Mangrove Jacks Hard Seltzer

[West wind]

I hadn't heard of it until I read the promotion thread today. It's not to my taste but my dear lady doesn't like beer. She's diabetic and vegan so this is right up her street. I had a browse (nothing on YouTube) and found this...

"Clear in appearance and with an abv of around 4% hard seltzers are made by mixing an alcohol base – usually fermented cane sugar – with carbonated water and a touch of fruit flavour".

The instructions on the MJ website state...

1. FERMENT: add the contents of the kit to your sanitized fermenter
2. FLAVOUR: 7 days later, add the flavour essence sachet to your fermenter
3. BOTTLE: fill and store bottles for two weeks then refrigerate and serve

I'm assuming stage 1 also includes adding the 19 litres of carbonated water but surely after 7 days it will be flat or lost a lot of its Co2. I'm obviously missing something so would be grateful for some clarification. And am I correct to assume adding a shot of vodka to a glass of carbonated water and topping up with fruit juice will produce a similar drink?

 

[GhostShip]

I'm glad someone has posted on this because all I've seen over the last couple of days is references to Hard Seltzer. I'd never heard of it until then but it appears to be another import from the US. Doesn't sound like my sort of thing but I'll be interested to read any reviews.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I'm obviously missing something so would be grateful for some clarification. And am I correct to assume adding a shot of vodka to a glass of carbonated water and topping up with fruit juice will produce a similar drink?

I have asked B2B to have a look at the thread.

 

[B2B]

Hi guys

You don't add carbonated water to these kits, you carbonate them in the same way you would a beer, either in the bottle or keg.

You can find a copy of the instructions on our site here

"I'm obviously missing something so would be grateful for some clarification. And am I correct to assume adding a shot of vodka to a glass of carbonated water and topping up with fruit juice will produce a similar drink? "

Where's the fun in that? Although I did used to like a bottle of Reef or 4 at the end of a night out :) Adding fruit juice to the mix you'll be adding extra sugars when these are supposed to be a calorie beating, refreshing drink. They clean the palate and leave you ready for the next one as they are essentially flavoured aloholic water, a perfect summers drink. There's around 25g of sugar in a 250ml serving of fruit juice. I do think a November launch of these isn't perfect but does give you guys plenty of time to come around to the idea of them by the time it warms up again.

The pre-made cans of these you can buy on the shelves in supermarkets cost more than £2 for a 330ml can. In the US this year sales will be around $2 billion in Hard Seltzers, next year they are forecasting $2.5 billion. If you like a wine spritzer or vodka soda then you'll love these.

They aren't going to be for everyone, not something I personally would have thought to order at a bar but there is definite appeal to these for anyone wanting a lighter drink during those hot lazy days... imagine rehydrating whilst trying your hardest to dehydrate yourself!!!

Cheers

 

[West wind]

Thank you for taking the time to explain. I completely missed the instructions page on your website.

I've ordered the pineapple flavour to try and looking forward to the results. I'm away from home the week before Christmas so it should keep mrs happy.

 

[B2B]

We only received these on Thursday last week so haven't had a chance to try them yet but the guys at Mangrove Jacks think the Pineapple one is the best

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm glad someone has posted on this because all I've seen over the last couple of days is references to Hard Seltzer. I'd never heard of it until then but it appears to be another import from the US. Doesn't sound like my sort of thing but I'll be interested to read any reviews.

The original sugary alcopops kinda passed by the US, thanks to their drinking age of 21, so they've now discovered them and think they've invented them. Not as sweet as the originals, I guess they're filling the same kind of market niche as fruit "ciders", premix cocktails and (in bars) G&Ts do here.

 

[West wind]

Mangrove Jacks is a New Zealand based operation with the same drinking age as the UK but I get your point and the US. When I lived in Germany it was common to see people ordering draft beer and spooning fruit into it. I never tried it in 12 years but I'm not keen on sugary flavours in alcoholic drinks.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Drinking age in NZ isn't relevant - MJ are an international company that sell into the US as well as everywhere else, they're not going to avoid say NEIPA kits because they're not based in New England.

Like NEIPAs, hard seltzers are a regional thing that people worldwide are jumping on the bandwagon of because they can see people making so much money out of it - not only is it popular it's also cheap to make. Boston Beer Company are now selling more Truly seltzer than Sam Adams, it's growing at 40+% for them. I've certainly seen them in the UK, but I think it's going to be much harder for them just because we have so many other options catering to the...less sophisticated palate who wants to scratch the itch in their monkey brain for sweetness and fruit.

 

[Hoagie]

Hard Seltzer’s are nothing like alco-pops if it helps anyone?

They’re not sweet or anything, just light, carbonated water with a dash of fruit. Ridiculously refreshing when ice cold - I can see why they’re so popular but I’m sure there’ll be a lot of haters (unfairly in my opinion - if you slag them off without trying them, they’re probably not aimed at you).

 

[West wind]

The appeal for me is the low calorie, low sugar content as I'm brewing it for my wife who is diabetic as mentioned in the OP.

When I told her those who like a fruity drink have less sophisticated pallets and are only scratching the itch in their monkey brains for sweetness and fruit she replied, "I thought that kind of bigotry was left back in the 1970s".

 

[Sherlock]

Has anyone made one of these kits yet? I've ordered the pineapple seltzer kit...for sh1ts and giggles. I'm wondering if, as with beer kits, it would benefit from a longer fermentation time. Would be keen to hear if anyone has tried it out yet. (For the homebrew purists, don't worry...I've also ordered a Young's American IPA).

 

[Brewnaldo]

I wonder, what sort of sediment layer you are looking at getting in the bottles? Carbonate water could pour looking pretty rank with a beer type sediment?

