Magners??

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AWKBrewing13

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I was just in Ann Arbor last night at an irish pub downtown and asked if they had Cider on Tap.

To my surprise they did. It was called Magners. It was like woodchuck in that it was very clear but it wasnt nearly as sweet. Still a sweet cider I would guess but not overpowering. And had a carmelly type finish to it. If anyone has had Woodchuck 802 it was kinda like that.


Is there a clone for this anywhere out there?
 
I've never had a woodchuck before, I can't get it here, Magners is the only cider that's ever served on tap down in these parts.
 
woodchuck Amber is very sweet (at least to me) the 802 is there "reserve" I guess and they used carmelized sugar that gives it a darker color and "smoother taste"

The magners was great. Honestly Im not sure where to even get this bottled here in MI.
 
I was just in Ann Arbor last night at an irish pub downtown and asked if they had Cider on Tap.

To my surprise they did. It was called Magners. It was like woodchuck in that it was very clear but it wasnt nearly as sweet. Still a sweet cider I would guess but not overpowering. And had a carmelly type finish to it. If anyone has had Woodchuck 802 it was kinda like that.


Is there a clone for this anywhere out there?
You might try emailing them and asking for the apple varieties and ratios, tho I doubt they will give much info, or if you did, find the apple varieties here. Or, get 5 gallons of the best tasting cider you can find, add 1 pound of dark brown sugar, pectin enzyme and use Wyeast Cider yeast. Age for 6 months after bottling.
 
Quick to do about Magners. Its brewed in Ireland under the name of Bulmers.. the distribution is Magners in the UK and US because of naming rights. Magners is a fantastic cider brewed in Tipperary to my knowledge you cannot even go into the brewery nor will they give out any info on what the ingredients are. I've tried to get a clone/recipe for it. To make it you'd have to use Irish Apples as they use all local ingredients. If anyone can figure out one let me know. My gf drinks this stuff in groves.
 
Magners is made from concentrate and sugar then watered down, then flavoured with apple flavouring. To make the same drink you would need a factory. I think it is only about 35% apple juice. You would be better advised to just try and make a decent cider, than to try and imitate an industrial drink like that. A cocktail of white wine, soda and applejuice would probably get you close
 
Now what if I used a London Ale yeast from White labs. I looked it up and it says that it has a lower attenuation leaving it sweeter.

I was thinking 5 gallons motts apple juice. 1.0 pounds Sugar in the raw (color, and higher abv) 1/4 lime (acidity) and steep One Irish tea bag (tannins)

Would I be able to bottle this after fermentation is complete without using Camp tablets?
 
CORRECTION:

WLP002 English Ale Yeast
A classic ESB strain from one of England's largest independent breweries. This yeast is best suited for English style ales including milds, bitters, porters, and English style stouts. This yeast will leave a beer very clear, and will leave some residual sweetness.

thoughts
 
Quick to do about Magners. Its brewed in Ireland under the name of Bulmers.. the distribution is Magners in the UK and US because of naming rights. Magners is a fantastic cider brewed in Tipperary to my knowledge you cannot even go into the brewery nor will they give out any info on what the ingredients are. I've tried to get a clone/recipe for it. To make it you'd have to use Irish Apples as they use all local ingredients. If anyone can figure out one let me know. My gf drinks this stuff in groves.

How do you know they use "all local ingredients" if they don't "give out any info on what the ingredients are"???
 
They use 17 varieties of apples according to the website. It's aged for up to 2 years, which i'd imagine is from oak vats, as that's a pretty common thing in Bulmers/Thatchers way of making cider...that's likely where the golden color is from too.

It's really crap cider though mate. Try a Westons Organic, or a Thatchers Gold if you want something easy drinking and delicious. :)
 
It's really crap cider though mate. Try a Westons Organic, or a Thatchers Gold if you want something easy drinking and delicious. :)

Have to agree, most, if not all of the 'fashionable' factory ciders produced in and around the UK these days are very bland. It drives me mad on a night out when the choice is either Strongbow or Magners. It is much easier to find a choice of real ale pubs than it is to find even 1 pub supplying a quality cider.
 
