Just To Prove A Point

[johnnyboy1965]

Tomorrow i will purchase and brew a Woodfords Wherry kit. I will not sanitise anything and I mean anything. I will document every stage. I will use the supplied yeast, to prove that there is no such thing as a "stuck" stage in the fermentation. I have chosen WW as it is the "go to" kit, because its available to every homebrewer.

 

[aamcle]

Sorry to put it this way 1 kit will prove nothing, not even the need or not for sanitary equipment.

There are many reports of these kits sticking at 20, it didn't happen to me, and clearly it doesn't happen with every batch.

To prove anything you would need to brew a statistically significant number of batches and that's a number that's significant with respect to the number of those kits made not two or five... but hundreds!

Still I'll be following along with interest :) I love this sort of thing.


aamcle

 

[Nicks90]

Good effort. Interesting to see what happens.

There are two very distinct camps in brewing, those that are almost hospital theatre clean and those that believe beer is a very inhospitable place for ANYTHING other than the yeast

 

[MyQul]

I made a wherry kit a few months ago. I forgot to sanitise the FV (although I did give it a bloody good wipedown with a new j-cloth to clean it). It turned out fine

 

[Old_Bob]

Tomorrow i will purchase and brew a Woodfords Wherry kit. I will not sanitise anything and I mean anything. I will document every stage. I will use the supplied yeast, to prove that there is no such thing as a "stuck" stage in the fermentation. I have chosen WW as it is the "go to" kit, because its available to every homebrewer.

Unfortunately, previous experience with Woodfordes kits gives them a 50:50 chance of sticking at 1.020. Tonight just bottled a Admirals Revenge which stuck at 1.020 and last year had exactly the same result with the same kit.

If it's not the kit then I'll be more than happy to find out what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Thumper]

Unless the claim is that every Wherry kit sticks and not sanitizing everything always results in an infection without fail, then a sample size of one proves nothing.

Regardless, it would be interesting; particularly the not sanitizing aspect.

 

[Saisonator]

I did read on another forum that a guy did a whole brew including bottling without sanitising and he wrote that it did taste of infection.

 

[strange-steve]

Seems like a futile exercise to me. If the beer turns out perfectly, what point will be proven?

 

[Sadfield]

One more ****ty Wherry kit taken out of someone else's way.:whistle:

 

[aamcle]

This stick at 20 thing, does it happen with an appropriate amount decent yeast and temperature control?

Old Bob what did you do to finish the batch?

ATB. aamcle

 

[Gunge]

One more ****ty Wherry kit taken out of someone else's way.:whistle:

Lol. The worst-and last- kit I ever made was a Wherry. It'll taste infected even if it isn't.

 

[Saisonator]

Lol. The worst-and last- kit I ever made was a Wherry. It'll taste infected even if it isn't.

Funnily enough it was mine too.
I think an infection would have been a blessing, at least it would have had some depth of flavour.

 

[pms67]

Shock horror::: I don’t sanitise my bottles....ever.
Once I have drunk a beer,it gets rinsed out with very hot water and fairy liquid,rinsed again and left upside down to dry,once dry I pop a bit of kitchen roll in the neck and that’s it until bottling time.
I honestly think I would give up brewing if I had to go to the lengths some people go to,sanitise hands,sanitise bloody can openers,bottle caps and on and on,the home brew shop will be selling sanitised overalls to wear for brewing next

 

[Gunge]

Shock horror::: I don’t sanitise my bottles....ever.
Once I have drunk a beer,it gets rinsed out with very hot water and fairy liquid,rinsed again and left upside down to dry,once dry I pop a bit of kitchen roll in the neck and that’s it until bottling time.
I honestly think I would give up brewing if I had to go to the lengths some people go to,sanitise hands,sanitise bloody can openers,bottle caps and on and on,the home brew shop will be selling sanitised overalls to wear for brewing next

I am notoriously sloppy with hygiene lol, brewing affairs included. Never had an infection. Maybe it's only a matter of time before I do, but I've saved hundreds of hours which sounds a fair swap for one failed brew - when and if it happens.

 

[Covrich]

TO what end is this experiment about?

To prove a single fermentation will or will not infect or to prove that wherry does not stick on every occasion?

 

[Old_Bob]

This stick at 20 thing, does it happen with an appropriate amount decent yeast and temperature control?

Old Bob what did you do to finish the batch?

ATB. aamcle

Thanks Aamcle,

The first batch admittedly was done in a bedroom with a belt heater so the temperature control was pants at best, used the yeast supplied with the kit. One good stir and a raise in temperature saw it fall to 1.014 after a 4/5 days.

The Admirals reserve that I bottled last night also stuck at 1.020, this time it was in a temperature controlled fridge kept at 20 degrees, brew temp was 19.8, fresh yeast was used (Safale 04) and yeast nutrient was added at the point of mixing the brew.

It started off fine, brew temperature rose to 21.6 in the first 48 hours then settled back to 19.8. After 8 days hydrometer reading was 1.020 and remained that way for two days. Stirred again, raised temperature and brew finally finished at 1.018/7.

Not too sure if the drop in SG was due to a slightly higher temperature at the time of the reading being taken.

Any advice gratefully received. :thumb:

 

[aamcle]

Any advice gratefully received.

I've no real help to offer, I brew all grain however I've some suggestions.

Replace the yeast with a bigger pack of fresh yeast. I think the kit has a 6g pack Notty is in 11g packs.
Use good temperature control.
Aerate well before pitching the yeast.

You'll already have done them so sadly no help from me


ATB aamcle

 

[foxbat]

I think he just secretly fancies supping 40 pints of perfectly good Wherry.

 

[Duxuk]

I would imagine that the sticking thing is because either there is too little yeast or it's not in top condition. As I've just written on another thread you may end up with half as much active yeast if you sprinkle onto wort at 20C than if you rehydrate at body temp. 35-37C. This is fairly well accepted except by those who say they sprinkle and never have a problem. I do know from a couple of hundred brews that rehydrating gets things going in a few hours whereas sprinkling is hit or miss. BTW who drank nearly 5000 litres of beer? Surely it can't have been me:-?

 

[BeerCat]

I brewed one when i started. It did not stick but i never went back for more.