Ideas for a Woodfordes Sundew

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hambutty

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I was one of the lucky ones to pick up a couple of the Sundew kits in the recent Tesco sale. I was just wondering, who else managed to pick these up and what are your plans for it. Any ideas?
 
I've got one too, was probably just going to make it as is as it's quite a nice pint I seem to remember but it would be interesting to hear some dry hopping suggestions.
 
I quite fancy trying to dry hop this, ideally with something I've already got in the freezer (chinook, cascade, Mt Hood and hallertau) They're probably not ideal for the style but I don't want to keep accumulating open bags of hops.

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I was one of the lucky ones to pick up a couple of the Sundew kits in the recent Tesco sale. I was just wondering, who else managed to pick these up and what are your plans for it. Any ideas?

I bought two has well, i already have one bottled and conditioning that i dry hopped with 30g of liberty, so will be looking for some thing different for these two kits maybe Hallertau or saaz dont really know yet but ideas welcome
 
I have literally just put my Sundew kit into the FV this morning.
First I made up a grain steep with 100g light crystal malt (30 mins at 65*C with 750ml water, sparge with 750ml water at 80*C, then boil liquor 15 mins). This might part address comments in the kit review thread that this kit comes up a bit on the thin side. I used light crystal and only 100g because I didn't want to darken it too much and didn't want it too sweet.
Next I have initially made up to 20 litres only, this will also address the thin comment.
I have substituted the miserly 6g packet of kit yeast Muntons provide for a spare packet of Harris Ale yeast @ 10g. This should cure the stuck fermentations that some folk got with this kit, and others get with Wherries, including me.
Pitched at 19*C, OG about 1.048.
This will sit in my water bath for the next 8 days.
I will then rack off and split the brew into 2 equal volumes.
Two days at fermenting temp then different hop teas for both to compare.
One will have 25g Cascade in 500ml water @ 80C then allowed to cool before all going into the FV the other 25g EKG made up as a similar hop tea.
Further four days at fermenting temperature, then two days in the cool to finish clearing, If it ain't clear it will have a day or two longer.
This kit apparently needs time to condition properly, so I will bottle it (rather than PB) and aim to start drinking it from mid May or later if it needs longer.
 
Would it be worth using both sachets of the yeast in one kit and buying a replacement yeast for the other kit?

Probably a better idea or follow @terrym advice on the next post( a much better idea and sound advice). I have read loads of people on here saying their wherry kits got stuck. Only did it once and mine was fine but i didn't like the beer very much. Last kit i did i used the 5g pack that came with it and it did not ferment out and ended up with over sweet gassy beer.
 
I quite fancy trying to dry hop this, ideally with something I've already got in the freezer (chinook, cascade, Mt Hood and hallertau) They're probably not ideal for the style but I don't want to keep accumulating open bags of hops.

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i dont see why any of those hops you have, would not do the job. U:thumb:se what you have i am sure they will be fine, I would do one with both yeasts provided and mt hood and one with a lager yeast and Hallertau
 
I have literally just put my Sundew kit into the FV this morning.
First I made up a grain steep with 100g light crystal malt (30 mins at 65*C with 750ml water, sparge with 750ml water at 80*C, then boil liquor 15 mins). This might part address comments in the kit review thread that this kit comes up a bit on the thin side. I used light crystal and only 100g because I didn't want to darken it too much and didn't want it too sweet.
Next I have initially made up to 20 litres only, this will also address the thin comment.
I have substituted the miserly 6g packet of kit yeast Muntons provide for a spare packet of Harris Ale yeast @ 10g. This should cure the stuck fermentations that some folk got with this kit, and others get with Wherries, including me.
Pitched at 19*C, OG about 1.048.
This will sit in my water bath for the next 8 days.
I will then rack off and split the brew into 2 equal volumes.
Two days at fermenting temp then different hop teas for both to compare.
One will have 25g Cascade in 500ml water @ 80C then allowed to cool before all going into the FV the other 25g EKG made up as a similar hop tea.
Further four days at fermenting temperature, then two days in the cool to finish clearing, If it ain't clear it will have a day or two longer.
This kit apparently needs time to condition properly, so I will bottle it (rather than PB) and aim to start drinking it from mid May or later if it needs longer.

+1. Terrym's right.
I made up Sundew last year, added 100gms of DME rather than grains, (grains would be best, but more complicated), but it helped to address the 'thinness' a lot of people mention. And I added a hop tea late on using EKG's. It turned out one of the best kits I've ever made, but it took 3 months in minikegs to be at it's best. I used Wilco's ale yeast in place of the supplied one. Good luck..!
 
If you wanted to experiment with different hops, you could make up 1 tin at a time to a 10L brew and each time try a different hop. And you could use the kit yeast with one of these, I do this all the time with Wherry - there's nothing wrong with the kit yeast, there's just not enough of it for 23L, but it's fine with a 10L brew.

I think Styrian Goldings would go well with this brew: I'd do a 10min boil of 10g to add a tad more bitterness, then 15g steeped for 30min. Maybe even a dry hop too.
 
I used one can sundew to 10 litres and added 30g falconers flight hop pellets to fermenter then dry hopped 40g falconers flight for 5 days, put in to two mini kegs, tried after three weeks, wow what a tropical bomb, fantastic beer, will try other hops in this


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I used one can sundew to 10 litres and added 30g falconers flight hop pellets to fermenter then dry hopped 40g falconers flight for 5 days, put in to two mini kegs, tried after three weeks, wow what a tropical bomb, fantastic beer, will try other hops in this


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I reused my IPA yeast from a brewmakers IPA kit I did, worked well


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terrym said
First I made up a grain steep with 100g light crystal malt (30 mins at 65*C with 750ml water, sparge with 750ml water at 80*C, then boil liquor 15 mins).
Can anyone confirm or deny that crystal malt does not need mashing
as it is already converted to sugar, and he could have just boiled it in
water?
 
I've dry hopped mine with 50g of Cascade pellets. Will be popping it in a barrel this weekend I expect. It fermented very quickly over the first week, gravity dropped to 1012, so I'm expecting it to have dropped to around 1008 over the last 7 days as I've still seen a few bubbles.
 
terrym said
First I made up a grain steep with 100g light crystal malt (30 mins at 65*C with 750ml water, sparge with 750ml water at 80*C, then boil liquor 15 mins).
Can anyone confirm or deny that crystal malt does not need mashing
as it is already converted to sugar, and he could have just boiled it in
water?
that is fine. Crystal doesn't need to be mashed
 
Just racked this off last night into three separate containers, one has Willimetta hops 5 lts, the other has Saaz 10 lts, with the 3rd being as it comes what ever is left.

Will bottle it up probably Sunday and give it a good 2 weeks carb time and a further month or so to condition.

Looking forward to comparing them, hopefully in some warmer weather!
 
I bottled mine last Sunday.
It first had 9 days in the FV, during which time it unfortunately almost stopped at 1.020 after two days in spite of me originally changing the kit yeast, and trying to restart by adding two sets of fresh yeast, i.e. the original kit yeast and a GV12, and stirring and chucking in more yeast nutrient. I then racked off and split into two halves and each had two more days before I added hop teas one with 25g EKG, the other with 25g Cascade, four more days then finally two in the fridge. Total 17 days. Almost clear when bottled at about 1.018, and even so its carbing up well after only four days (hope the primary hasn't suddenly got going again :-?) . When its finished carbing it will have a week in the fridge before it goes out to pasture.
My tasters were OK. I will probably like the EKG best although Mrs terrym went for the Cascade. Plan to leave until mid May although I will have a sampler before then.
 
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