Mangrove Jack kits

Has anyone tried mangrove jack kits?

http://mangrovejacks.com/

Nope.

I tried their regular lager - it was overhopped but somewhat drinkable and improved a bit with age. I am going to try the brown ale with some willamette hops and swap out the yeast with a Nottingham. I doubt if any of these kits will stack up favorably to the Festa worts I ferment though.

Thanks. I think I will pass on these kits for now

Just bought a Mangrove Jacks cider kit. I have no idea what to expect. Its about the same price for a premium brewers best kit but with out any instructions. All it has is 4 steps on the back of the package. Has anyone found any more details about making this stuff. Its my first cider batch so I am excited and scared all at the same time. This would be a expensive ($47) trial and error.

medvece said:

Just bought a Mangrove Jacks cider kit. I have no idea what to expect. Its about the same price for a premium brewers best kit but with out any instructions. All it has is 4 steps on the back of the package. Has anyone found any more details about making this stuff. Its my first cider batch so I am excited and scared all at the same time. This would be a expensive ($47) trial and error.

Click to expand...

There are more detailed instructions inside the package, along with the yeast, flavoring, and sweetener.

But once you open the package the juice is exposed, so you should brew right away. Yes, it's stupid.

Thanks! I can't believe that they have instructions and stuff in there all it feels like is a bag full of liquid!

Inside, it's split into a dry side and a liquid side. They should have explained that on the outer packaging/instructions.

I brewed the Pear kit a couple weeks ago. Haven't tasted it yet.

I have brewed the apple cider.. wonderful... I will be doing another one and will be trying the pear cider next..

I too am going to give the mangrove Pear Cider a Shot for my girlfriend. I will report back when a fermentor frees up. also, ritebrew has kits for 31.49. He is local to me, so i dont know about shipping.

http://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/811954.htm?CartID=1

I had the pear on tap at my LHBS and it was awesome. Kits there were spendy at $45.

i dont think thats "too" much, i find 4 packs of cider running 8 dollars. so making it still saves you about half price, plus you have control to bump up the abv/sweetness/dryness to your liking

I have brewed a few of these kits now, the pilsner is had good reviews from my friends who have drunken it ! Just trying another batch now with a larger yeast as apposed to the kit ale yeast.. Will see how bit goes.. Still has a couple of weeks left to ferment..


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Donmega said:

I have brewed a few of these kits now, the pilsner is had good reviews from my friends who have drunken it ! Just trying another batch now with a larger yeast as apposed to the kit ale yeast.. Will see how bit goes.. Still has a couple of weeks left to ferment..


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Click to expand...

Good reviews compared to what? It's all relative and I'd say my standards are pretty high. I compare anything I've cooked to a multitude of Festa and Brewhouse worts and very few have yet matched their quality. The MJ kits are definitely lacking in all areas and need to be augmented (extra malt, sugar, yeast, hops) that the cost is nearly there to a full boxed wort (Festa, Brewhouse) and nearly what a prepared boxed extract kit would cost. Just adding water to that bag of Mangrove Jacks will be very disappointing IMHO.



Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Good reviews compared to other kit brands I have done, obviously can only compare apples with apples.. A well done kit beer can still provide a reasonably satisfying drop before mKing the next step..



Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Agree tho you do need to add the additional enhancer and larger yeast to improve results...


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Fair enough. If you can get your hands on a Brewhouse or Festa, try it and you'll be amazed! Other than that I've cooked a Brewers Best Imperial Blonde Ale that was likely my best extract to date. Note that the former two worts are ready to go - just pitch yeast and wait. The Brewhouse can benefit from less water and a better yeast, whereas the Festa requires different tweaking. Both can be "hacked" to produce award winning or equivalent craft beers.


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Thanks heaps, haven't seen them at local store, will research to see if I can get here in NZ and give them a crack


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

Don't think you can get them in NZ - I get them here in Canada as it would be too expensive to ship them all the way down under... You do have another product likely as good - Golden Bear is the same size as Brewhouse ie 15 liters ...it seems to me I've seen others on the interweb...best of luck...


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Bay land Brews and Deep Creek/ Mangrove Jacks both produce a 20 and 23 liter wort. The 23 liter one looks interesting as it uses a similar yeast profile to Festa. These kits look pricey though...


Sent from my iPad using Home Brew

Just bottled my first brew: a Mangrove Jack Blonde Lager. As an impatient noob, I dove right in and following the somewhat simple instructions to the letter. THEN, I start reading on homebrewtalk and reading through 'How to Brew'. While Mangrove Jack (and possibly other kits) may produce a decent beer/cider (I'll know in 2-3 weeks), the instructions suck and the website isn't any more informative either. I'll be taking a VERY different approach next time I brew a kit.

Their Apple Cider is very good indeed. I haven't tried any others yet, but I would recommend those. The beer kits are just your run-of-the-mill kit and a kilo ingredients. They'll make decent beer, nothing that is going to win any awards.

Today I got the mangrove jacks craft series town crier kit on special at LHBS, with the speciality yeast and hops included In this kit I feel it was worth the $40... Will update how it goes in a couple of months or so once conditioned


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew