Youngs Raspberry & Mango Cider kit

b_smith_90 · Feb 3, 2015

Ordered this kit after receiving a Coopers starter kit for Christmas from my fiance.

Started the kit on 6/01/2015, FV sat in gardening bucket full of water with aquarium heater to control temperature.

Didn't take any gravity readings - not sure why!

Followed instructions to the T.

07/01/2015 - stank of hydrogen sulphide (rotten eggs), slightly worried i'd done something wrong but kept going with it.

Still smelly but transferred to another bucket for bottling on 13/01/2015, primed with included sugar.

Threw an engagement party on 31/01/2015 - this cider tasted awesome. All 40 bottles were gone within 3 hours, many people commented it was the best cider they'd ever had. 3 friends have just ordered their first home brew kit as a result!

It didn't taste sugar'y like most flavoured ciders which are popular at the moment. There was a lovely raspberry bite at the start but a nice mango sweetness carrying the rest of the mouthful. I will do this again, many more times.

stesmi · Feb 5, 2015

Sounds pretty good. Will maybe look it out í ½í¸

Racinsnake · Mar 12, 2015

Wow smithy! Sounds fantastic. I've done the same kit after having a sample in my LHBS it's taking a little longer than yours, can't wait now.

Rob.

Racinsnake · Mar 30, 2015

Just tried a sample after 6 days conditioning, smells fruity, nice and clear not very fizzy though, I think it needs chilling more.
Rob.

Ste_Mog · Apr 7, 2015

I have the Strawberry & Lime version of this in the FV at the moment, it has been there 4 days and stinks like eggs! After reading around the forums it seems pretty normal though so not worried.

I am however a bit confused what to do with the little flavour sachet. It says add it when racking to the second FV but I haven't got one at the moment as I'm quite new to homebrewing. Has anyone any ideas whether I can just stick it in the same FV as it's in now? Would it need leaving for a couple of days like when dry hopping? Or stirring?

No biggie but if anyone knows I would appreciate it.

Racinsnake · Apr 8, 2015

Hi mog
Assuming your kegging if your not using a secondary id just stick it in your barrel along with the sugar.
Rob.

Ste_Mog · Apr 8, 2015

Sorry Rob, no I'll be bottling, don't have a keg yet either :hmm:

Racinsnake · Apr 9, 2015

Ah! See your problem then :doh:

can't see how else you can do it then, without putting 40 equal drops into each bottle. I suppose you could gently stir it in as there's minimal trub and it's fairly solid, then leave it to stand and settle.

Ste_Mog · Apr 10, 2015

I think I will stick it in, stir it and leave it until the day after, then bottle and add a teaspoon or half of sugar like I usually do.

I'll know next time to get the extra kit ready for when I do another cider!

Cheers for the replies. Should be a good summer drink if it comes out ok.

keirtristan · Jul 3, 2015

Just stuck one of these on. I don't drink cider and I don't like normal. Added 1l of apple juice which I had heated and steeped 50g elderflower and a teabag.

Of it goes now, see what it brings. I will be bottling but have a barrel it can go in before to add the priming sugar etc.

I will sip but never really understand if it's any good :-).

BrannBrew · Jul 31, 2015

Last night I put this kit to brew. I opened the concentrate and it smelt like a lovly jammy smell. I shorted brew it too 20L replacing 5l of water will 100% apple juice concentrate and still put all the brewing sugar in. Pitched the yeast at around 20-22, the chilled water and apple juice really got the temps down after mixing quite vigerously.

An OG of 1048. So if it goes down to the recommended FG in the instructions it'll be coming out at around 5.8% so slightly stronger than the ABV on the kit. Adding in the cost of the apple juice and still water it comes to 88p a pint.

checked it this morning before leaving for work and no appearent signs of fermentation, but that was probably no more than 12 hours after pitching. Hoping to come home to eggy smell.

I'l update in the coming weeks.

MrP · Jul 31, 2015

Have got this one ready to bottle tomorrow. Fermented wildly for about a week, then slowed right down to one bubble every five minutes, and after around two weeks has now stopped. On opening the FV, there was a slight smell of rotten eggs, as described by many others. Racked it in to another FV, but it looks a little cloudy still - has anyone else experienced this?

The SG looks spot on and hasn't changed in three days, so thinking it's ready.

Just put the flavouring sachet in, and will be adding the priming sugar and bottling tomorrow.

