My First off the cuff brew

[David Kennedy]

So i am going away next week to a festival, well stocked with a 6yr aged faux Jack Daniels and an original recipy Cuffs and buttons southern comfort. I found myself without beer.. so partial to the odd wheat beer and extremely short of time i decided to try and make a wheat beer in as short a time as possible. I got a wilko one can golden wheat with the intention of producing a Hefeweizen so i didnt need for it to clear and thus save time.

I added nothing except 1.5kg sugar water and yeast and making 20 litres instead of 23

With time of the essence and in a moment of sheer madness against all common sense i pitched a 5yr out
Of date turbo yeast alongside the weiss beer yeast.

It took 3 days to ferment out. I am bottle conditioning the majority of the brew i have added finings to the rest and clarified to a kristal wiess

I took a litre of both unclarified and clarified and zapped them with a soda stream.. they are entirely different beers.

The clarified is much sharper it starts off with a slighty salty medicinal type flavour and finishes with a hint of . the taste does not remain in the mouth very long. Its not great but its nice enough though and wont be wasted

The uncleared has a very distinct banana sweetness with a gentle fruit and floral taste that melts away into a clove and herb type flavour accompanied by the most lovely long lasting taste that dances in your nasal passages as you inhale and exhale bringing different flavours into play. Its a beautiful drink and much better left uncleared.

I am pleasently supprised and happy with my first beer. I am looking forward to learning more... i think next time a brown ale or a nice stout... or perhaps another wheat beer done with paitance

 

[chrisb8]

This was your first attempt at making beer?? Most people start by following all the rules rather than with a slightly bonkers experiment :hator perhaps that's just me...)

I tried to rush through an AIPA from grain to bottle in 10 days earlier this summer because we were going on holiday. Unfortunately it smells lovely but is tainted with diacetyl so I will not be trying that again...

 

[David Kennedy]

I just needed a quick ferment found some old packs of turbo and gave it a shot.

Its not uncommon for me to "exprement" or bend the rules.. if it works then you learn something if not you still learn something.. and if its undrinkable... there is always a way to make it drinkable

Unfortunatly the seperated 6l batch i used finings on has developed a vinegar smell and taste must be an infection the rest of the brew is fine.. to be honest the finings stole far too much body from the beer anyway.. perhaps the salty medicinal taste was the start of the infection.

 

[David Kennedy]

Just opened a bottle of Aldi wheat beer and one of mine i carbobated with a sodastream and put in the fridge yesterday

There is no comparison apart from the poor head the wilkos kit absolutly kills the aldi wheat beer.. you would think its a premium wheat beer not a 4 day old rushed job.

Whenever i have used turbos in the past even for sugar washes the smell always reminded me of a wheat beer.

I am so pleased with the result, just a shame 12 pints turned to vinegar