They use 17 varieties of apples according to the website. It's aged for up to 2 years, which i'd imagine is from oak vats, as that's a pretty common thing in Bulmers/Thatchers way of making cider...that's likely where the golden color is from too.

It's really crap cider though mate. Try a Westons Organic, or a Thatchers Gold if you want something easy drinking and delicious. :)

I'll agree that it's very mainstream. I've always found Magner's to have a slightly offensive tinny/metallic aftertaste.

I much prefer a Strongbow. (incidentally, my local Irish pub here in SC has both on draft, $2 a pint on Wednesday nights!)

I like NY state's Original Sin cider: http://www.origsin.com/

M_C
 
Have to agree, most, if not all of the 'fashionable' factory ciders produced in and around the UK these days are very bland. It drives me mad on a night out when the choice is either Strongbow or Magners. It is much easier to find a choice of real ale pubs than it is to find even 1 pub supplying a quality cider.

This is true. When magners launched a pear cider, they pushed the fact that it was made solely out of pears, claiming other pear ciders were "apple cider flavoured with pears" (which they are,) and used it as a selling point. It really did my head in that they were pretty much slandering other brands as being cheap knock offs, whereas in actual fact, theirs was pretty much just crap Perry. To top it off, they advertise it to be drunk with plenty of ice, which, again, is complete sacrilege in my opinion! All good ciders are slightly chilled and that's all. Still, rant over :p

Admiteddly though, i'll still drink it happily, because it does taste quite decent. Bulmers has always been the superior factory cider to me...as for strongbow, it's pretty bad because it's so damn dry, but it's soooo much better in bottles than on draught!
 
They use 17 varieties of apples according to the website. It's aged for up to 2 years, which i'd imagine is from oak vats, as that's a pretty common thing in Bulmers/Thatchers way of making cider...that's likely where the golden color is from too.

It's really crap cider though mate. Try a Westons Organic, or a Thatchers Gold if you want something easy drinking and delicious. :)

+1 on that. Local pizza parlor just got magners on tap, which they said they intend to replace the angry orchard with soon. Now, I can appreciate a dryer cider, but this stuff is crap (although I didn't really find it "dry", just less flavor all the way around)! Weston's Organic is the best english style I have had, and honestly the best all the way around. I know angry orchard is an "American" cider, but I found more complex, and even tart flavors in AO that were not present in Magners. I like tart in my cider!
 
I'm right inbetween. I think Woodchuck, Angry Orchard and much of the mass produced stuff just isn't right. Too sweet or too dry and funky. Although the Magners berry had me wanting another. Pretty much why I brew my own concoction. Somewhere in the middle. I will say if I drink 6 Woodchucks...hello heartburn. And I don't get heartburn from much. Especially from my somewhat sweeter cider (1.01-1.012). JK's Organic outta Michigan is the best my money can buy. Sweet and natural. There's way too many very clear mass produced ciders that look and taste like watered-down cider that I've wasted my money on. I guess that's why I started brewing my own!!
 
For what it's worth, Woodchuck was just recently bought out by C&C, aka the makers of Magner's.

MC

If you look closely, most of the bigger cider brands are owned by 2-3 big companies. HK Bulmers/C&C being the largest IRC. Woodchuck also just sold the US distribution rights of Strongbow to Heineken. Everyone's getting into the cider game these days!
 
Quick to do about Magners. Its brewed in Ireland under the name of Bulmers.. the distribution is Magners in the UK and US because of naming rights. Magners is a fantastic cider brewed in Tipperary to my knowledge you cannot even go into the brewery nor will they give out any info on what the ingredients are. I've tried to get a clone/recipe for it. To make it you'd have to use Irish Apples as they use all local ingredients. If anyone can figure out one let me know. My gf drinks this stuff in groves.

Your girlfriend drinks this stuff in small wooded areas? Good to know, I guess. Does that affect the flavor?
 
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