Mad Hopper Irish Dry Stout Fresh Wort

Brewery-made Irish dry stout wort from Mad Hopper, ready for you to ferment. The mashing, the hopping and the boiling are done. You pitch the yeast, hold the temperature and finish it. Seventeen litres of wort in the bag, tops up to 21 litres in the fermenter.

The beer

A smooth, malt-forward dry stout in the classic Irish style. Roasted barley brings the colour and the dry, coffee-edged finish, rolled wheat gives it a silky body and a head that holds, and a touch of caramalt rounds it out. Magnum hops sit underneath for balance without getting in the way of the roast. Espresso, dark chocolate and a faint hint of vanilla on the palate. Not heavy, not sweet, built for a full pint.

What's in the box

• 17 litres of fresh Irish dry stout wort, mashed, hopped and boiled at the brewery and packed fresh
• Batch date on the label so you know how fresh it is

Yeast is not included. Grab a sachet of S-04 for a rounder, more English character, or US-05 if you want the roast to do all the talking.

When you know you have nailed it

Appearance: Black with ruby edges when you hold it to the light. A dense, creamy tan head.

Aroma: Roasted grain, fresh coffee, a little dark chocolate. No hop aroma to speak of, and there should not be.

Flavour: Roast up front, a soft malt middle, then a dry, clean finish that asks for the next mouthful. The bitterness reads as roast rather than hops.

Mouthfeel: Silky and medium-light. Wheat in the grist keeps it smooth. Carbonate on the lower side, around 1.8 to 2.0 volumes, for the proper pub pour.

Make it your own

• Skip the top-up and ferment the full 17 litres as is for a bigger, richer stout.
• Add 200 to 300g of lactose at pitching to turn it into a milk stout.
• Toss in 100g of coarse-ground coffee or a split vanilla bean for the last three days of fermentation.
• Kegging? Pour it through a stout tap on a nitrogen blend and it will fool the Guinness drinkers in your life.

Fermentation guide

1. Sanitise your fermenter, airlock and anything that touches the wort.
2. Pour the wort into the fermenter. Top up with cold water to 21 litres if you want the full batch, or leave it at 17 for a fuller beer.
3. Pitch your yeast at 18 to 20 degrees C and hold it there. A Melbourne winter garage does this for free. In summer, a fridge with a temperature controller is the difference between clean and fruity.
4. Give it 7 to 10 days, then take a gravity reading two days apart. Same number twice means it is done.
5. Bottle or keg. Two weeks conditioning and it is drinking well. Four weeks and it is better.

Hamish's verdict

Stout is the most forgiving fresh wort kit you can ferment. The roast hides small temperature wobbles that would show in a lager. If it is your first FWK, start here. And resist the urge to over-carbonate it. A dry stout at 1.8 volumes is a different beer from one at 2.6.

Reviewed by the AHB Brewing Team, September 2026.