# Fermenting Mandarin?



## Karhunkynsi (29/6/12)

I understand that citrus fruits are one of those "naturally immune to brewing" types of fruits, but has anybody by chance who has ever brewed an alcoholic drink using mandarins?


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## fcmcg (29/6/12)

Karhunkynsi said:


> I understand that citrus fruits are one of those "naturally immune to brewing" types of fruits, but has anybody by chance who has ever brewed an alcoholic drink using mandarins?


Last time i checked , brother , this is a beer brewing forum.....
Sure there is some mead discussion going on , but the discussion your talking about may not be allowed on this forum


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## twizt1d (29/6/12)

its the 'non beer brewing' section so i dont see the problem?


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## bum (29/6/12)

tonesbrew said:


> its the 'non beer brewing' section so i dont see the problem?


Yeah but Ferg may be suggesting that more a successful base for such a beverage may be produced via methods not usually used the production of beer.

Cruisers are pretty cheap anyway.

[EDIT: added stuff]


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## fcmcg (29/6/12)

bum said:


> Yeah but Ferg may be suggesting that more a successful base for such a beverage may be produced via methods not usually used the production of beer.
> 
> Cruisers are pretty cheap anyway.
> 
> [EDIT: added stuff]


Yeah , Bum...i was thinnking that...I know Uncle Dan's sell some madarin spirit drinks from the baltic states....


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## brad81 (29/6/12)

I'd like to know too. I have a cumquat tree that is nearly always producing. I'd like a serious answer too.


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## barls (29/6/12)

ive fermented manderin with my mead. still aging


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## emnpaul (29/6/12)

bum said:


> Cruisers are pretty cheap anyway.
> [EDIT: added stuff]




Ya think?

1.7kg copers lager and a kilo of sugar is cheap.


Cruisers are a massive rip off unless you're comparing them with Westvelerteren trippel, but only a total knob would do that.


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## Helles (29/6/12)

brad81 said:


> I'd like to know too. I have a cumquat tree that is nearly always producing. I'd like a serious answer too.





My mate makes a Coriander and Cumquat Wheat beer Geez it is good :super:


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## brad81 (29/6/12)

helles said:


> My mate makes a Coriander and Cumquat Wheat beer Geez it is good :super:



Sounds like a Hoegaarden. If you have access to the recipe would you mind sending it to me?


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## Charst (30/6/12)

Bairds do a Japanese citrus called mikan. Carpenters mikan ale. You maybe able to find some info on what part of the process they add the citrus.


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## Adam Howard (30/6/12)

Brewing TV

Chip Walton brews a Clementine Cal Common in this episode. The technique he uses could easily be transposed to mandarins.


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## bum (30/6/12)

Charst said:


> Bairds do a Japanese citrus called mikan. Carpenters mikan ale. You maybe able to find some info on what part of the process they add the citrus.


Their Temple Garden Yuzu Ale is also pretty good and would be well worth emulating. For the yuzu, they use both zest and juice and add at the end of boil. Dunno their process for either of the mikan ales.


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## Adam Howard (30/6/12)

Tasting Notes

And here's the tasting notes. Sounds pretty delicious!


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## kdaust (30/6/12)

I didn't read the op as meaning water purifying type Mandarin drink.

Maybe try a Mandarin wine? My parents property has a few trees that get overloaded every winter. Been meaning to try something myself one winter.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/request130.asp

Our try some if the wine makers forums.


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## brettprevans (30/6/12)

I want aware that citrus had the yeast killing/stifling enzyme that mango does. U can ferment lemons so u should be able to ferment Mandarins. I haven't tried but im sure if u can ferment them there will be some info on Ahb or other brew forums. In sure I've seen Mandarin wheat beers etc. u should be able to make a Mandarin wine, .nfi what it will taste like though.


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## nathan_madness (30/6/12)

Just google "Skeeter Pee". I know it sounds weird just google it and you will see that it is a Hard Lemonade. 
I have 6 trees that are so full of Mandarin's the branches are starting to snap. I have been waiting to have some fermenter space and then i'm going to give it a crack!


