Woodfordes Wherry Review

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bottler said:
I like the reviews on this beer, but at 3.8 abv its too weak for me, so id maybe short brew to 20 litres if i brew it, but i think i'll try the woodfordes nog or similar first. :thumb:

Wherry was the first kit I made about a year ago , it was good ,but Ive just kegged a Nelson's revenge and there's no comparison . The NR has so much more body and flavour.
 
My Wherry has been in the Keg for a month now. It's my first kit, so I've had a few tasters over the weeks and it's cleared down brilliantly and it retains a decent head all the way down the pint. My initial enthusiasm has been tempered just a little as despite being a nice tasting beer, there is a lingering dry mouth feel after I've finished the glass; not so much a flavour, more a feeling of dryness on the roof of my mouth and the back of my tongue. Not having anything to compare this with, I'm wondering if this is just because the beer is relatively young, or maybe it's something else?
 
Pearlfisher said:
Wherry was the first kit I made about a year ago , it was good ,but Ive just kegged a Nelson's revenge and there's no comparison . The NR has so much more body and flavour.

+1 :thumb: I got both kits on two weeks apart from each other and the Nelsons is much fuller. The wherry's just a bit weak in all aspects really. Whether the lack of flavour is down to barreling i don't know but it's suspicious as all the beers i've barreled have tasted homebrewy. The Nelson's was bottled.

.
 
I got this kit with my start up equipment, it's currently in a keg and should be ready in a couple of weeks. I did sample a pint of it earlier and it's coming along very nicely, I primed with 80g of sugar melted to caramel and you can really taste it in the after notes.

I also did a couple of bottles to hold onto for a few months time to see how they mature.

A great kit and ill be doing another one soon, the sister in law bought me another one for Christmas.

:drink:
 
Thinking of picking one of these kits up, £18 in wilkos, seems to get good reviews overall so has to be worth a go
 
I originally made this kit on 22 November and bottled on 17 December. I had a stuck fermentation and ended up pitching some more yeast, but I think this was due to low temperatures (now solved with my new brewing fridge). It had two weeks in the warm for carbonation and I moved it to the cold garage on New Year's Day. Tonight was the first taste.

It's great!

Nice fizz when I opened the bottle with plenty of head (but not excessive). It's quite malty and probably isn't my favourite style of beer, but it's great. The glass is almost empty as I write this and there is still a nice amount of head, just like a pub pint. The body and fizz-in-the-mouth feel (does that make sense?) are just right.

So for my first homebrew I'm very happy.

Assuming 0.2% extra for bottle conditioning I make it 3.9% ABV which is weaker than it's supposed to be but it definitely doesn't feel like a weak or thin beer.

For £18 in Wilkinson it's cracking value. Hopefully it will get even better after a few more weeks to mature.
 
Started brewing my first Wherry today.

It's only my fourth kit but already it seems weird not being able to tinker with the brew by using different malts, etc! :ugeek: I might have to avoid these two can kits in future! :cool:
 
I've just poured a pint of Wherry, and looking at the post-it note on top of the barrel, I notice it's been kegged for 50 days :cheers:
As this is my first brew, the last 7 weeks have been a lesson in how a beer develops and matures over time. It's gone from cloudy and fruity, to clear but with a slightly offensive dry after taste, to very bitter and harsh, to a more mellow flavour but with a slightly offensive 'twangy' odour, to a fresher smelling pint with a slightly aspriny mouth feel to it.My opinion has rocked from enthusiastic, to excited, to slightly disappointed, to 'is home brew the thing for me?', to....
Well, now at day 50, with very nearly a week between the last sample, the Wherry has moved on considerably. It's now a lovely, refreshing, clear and tasty beer, with just the merest hint of home brew odour. I can imagine over the next few weeks it will be almost perfect..
And the best thing is, I've still got just under half the brew left :thumb:
 
This is my first kit and I have just bottled the first batch so time to sit on my hands! I already have the second lot in the FV bubbling away, but as suggested have short brewed this lot to 20 litres being as batch one will be approx 3.9% ABV. I am really looking forward to the first proper sample. Trial jar having already been snaffled! I have the 19th Feb earmarked in the diary as this will be 4 weeks since bottling. What to do for now? Beer?...
 
just picked up a Wherry from Dunelm Mill for £13.00, they have had them on offer, wish I had found out sooner, I got the last one, if there had been 10 I would still have got the last one
 
Hmm, interesting. I was right looking forward to making a Wherry, but at 3.9%ish its a bit weak for my taste. Think I might try the Nelson, or one of the others. I'll see
 
lust put the kit together with a full bag of Munton's beer enhancer and half a bag of brewing sugar, S.G 1.055. cant wait to taste
 
Brewbob...........just add 1/2kg any sugar ( caster, demerara etc.) to your brew. This will add 1.5% to your final ABV (in 25 litres).
I personally have just done a Nelson's Revenge. It's a superb pint. Likewise Woodfordes Headcracker (My personal favourite).
My tasting comparisons are based on a level playing field in that I make them all up to SG 1080 by simply adding the appropriate amount of sugar.
Hope this helps. :cheers:
 
Hmm, cheers Bigboots. Do you think adding a dark muscovado would bring out a richness of flavour, or would it just be wrong?
 
It's 3 weeks since I first tasted this and it's getting better. It's bloody lovely - even SWMBO thought it tasted good. There's always been a tang that said homebrew but that's pretty much gone now. I read on this forum that you need to leave it 1 week for every 10 points of OG. It was 1042 and it's been 4 weeks since I moved the bottles into the garage to clear. :cheers:
 
My Wherry has been in the FV for ten days. I checked the gravity today and it is 1017 and is standing at a fairly consistant 18-20c.
I have the OG recorded at 1054 which sounds high??
There are all sorts of bits floating in the brew (I've never done a Wherry kit before is this normal?) so once the gravity has settled I will strain.
 
1.054 sounds high for a Wherry, should have been nearer 1.046, I think. 1.017 is a bit high for finishing, leave it a few more days and see if you can get it down to 1.014 or lower.

Don't worry about the floaty bits, it's just yeast and it will drop to the bottom if you leave it long enough. If you use a racking cane with a sediment trap, you'll leave all the bits behind anyway.
 
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