Wilko brew kits

[DarrenUK]

Has anyone used any of the wilko brewing kits?
If so could you rate them and maybe show some pictures.
I think I'm going to slowly work my way through them all.

Do a surprising selection considering. Definitely want to give this one a go.

 

[DavidHatton]

I have recently brewed, the wilko's velvet stout and the chocmeister, both were fermented at 19c and came out really nice.
Not tried the red ale yet, but thought I would offer good results on the two I did brew, done the velvet stout twice now as a go to beer.
Both were brewed with the beer enchancer only no additional sugars or flavours.

 

[obscure]

I used one (Light house keeper) a while back and it was nice enough for a one can kit brewed with sugar but my main issue with these is they are £16, by contrast their standard kits i.e, the Velvet stout are £12 which is far more reasonable for a one can kit. In general I think I prefer them made with beer enhancer (50/50 spray malt and sugar) over straight dextrose or spray malt which seems to make them too malty and too thin respectively with beer enhancer being a nice middle ground.

 

[DarrenUK]

I have recently brewed, the wilko's velvet stout and the chocmeister, both were fermented at 19c and came out really nice.
Not tried the red ale yet, but thought I would offer good results on the two I did brew, done the velvet stout twice now as a go to beer.
Both were brewed with the beer enchancer only no additional sugars or flavours.

Would you recommend the stout over the chocmeister?

 

[DarrenUK]

I used one (Light house keeper) a while back and it was nice enough for a one can kit brewed with sugar but my main issue with these is they are £16, by contrast their standard kits i.e, the Velvet stout are £12 which is far more reasonable for a one can kit. In general I think I prefer them made with beer enhancer (50/50 spray malt and sugar) over straight dextrose or spray malt which seems to make them too malty and too thin respectively with beer enhancer being a nice middle ground.

Second to mention the beer enhancer. Definitely think that's the way to go.

 

[obscure]

Would you recommend the stout over the chocmeister?

I haven’t tried the Chocomeister so couldn’t say if it was preferable to the velvet Stout so I will leave it to DavidHatton for that comparison, however I would say going by both my memory and my notes that the Velvet Stout is a nice stout.

Also if you‘ve brewed a few kits then please feel free to disregard this but one thing to bare in mind the timing on home brew kit instructions tend to be a tad optimistic. While you will probably get something that won’t kill you (or make you ill for that matter) within 21 days, a good rule of thumb to follow is 2-2-2 that is two weeks in primary (your fermentor) then once bottled leave for two weeks some where warm to carbonate followed by two weeks somewhere cool to condition. Their are lots of exceptions and some yeast strains work quicker and some especially stronger beers need longer to condition but for your standard 4-5% ale this tends to give fairly decent results. Also may be worth checking out this thread for a basic guide to kit brewing.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/
A final point the temperature at the moment can be a tad problematic if possible try to find somewhere with a relatively consistent temperature preferably in the 17-20°C range, while it probably won’t kill the yeast you tend to get issues with off flavours especially when you go above above 25°C.

 

[DavidHatton]

Would you recommend the stout over the chocmeister?

Only had 1 pint from the chocmeister, for the price I would go with the velvet stout, very reasonable and aged for about 2 weeks was perfectly fine and tasty.

 

[DarrenUK]

I haven’t tried the Chocomeister so couldn’t say if it was preferable to the velvet Stout so I will leave it to DavidHatton for that comparison, however I would say going by both my memory and my notes that the Velvet Stout is a nice stout.

Also if you‘ve brewed a few kits then please feel free to disregard this but one thing to bare in mind the timing on home brew kit instructions tend to be a tad optimistic. While you will probably get something that won’t kill you (or make you ill for that matter) within 21 days, a good rule of thumb to follow is 2-2-2 that is two weeks in primary (your fermentor) then once bottled leave for two weeks some where warm to carbonate followed by two weeks somewhere cool to condition. Their are lots of exceptions and some yeast strains work quicker and some especially stronger beers need longer to condition but for your standard 4-5% ale this tends to give fairly decent results. Also may be worth checking out this thread for a basic guide to kit brewing.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/...de-to-brewing-your-own-beer-from-a-kit.57526/
A final point the temperature at the moment can be a tad problematic if possible try to find somewhere with a relatively consistent temperature preferably in the 17-20°C range, while it probably won’t kill the yeast you tend to get issues with off flavours especially when you go above above 25°C.

Well got a German Tarwebier just racked and a Festival premier Landlords finest bitter (epic pint that one) that in about to transfer to a second fermentation bucket. Both did really well despite the heatwave we been having in Kent but my apartment is bloody freezing most the time. Got 2 wines that are going a bit slow and some cider that needed a little help to get going but all good as far as temp is concerned. Am doing a little test with Sake/Saki in a couple of lunchboxs to see if Koji needs added yeast or if I can get good results of wild yeast from the rice but I think they could do with being colder really.
But I definitely want to get a Wilko kit of some kind. There are No brewing shops anywhere near Ramsgate... Its frustrating. Hop farms for miles around Kent and no brewing shops

 

[obscure]

Well got a German Tarwebier just racked and a Festival premier Landlords finest bitter (epic pint that one) that in about to transfer to a second fermentation bucket. Both did really well despite the heatwave we been having in Kent but my apartment is bloody freezing most the time. Got 2 wines that are going a bit slow and some cider that needed a little help to get going but all good as far as temp is concerned. Am doing a little test with Sake/Saki in a couple of lunchboxs to see if Koji needs added yeast or if I can get good results of wild yeast from the rice but I think they could do with being colder really.
But I definitely want to get a Wilko kit of some kind. There are No brewing shops anywhere near Ramsgate... Its frustrating. Hop farms for miles around Kent and no brewing shops

Festival kits are in my view some of the nicest and what I tend to use these days when I do kits (and glad to hear you have already had some nice results when the weather gets like this their is always the concern that completely new brewers might be put off if they get their first batch ruined by the heat). Also curious how Landlord compares to Timothy Taylor Landlord (as assume the kit is meant to be a clone).

 

[DarrenUK]

OK. So I couldn't help myself.
I got an IPA.
I thought about getting the stout but I already have a heavy German blond wheat beer, a bitter on the go, soooooo I went for a good old IPA.
But I did get the enhancer as advised by you guys. I was thinking of getting the standers IPA and maybe dry hoping with something fruity but this one has hop pellets for a dry hop and it was still 12 quid so happy with that. Will do full review once it's done.