It's cold.......Let's Lager!!!!!

[Bernaaard]

So, following on from my Geordie lager I have decided to go for a Wilko Mexican Cerveza while I have cold temperatures and plenty of time.

Going to use half a kilo of white sugar and a kilo of mentions beer enhancer and bring it out at about 5% in the end.

Anyone done one if these kits and have any helpful tips or watch outs for me? Aiming to brew it around 10 degrees for 3 weeks over Xmas. Then a 4th week in the 2nd FV to clear and batch prime for bottling. After that, it's into the cold garage for 5 months until spring.

 

[Bigcol49]

Hi!
From what I can gather from t'interweb, Munton's beer enhancer is a mixture of DME and dextrose, probably 50% of each. If you follow your plan you will have 500g sucrose, 500g dextrose and 500g DME. Sugar adds nothing but alcohol - there's no contribution to flavour, body or head retention.
Table sugar (sucrose) puts extra strain on your yeast as it needs to convert it to dextrose before it can start to make alcohol. Most home brewers avoid it. Ways to improve your cerveza in order of quality of the final product (lowest first):
1. Substitute dextrose (brewing sugar) for the table sugar
2. Use 1.5kg of beer enhancer.
3. Use 1.5kg of DME
You should consider adding some maltodextrin - this is not fermented by the yeast, so adds to the mouthfeel and head retention of the final beer. Cooper's enhancers have maltodextrin as an ingredient.
Finally, the yeast packaged with the kit is almost certainly not a true lager yeast - don't ferment any lower than 14C, and at that temperature you will need to increase the pitching rate - you are going to need more yeast. Wilko's Gervin Ale yeast works well at 14C if you add it along with the kit yeast and let it ferment for 3 to 4 weeks.
This kit needs a good few months in the bottle, according to some reviews.

 

[DocMagoo]

I made the wilko kit as my first ever homebrew. I just added brewing sugar also from wilko. Turned out a very nice lager. On a par with corona, two weeks fermenting then two weeks bottled and secondary fermenting.

 

[Dutto]

I used the Wilco Kit as the base for my Cerveza and Pumpkin Beer. It was an effortless brew with no dramatics: and it's going down a treat. :thumb::thumb:

However, it is a bit bland so I am glad I added the Pumpkin and the All Spice to give it that bit of a Christmassy feeling with the aroma.

I also made a Wilco Pilsner earlier in the year and threw in 6 Birdseye Chillies (whole but 'topped and tailed') at the fermentation stage. It gave what is again a fairly bland brew a bit of a "lift" and enhanced the flavour. I will probably use 8 Birdseye Chillies if I do it again.