Munton's Santa's Winter Warmer

[ProfessorWoland]

I'm starting this next week. The plan is to get it bottled after three weeks and at Christmas give to friends in a nice swing top bottle with a daft Christmas themed label on.

I've been reading some horror stories about this kit always getting stuck at 1.020. Will adding yeast nutrient help avoid that?

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Shameless self bump.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Last bump looking for advice.

 

[Whattawort]

Use a DanStar or Fermentis yeast (if you're using dry) and keep the temps down to optimal range. I'd also make a healthy starter for it. What's the projected OG? If it's high, then 1.020 may be where it finishes. You can also repitch with a champaign yeast if it does get stuck, though I'd prefer to leave it with a high FG than to dry it out. That's just me though.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Use a DanStar or Fermentis yeast (if you're using dry) and keep the temps down to optimal range. I'd also make a healthy starter for it. What's the projected OG? If it's high, then 1.020 may be where it finishes. You can also repitch with a champaign yeast if it does get stuck, though I'd prefer to leave it with a high FG than to dry it out. That's just me though.

So is yeast nutrient a waste of time? I have some on hand.

 

[Whattawort]

So is yeast nutrient a waste of time? I have some on hand.

Not necessarily. I'd use it in the starter though and not in the wort itself. I personally don't use any because it can sometimes lead to off-flavors.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

I've started this (I'm leaving it a bit late or Xmas!) The OG was 1.045 as I put a little bit too much water in.

I put in a bit of yeast nutrient as I'm on such a tight time scale I don't have the time to mess about re-pitching yeast.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

This settled out at 1.010 and I've just bottled it. The taste isn't too bad. I didn't have a chance to go the HBS to pick up some light DME to carb (as the instructions suggest),so just used half a teaspoon of granulated sugar (it was all I had to hand.)

I look forward to opening one on Xmas day with my lunch and thinking, "it could do with a few more weeks.

I think I tell the people I give a bottle to to leave it until at least the end of January!

 

[Oaney]

Did you start it on the 17th? Could you give me a rough time table you ended up with? I ask because I just started a brew on the 2nd December which needs to be ready for the glass on the 21st December for a party. I figured I could cut the time down a bit off bottle carbing, and ran out and picked up a keg kit. I will be interested to hear how quickly you went through, although I started at 1.060 due to a bad recipe conversion

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Did you start it on the 17th? Could you give me a rough time table you ended up with? I ask because I just started a brew on the 2nd December which needs to be ready for the glass on the 21st December for a party. I figured I could cut the time down a bit off bottle carbing, and ran out and picked up a keg kit. I will be interested to hear how quickly you went through, although I started at 1.060 due to a bad recipe conversion

I did start on 17 November.

My OG was so low because I overfilled a bit with water and I don't think I stir properly, so was probably really around 1.050.

I just used the 2 cans, a teaspoon of Mutton's yeast nutrient per gallon mixed in some warm water first as per instructions on the nutrient, and I dry pitched the yeast provided with the kit.

It could have probably benefited from another week to clear.

Ambient temperature when I was home would have been low to mid 20s °c. Of a daytime it would have probably been much lower when I was at work due to it being in an old Georgian flat in Scotland and almost winter!

I've never kegged so I can't give advice. I hope that's enough info. If you need any more let me know.

 

[ProfessorWoland]

Edit: double post

 

[ProfessorWoland]

I think your brew will be ok.

After reading all the horror stories about this kit I've decided to try one incase it's not worth drinking at Xmas.

After one week in the bottle the carbonation is perfect and its taste is on a par with some of the real ale pints in my local.

I'm guessing your keg will be great come Xmas!