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## brettprevans (30/6/12)

nathan_madness said:


> Just google "Skeeter Pee". I know it sounds weird just google it and you will see that it is a Hard Lemonade.
> I have 6 trees that are so full of Mandarin's the branches are starting to snap. I have been waiting to have some fermenter space and then i'm going to give it a crack!


Skeeter pee has been discussed on Ahb before. Avg recipe imo. There are plenty of good hard lemonade recipes on Ahb. Gmkaide, and Dr smurtos lemonade are 2 of them.


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## nathan_madness (30/6/12)

citymorgue2 said:


> Skeeter pee has been discussed on Ahb before. Avg recipe imo. There are plenty of good hard lemonade recipes on Ahb. Gmkaide, and Dr smurtos lemonade are 2 of them.


I am sure it has been brought up here before. I was just pointing it out that citrus is fermentable and I am sure that you could use the same recipe and use Mandarin's instead of Lemon.


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## Karhunkynsi (30/6/12)

Thanks for the tips folks.


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## nathan_madness (2/7/12)

So are you going to try it out? If so let us know how it turns out.


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## nathan_madness (10/7/12)

nathan_madness said:


> So are you going to try it out? If so let us know how it turns out.



Well curiosity got the better of me today. I juiced about 40 or so mandarins 4.5L worth. I have pasturised it also added a teaspoon of nutrient and now letting it cool in the fermenter till I can pitch the SN9. SG is 1.050. I will let you all know how it goes. Fingers crossed!


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## Karhunkynsi (11/7/12)

Which recipe did you use?


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## nathan_madness (11/7/12)

Karhunkynsi said:


> Which recipe did you use?



Just juiced the Mandarins added the nutrient boiled for 10min let cool to 28deg pitched SN9 at 8am this morning and it is slowly bubbling away. It is not bubbling like ciders though but she is on her way.


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## Karhunkynsi (12/7/12)

Wouldn't boiling the mandarin juice kind of kill the flavour?


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## nathan_madness (12/7/12)

Karhunkynsi said:


> Wouldn't boiling the mandarin juice kind of kill the flavour?



No, that is what they do to all the "No Preservative" juices on the supermarket shelves.


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## barls (12/7/12)

I think you will find they are flash pasturized. High heat low time. Less damage to flavours.


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## Muscovy_333 (12/7/12)

nathan_madness said:


> No, that is what they do to all the "No Preservative" juices on the supermarket shelves.




Pretty sure they do not 'boil' commercial juices, but instead pateurise by means of pressure/time/temp to retain organoleptic properties and avoid a cooked flavour.

Regardless...cool experiment.


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## nathan_madness (12/7/12)

barls said:


> I think you will find they are flash pasturized. High heat low time. Less damage to flavours.


Yeah, I am pretty sure that the juice passes through an instant heat system like (ZIP) not sure if it hits boil point but in my case better safe than sorry. My arm is killing me today after all that juicing and I would hate to loose it to some nasty bug.


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## barls (12/7/12)

Ummm look up flash or tunnel pasturizing. It's mostly done in the bottle.


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## Karhunkynsi (13/7/12)

I'm still curious to see how it will turn out. I love experimenting with this sort of thing. 

I have a box of mandarins at the moment, if I get time this weekend I'm totally going to try a boiled ferment and a non boiled ferment. 

Oh and barls, loving the "Beer is the mind killer", going to have to send that to a mate of mine who will absolutely love it. We're both mad dune fans.


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## kcurnow (13/7/12)

I have fermented plenty of fruit wines (plum, mango, grape, pear, apple, pineapple, date and coconut) in the past without boiling the juice first and never had problems with bacteria or wild yeasts. I think the key is to make sure all your pressing or juicing equipment has been sanitised first where possible and then get the yeast you are using working on the juice as quickly as possible to start creating alcohol to retard or kill any bacteria. I was using wine yeasts though so the alcohol percentages were much higher than with beer yeasts (11-16%).


