wait for fermentation to finish. You’ll know when this is by when the bubbles stop rising (or when gravity remains constant below 1008° if you have a hydrometer).
Step 6 Transfer the beer into bottles or a pressure barrel and add appropriate amount of carbonation drops to condition the beer.
Step 7 Stand bottles or the barrel in a warm place for 2 days then leave for 14 days in a cool place until the beer is clear.
Step 8 Either drink now or leave to improve with age – ideally 2 – 6 months.

Is this already common knowledge? Does anyone have a Wilko kit to check whether this mistake appears in the printed instructions as well as online?

Hopefully no first time home brewers were put off by ending up with a ruined batch after following these instructions literally. I don't know whether Wilko have been made aware of this before, so I have contacted them and suggested that they sort it out.

 

[dad_of_jon]

totally wrong step 4, maybe minutes but not days

 

[Jim Brewster]

That part is a heading and further below it says fermentation will be finished in 4 to 6 days. Could be very confusing though.

 

[obscure]

That part is a heading and further below it says fermentation will be finished in 4 to 6 days. Could be very confusing though.

While true I find poor layout in instruction annoying to put it midely it’s the same with recipes I still remember one for biscuits (well cookies it was an American recipe) first line was to pre heat the oven, fair enough except that later on it instructs you to leave the batter in the fridge overnight.

I looked at the instructions again and they are truly appalling, reading through them my first thought is what the hell its saying to leave for 4 to six days before adding the yeast. I’m left wondering did they actually bother to print the instructions and see If they actually made sense before issuing.

 

[Random Badger]

While true I find poor layout in instruction annoying to put it midely it’s the same with recipes I still remember one for biscuits (well cookies it was an American recipe) first line was to pre heat the oven, fair enough except that later on it instructs you to leave the batter in the fridge overnight.

I looked at the instructions again and they are truly appalling, reading through them my first thought is what the hell its saying to leave for 4 to six days before adding the yeast. I’m left wondering did they actually bother to print the instructions and see If they actually made sense before issuing.

Doesn't your wort take 4 to 6 days to cool? Doubtless experienced home brewers wouldn't make such a mistake, but someone new to brewing and following those instructions step by step may just assume that waiting 6 days before adding yeast is part of the process.

 

[obscure]

Doesn't your wort take 4 to 6 days to cool? Doubtless experienced home brewers wouldn't make such a mistake, but someone new to brewing and following those instructions step by step may just assume that waiting 6 days before adding yeast is part of the process.

Given that I recall at least one thread from a new brewer querying this I think it is safe to say that the instructions are problematic. Although technically if you left the lid off for a few days you might get lucky and get an appropriate wild yeast.

 

[Djweeble]

I saw a question about this elsewhere and thought the person must have read it wrong. However, Wilko instructions do seem to advise people to add yeast to their beer kit after "After 4 – 6 days"

Is this already common knowledge? Does anyone have a Wilko kit to check whether this mistake appears in the printed instructions as well as online?

I have one of their 30 bottle wine kits on the go at the moment, and while it's not quite the same, it does say in the printed instructions that fermentation should be complete in about 7 days........ this one's be on the go for 22 days up to now, and is still bubbling !