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Third brew: Raspberry and Mango Cider

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  • Third brew: Raspberry and Mango Cider

    OK so this one is simple - just posting updates on the latest brew. It's a Mangrove Jack's Raspberry and Mango cider pouch, made according to instructions.

    Notes:

    - Easiest brew kit to use to date - seriously. Took all of 15 minutes to put together, and that included the cleaning up afterwards.
    - They mention a pale pink colour on the cider, but it's nowhere near that colour. The colour looks much more brown, like OBS.
    - Taste of the extract pre-brew is very fruity and quite sweet. Tastes like an organic type fruit juice, which isn't bad at all.
    - Smell is excellent. Reminds me a lot of a mix between Grapetiser and Appletiser, with a hint of something I can't place (it's neither raspberry nor mango).
    - OG was slightly lower than what they mentioned it should have been, but I'm not worried. I got 1.04 and they said it should be around 1.041, but that's just fine. Could be because the temps were a little higher at pitch.
    - Airlock is busy, smell coming out of it is mouth-watering. Can't wait for this to get done!

    I'll be leaving this one in the fermenter for 2 weeks minimum, probably for 3. All YouTube reviews of these cider pouches mention that they get a lot better if you leave them just a little longer (apparently even more pronounced improvement than beers), so I think it'll be for the best. Might tap off one bottle so long though, to curb my curiosity... :P

  • #2
    Airlock has died down (on schedule, it would seem), and there's a slight sulphur smell on the nose from the airlock when I squeeze the fermenter. It is, according to everyone who's done these brews, perfectly normal, and my sulphur smell seems to be a lot lower than some others perceived. I write it down to the fact that I fermented the cider slightly cooler, so that's a good thing. Going to leave it for a bit now - it needs to mellow out. Might just give the fermenter a swirl to get rid of some of the CO2 so the yeast has a happier environment to play around in for the next week or two.

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    • #3
      Sulphur smell is gone, and is now replaced with a typical fermented fruit smell. Smells lovely, airlock is still sliiiightly moving so I do think it's pretty much done. Now to let it rest for a while and then I'll take final gravities and all that, and proceed to bottle. Very happy with this so far, will definitely do it again. For plain ease of use it is exceptional.

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      • #4
        Airlock is done. Over 12 hours there's no movement so the fermentation is complete. Took 5 days, so perfectly in spec. Now it's going to sit for a bit to clean up, and I do suspect that the current cold front will aid this perfectly. This weather's timing could not be better!

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        • #5
          Added the "flavour packet" to the cider last night in prep for this upcoming weekend's bottling session. Smelled absolutely fantastic, so I decided to, you know, "taste" the flavour packet. So I cut it open and emptied it into the fermenter, stirred it in like the instructions said, and saw a drop on the edge of the packet. Eh. Stuck the packet with that drop in my mouth.

          Holy.Shitballs.

          First, the stuff burns. Like pure alcohol burn, but more. Think wasabi. It stings and burns and made my eyes water - from just one drop! Then the taste... Oh crap, that taste! SIS! Can't believe something that smells so good and ends up so well in the cider tastes that crap! So, with watery eyes and a burning mouth I closed up the fermenter and tossed the packet in the trash. It took about 10 minutes for the taste in my mouth to normalize, so that I could taste anything else. TERRIBLE experience - so to all else - DO NOT TASTE THAT CONCENTRATE!

          Anyway, even until after dinner my wife said she could still smell that fruity goodness on my breath, and even to this morning it's still in the back of my throat. It's only subsiding now with my second cup of coffee for the day.

          shivers

          Cider seems to come along well though, can't wait!

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          • #6
            FG measured at 1.008. Right on the money. Bottled the lot, again got 52 x 440ml bottles. Taste? In line with reviews. Very fruity, but I am not sure I get a lot of Mango in there. Raspberries for sure. Very tropical, and slightly artificial, but that apparently ages out as the yeast now carbonates the cider in the bottles. Colour is WAY off. Pouch mentioned 'pale pink', but to me it looks brown. Maybe it'll go pink as it clarifies, but to me this definitely isn't pink. Has a very nice pink shade if light shines through it, but that's where it ends.

            Can't wait to try this as it's done!

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            • #7
              OK so I cracked the first few this weekend. My quick review of it at this stage:

              Age: One week after bottling.