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## Karhunkynsi (14/7/12)

Brewnut! Any chance of sharing the recipe and method of making said fruit wines? The mango one sounds awesome! I've always been keen to do a feijoia one. The only place I know that does a feijoia wine is just outside of heathcote, and is about 25 bucks for a tiny bottle, but is absolutely amazing. Also does a bloody fine cactus wine too. Sadly too expensive to drink in large quantities, but if you ever get the chance to be in the area, drop in for a chat with the bloke who makes the wine, he's a ******* legend.


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## kcurnow (14/7/12)

Karhunkynsi said:


> Brewnut! Any chance of sharing the recipe and method of making said fruit wines? The mango one sounds awesome! I've always been keen to do a feijoia one. The only place I know that does a feijoia wine is just outside of heathcote, and is about 25 bucks for a tiny bottle, but is absolutely amazing. Also does a bloody fine cactus wine too. Sadly too expensive to drink in large quantities, but if you ever get the chance to be in the area, drop in for a chat with the bloke who makes the wine, he's a ******* legend.


I will see if i can dig out the recipe as my wine making days were a few years ago. Im pretty sure i still have all my recipes in my brewing box of tricks though. Really the main thing for the wines is to use a wine yeast as they can handle higher alcohol levels and will ferment all of the sugars out the of the juice leaving you with a dry (wine). Also there needs to be a lot of maturing time in the bottle.


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## Karhunkynsi (14/7/12)

Awesome, cheers.


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## brettprevans (14/7/12)

Technical speaking wine is just Alc% and specific wine yeast. wine was traditionally %, after wine were fortifides then spirits. 

So sticky speaking just throw yeast on Mandarins etc and get it up to 11% or more. now of course u can add stuff if u want for a non straight wine. 

Im sure other brewers have discussed fruit wines on here. if ur interested u should be able to find it easy enough if u have a bit of a search.

Edit. Completely OT, but that red type is awful to read.


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## kcurnow (21/7/12)

Brewnut said:


> I will see if i can dig out the recipe as my wine making days were a few years ago. Im pretty sure i still have all my recipes in my brewing box of tricks though. Really the main thing for the wines is to use a wine yeast as they can handle higher alcohol levels and will ferment all of the sugars out the of the juice leaving you with a dry (wine). Also there needs to be a lot of maturing time in the bottle.



Ok apologies for the tardy response but i have been building my man cave shed thingo for my brewery and this has got in the road of replying on here.
The recipe for Mandarin wine is as follows (its in imperial also)
2 pts Mandarin juice
2.5 lbs of white sugar
5.5 pts water
.5 tsp Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp citric acid
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 crushed campden tablet
1 packet wine yeast

essentially the quick and dirty(its not really dirty as you need to sanitise everything as you would normally) process for most wines is bung all the ingredients together and let ferment, rack to a secondary and ferment further, bottle and age well.

However there are two special additions normally used for winemaking as you are not boiling anything.
The first special addition is the campden tablet (potassium or sodium metabisulfite) and this is added right at the beginning to all the the mixed ingredients except the yeast and allowed to sit for 12 hrs or so. This will kill off any wild bacteria or yeasts that are in the ingredients that might produce unwanted fermentation flavours.

The next special ingredient is the Pectic Enzyme, this addition is added 12 hrs after the campden tablet and is stirred into the juice mix and allowed to rest for another 12 hrs. The function of the pectic enzyme in winemaking or brewing is twofold, first it helps breakdown the plant (typically fruit) material and so helps the extraction of flavours from the mash. Secondly the presence of pectin in finished wine causes a haze or slight cloudiness, Pectinase is used to break this down and so clear the wine.

After the pectic ezyme has done its thing for 12 or so hours then the yeast starter can be added to the mix and let fermentation begin.

Cheers

Karl


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## Karhunkynsi (25/7/12)

Awesome, cheers.


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