Mangrove Jacks Raspberry and Lime Cider Review.
An easy crowd pleaser and a great addition to any gathering.
The Mangrove Jacks Craft Series Cider kits are consistently easy to review – and the Mangrove Jacks Raspberry and Lime Cider Review is no different.
The description on the packet makes claims of bold flavour and aroma of fresh, daily raspberries with a brilliant sharp lime finish – and we won’t be disagreeing in any way.
The result from us – a first ‘quenching and moreish’ 9/10 on the Home Brew Republic Brew scale.
The Finished Product
The Mangrove Jacks Raspberry and Lime Cider kit produces and exceptionally clean cider with a unique finish.
The colour is on the packet is described as Rosey Blush. It’s like a base of soft gold tones overlayed with light rose tones that creates a distinctive look that attracts interest and compliments in the glass. As always, the finish is exceptionally clean and clear.
The raspberry notes certainly are bold and can be picked up half an arms-length from the glass, with the lime coming through as a back note in the aroma.
For the taste the raspberry leads but the lime definitely isn’t hiding. For those who like a little more lime, or simply for presentation use a slice of wedge of fresh lime to garnish the glass.
This time round we went for the sweet finish. Although I appreciate this will depend on your personal perspective the sweetness was overall well balanced and certainly not too much.
What The Packet Says
Packet Description
Bold aroma and flavour of fresh, juicy raspberries with a brilliant sharp lime finish. Wonderfully thirst quenching and moreish.
ABV Approx: 5.2%
Makes: 23 Litres
Colour: Rosey Blush
Style: Sweet
Yeast: M02 Cider
Craft Series Cider pouch brewing instructions.
Additional Ingredients Required
To make this brew you will require 1kg of desxtrose of Mangrove Jack’s Cider Enhancer.
The brew featured in the Mangrove Jacks Raspberry and Lime Cider Review video and the images use the Mangrove Jack’s Cider Enhancer.
The Brewing Process
The cider kit comprises a blend of fruit concentrate and
glucose syrup with flavouring and sweetener. Fair to say this is an artificial
cider.
Brewers can choose between a dry, off-dry or sweet finish,
which is achieved by varying the amount of sweetener added.
Temperature Range
The instructions advised a fermentation temperature range of
18-24 degrees Celsius. We brewed this cider in ambient temperature without
temperature control and fermentation was at the upper end of this range.
The M02 Cider Yeast states a temperature tolerance of 12-28
degrees Celsius. However, when we tested this tolerance in a brew review
currently in progress (Mangrove Jack’s Pear Cider), fermentation seemed to
struggle to start 2-4 degrees under 18 degrees Celsius. If you are brewing
under the recommended fermentation temperature range you may want to consider rehydrating
your yeast or creating a yeast starter.
Final Gravity
Final gravity for this brew was 1.008 – which is well above the target final gravity stated on the Mangrove Jacks website.
Fermentation was unquestionable over and as a result our ABV was 4.46% – under the target 5.2%.
Finings
Mangrove Jack’s advise against using finings in cider unless you are kegging. I did cold crash before I bottled and allowed the brew to bottle clear.
The final word on the Mangrove Jacks Raspberry and Lime Cider Review – the brew is a definite crowd pleaser. It’s the perfect alternative to beer or wine especially on a hot afternoon and it attracted very favourable compliments from my friends and family. It’s the kind of brew that I would happily leave out at a gathering, and it would disappear before the end of the night.
From us that’s a 9 on the Home Brew Republic Brew Quality Scale.