 

[Gerryjo]

I wonder, what sort of sediment layer you are looking at getting in the bottles? Carbonate water could pour looking pretty rank with a beer type sediment?

It will depend on your yeast and how you actually pour.So4 or Notty are an ideal yeast for this as they compact right down.

 

[Sherlock]

We only received these on Thursday last week so haven't had a chance to try them yet but the guys at Mangrove Jacks think the Pineapple one is the best

Hi B2B Crew, have you had a chance to brew one of these seltzer kits yet? Mine is arriving from B2B today and I'm keen to give it a go. Would you recommend following the instructions precisely, or to allow extra time for fermentation as with most homebrew beer kits? Would you consider doing a secondary in order to reduce the sediment / achieve greater clarity? (I'll be bottling from a bottling bucket with tap). Many thanks!

 

[B2B]

Hey Sherlock, we hope you're well?

I haven't personally but had quite a bit of dialogue with the manufacturer, feedback has been very positive so far but you would expect that from a MJ branded product! I would always advise leaving it a little bit longer but even more so with these kits as you want to taste the full fruity flavours.. The comparison I draw from the product is more of a Cider than a Beer as they always require a bit of time to mature before you can fully enjoy the flavours.. plus they always leave a funky smell when fermenting just like this kit :)

In terms of the secondary it's ultimately at your discretion there isn't really a right or wrong answer but if you wanted my personal opinion I would transfer it for the secondary and then be tempted to transfer it back before bottling as I am in agreement with Brewnaldo, wouldn't want an 'alcoholic sparkling water' with a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle or floating around would you? I would definitely advise using Carb Drops over batch priming though that would be my one bit of advice!

Sherlock, if you or anybody else on the forum who has brewed one wants to fire me through an email with some feedback on the product I would absolutely love to hear it!

Happy Brewing!

 

[Sherlock]

Hey Sherlock, we hope you're well?

I haven't personally but had quite a bit of dialogue with the manufacturer, feedback has been very positive so far but you would expect that from a MJ branded product! I would always advise leaving it a little bit longer but even more so with these kits as you want to taste the full fruity flavours.. The comparison I draw from the product is more of a Cider than a Beer as they always require a bit of time to mature before you can fully enjoy the flavours.. plus they always leave a funky smell when fermenting just like this kit :)

In terms of the secondary it's ultimately at your discretion there isn't really a right or wrong answer but if you wanted my personal opinion I would transfer it for the secondary and then be tempted to transfer it back before bottling as I am in agreement with Brewnaldo, wouldn't want an 'alcoholic sparkling water' with a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle or floating around would you? I would definitely advise using Carb Drops over batch priming though that would be my one bit of advice!

Sherlock, if you or anybody else on the forum who has brewed one wants to fire me through an email with some feedback on the product I would absolutely love to hear it!

Happy Brewing!

Thanks, that's really helpful.

I think I'll let it ferment for 7-14 days, then transfer to secondary and add the flavourings, leave for another few days, then bottle. I may even transfer back to another bucket for bottling.

Will post results when it's done!

 

[Sherlock]

Hey Sherlock, we hope you're well?

I haven't personally but had quite a bit of dialogue with the manufacturer, feedback has been very positive so far but you would expect that from a MJ branded product! I would always advise leaving it a little bit longer but even more so with these kits as you want to taste the full fruity flavours.. The comparison I draw from the product is more of a Cider than a Beer as they always require a bit of time to mature before you can fully enjoy the flavours.. plus they always leave a funky smell when fermenting just like this kit :)

In terms of the secondary it's ultimately at your discretion there isn't really a right or wrong answer but if you wanted my personal opinion I would transfer it for the secondary and then be tempted to transfer it back before bottling as I am in agreement with Brewnaldo, wouldn't want an 'alcoholic sparkling water' with a layer of sediment at the bottom of the bottle or floating around would you? I would definitely advise using Carb Drops over batch priming though that would be my one bit of advice!

Sherlock, if you or anybody else on the forum who has brewed one wants to fire me through an email with some feedback on the product I would absolutely love to hear it!

Happy Brewing!

Hi again!
I've just noticed that the instructions state not to bother with the two different packets of finings if bottling (which I am), and only to use them if kegging. I'd like a nice clear seltzer so am wondering if I should use one or both packets anyway. I'm planning on putting it in a secondary vessel in a few days and let it rest for a few days before adding the flavouring sachet. Wondering if I should use the finings in secondary or primary, before adding the flavour. Any ideas on what may be best?
Thanks

 

[B2B]

Morning Sherlock,

Hope you had a great weekend? I am sure it was pretty much the same as all the ones over the last 12 months haha?

I would add the finings as you normally would so 3-4 days before you move it over to the keg.. I would just add both to the secondary vessel :)

Cheers.

 

[Sherlock]

Thought I'd post an update in case anyone was interested. I moved things along a bit due to work commitments.

It was in the FV for 7 days. I then added finings and left for 48hrs. I then transferred to a clean FV, added flavourings and left for a further 48hrs.

I transferred to a bottling bucket, then bottled in to 1L PET with 3 carbonation drops. (The instructions recommend 3 drops for a 750ml).

Currently looking like a mildly-cloudy lemonade. I wasn't expecting crystal clear seltzer but expect it will clear further after a week or two of carbonating and resting. I had a sip whilst bottling and it smelt like white whine...tasted like a vaguely fruity water. The flavouring is very subtle at the moment, but hopefully will improve a bit with time. Not the end of the world if it doesn't, it was all just for a laff anyways. I imagine once the carbonation has happened it will be a refreshing and cheeky little number.