              Opening: Big fizz, lekker CO2 smoke escaping from the bottle. I carbonated with a normal carbonation drop per bottle as I do my beers. I guess cider simply doesn't trap the CO2 as much.

              Pour: Easy, with no head. After just one week the yeast seems to be stuck to the bottom of the bottle - it's not pouring out. This will be easy to pour clear once it clears a bit in the bottle.

              Nose: Fruity, with a hint of soft fruits like pear/apple. Not much raspberry or mango to note here.

              Taste: Fruity. Mimics the nose - not much raspberry or mango to note either. A bit of an artificial taste, and I hope this ages out.

              Finish: A tad dry. Next time I'll use the whole sweetener sachet for sure. I don't mind the dry finish at all though, it's not bad, but not what I aimed for. It finishes with more fruit, but turning a bit more tropical here.

              Notes: It needs aging. I popped some bottles in the fridge on Friday morning, and some more on Sunday morning. Even those 2 days made a bit of a difference in the cider, with the ones aged better being smoother. I'm going to leave the rest out of the fridge for as long as possible, to let them age as long as possible before they disappear.

              Now, it might sound like I'm slamming this cider a bit much, and maybe I am, but that's because I'm not as impressed as I hoped I would be. I aimed for a tropical cider (hence raspberry and mango), and I didn't get it. What I ended up with is something else. Some else that's nice, yes, but not what I aimed for. I'll probably make it again (well, probably a different flavour), but next time I'll know what to do different or in a different manner. It came out good, just not as good as the reviews on YouTube make it out to be.

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              • #8
                Sucks your experience wasnt that great. Like i said before i was impressed. An would never use the whole sweetener sachet as for me half a sachet was to sweet. Hope it ages well.

                Happy brewing

                Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by jannieverjaar View Post
                  Sucks your experience wasnt that great. Like i said before i was impressed. An would never use the whole sweetener sachet as for me half a sachet was to sweet. Hope it ages well.

                  Happy brewing
                  Don't get me wrong, this stuff is good, and I love it, but I just feel like it missed the spot it was aiming for.

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                  • #10
                    Ok so this stuff drastically improves with even a little bit of aging. A week later and the artificial 'bite' is reducing, with the fruity aroma and flavour improving. Where I said it is 'missing the mark', it is now catching up. If it keeps up like this, it will turn out really well in a bit. Good stuff, will make it again!

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                    • #11
                      Oh yes, and I forgot to add, it's absolutely crystal clear right now. Like a dark, clarified apple juice.

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                      • #12
                        Was lucky to get some tasters of this, which we tried last night! So heres my quick feedback:

                        Appearance:
                        Unexpectedly dark but an appealing glowing amber hue.

                        Opening:
                        Nice little CO2 puff on opening, with slight head formation in bottle but no excessive fizz.

                        Aroma:
                        Sweet raspberry at first followed by hints of fresh green apples. Evokes childhood memories of strawberry Lecol squeezy-juice too (showing my age here)

                        Flavour:
                        Hard to explain but my closest similarity is that of pink (strawberry) candy floss. Definate fruity apple tastes when you search for it. Similar to the aroma, also a hint of that squeezy juice. Maybe because of the other strong fruity flavours, but could not really detect the mango... But I somehow think it better without those additional flavours. Sweet and easy drinking, 'like fairies dancing on your tongue' (to quote Vuyo.... something like that!)

                        Finish:
                        Lingers nicely and makes you want another taste.

                        Overall:
                        Very nice. Muchly impressed. Thanks for the share.
                        Cheers,
                        Lang
                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                        "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

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                        • #13
                          Glad you enjoyed it dude. I'll definitely make it again as well, and I agree with your finish - makes you want another taste. I have to actually tell myself to stop or I'll down a glass, get another, drink it quick and then get another to drink a bit slower. To me it's extremely refreshing and makes for a really good summer drink. I want to save the rest of what I have left for summer, because at this pace it'll be done by month end.

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                          • #14
                            So I had the last one of these this past weekend. Man, what a cider. I really, really need to make another cider, and soon!

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                            • #15
                              How does something like this compare to Kopparberg?
                              "Well, I suppose if I’m being honest, there were a few times in the past where I admit I did have a drinking problem,

                              But I can truthfully say that I’ve become more responsible since then,

                              and today I always make sure that I have enough beer around so that I’ll never have a problem drinking again."

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