Sampled it as-is, and it doesn't taste *that* alcoholic at all - hoping all will be well - fingers crossed :)

BrannBrew · Aug 4, 2015

Just a quick update, it's been in the fermenting bucket since last Thursday 5 days ago. After seeing lots of bubbles, the very potent smell of a whiffy fart for most of the weekend it looks like it's died right down.
Instructions say after 6 days or when SG is 2 points or nearer to 1.006.
Tonight I'll do a reading and see.

Update: 05/08/2015
I took a reading last night and came out at 1.007 (so an approx abv of 5.46%) I added the flavourings too so hopefully they may infuse slightly better.
I had a taste of the spoon and it currently has the same taste as a scrumpy, obvously due to not having an priming sugar and conditioning time. On a side note I bought a fermenting bucket with a tap to act as a bottling bucket - stuck a bottle wand on and it was so easy to bottle (practiced rinsing water through the tap), very different compared to my first attempt to bottle - Im actually looking forward to the experiance tonight.

BrannBrew · Aug 5, 2015

update 5/8/15(evening): OK so now I've bottled. I bottled 14 swing top bottles and 1 tap a draft bottle. I could of filled 2 Tad bottles first but didn't so I have had more left over than I wanted so the standard sample has become a few.

Like people have said before this kit has turned out fruity. Currently has a slight eggy aroma but only slight, the fruit smell is more prominent.

I could quite easily drink more, even more drinkable than my first homebrew attempt. A fruity scrumpy currently(just flat). Better than most scrumpys I've had infact My wife who I had in mind with this kit has more importantly said it's drinkable and likes the taste.

We shall see what the conditioned product turns out.

This is what the bottled result looks like

Motorhomebrew · Aug 5, 2015

I made bulldogs strawberry and lime cider and that didn't taste anything like strawberry and lime. think ill have to make this one though

MrP · Aug 8, 2015

MrP said:
Sampled it as-is, and it doesn't taste *that* alcoholic at all - hoping all will be well - fingers crossed :)

Well, my impatience got the better of me, and I took a bottle out of the airing cupboard and popped it in to the fridge last night.

Couple of hours later, I opened it. Lovely light fizz. Poured over ice in a pint glass, and tasted.. :drink:

...smashing outcome - tastes great :thumb:

Mrs P then tasted it.... don't think this batch is going to last very long at all!!

BrannBrew · Aug 8, 2015

MrP said:
Well, my impatience got the better of me, and I took a bottle out of the airing cupboard and popped it in to the fridge last night.

Couple of hours later, I opened it. Lovely light fizz. Poured over ice in a pint glass, and tasted.. :drink:

...smashing outcome - tastes great :thumb:

Mrs P then tasted it.... don't think this batch is going to last very long at all!!

I have had the same outcome. Only after 3 days I had acouple of test bottles in the fridge leftover from bottling. Both me and the wife had some last night and the flavours have come a really long way fast. I don't think it'll take long to drink it too but might reserve it more for the wife as the purpose of the Brew was for her.

I've still got 18 pints of golden ale to drink and another Brew to put on.

I have to say the first 2 brews I've done have gone down better than I thought, this hobby is probably going to be a lifetimes worth

BritNoob · Jan 5, 2016

Hi everyone I have also purchased one of these kits and can't wait for it to arrive. I will be shortening it to 20L and also replacing 5L of water with applejuice like BrannBrew. I'm currently doing a basic cider using apple juice and WLP775 and have quite a bit left. I'm woundering if its worth swapping out the youngs yeast and replacing it for the WLP775 as I think its probably the better yeast. Think its worth a try?

BrannBrew · Jan 6, 2016

BritNoob said:
Hi everyone I have also purchased one of these kits and can't wait for it to arrive. I will be shortening it to 20L and also replacing 5L of water with applejuice like BrannBrew. I'm currently doing a basic cider using apple juice and WLP775 and have quite a bit left. I'm woundering if its worth swapping out the youngs yeast and replacing it for the WLP775 as I think its probably the better yeast. Think its worth a try?

I can't answer about the yeast but I've been drinking a few bottles over christmas (bottled August time) so 4 months maturing and its so much more improved and rounded than it was after the recommended month. With the apple juice it will be stronger (mine came out around 6%) but give the extra conditioning time and it'll be like a fruity Cornish Rattler or less fizzy Rekorderlig

Harlequinuk · Jan 21, 2016

been brewing for 10 days - still a sulphar smell from mine (and tasted sweet) and a reading of 1.010? leave it to carry on?

Youngs Raspberry & Mango Cider kit

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