Magners Original Irish Cider: Tasting Notes and Recommended Pairings

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In 1935, William Magner began making cider in Clonmel, in Ireland’s County Tipperary. Almost ninety years later, Magners Original still comes out of the same town with a recipe built on 17 apple varieties, now the Irish cider of the pint over ice, the serve the brand claims as its own.

The brand’s story has a twist in its name, because H. P. Bulmer bought the company between 1937 and 1946 and in Ireland this apple cider is still sold as Bulmers. Outside the Republic it has been called Magners since 1999, when it went first to Majorca and Munich before reaching Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

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General Information

Name: Magners Original Irish Cider
Producer: C&C Group
Origin: Clonmel, Ireland
Style: Common Cider
ABV: 4.5%
Sweetness: Semi-sweet
Calories: 40 kcal per 100 ml
Glassware: Pint

Tasting Notes and Impressions

Magners Original is a semi-sweet, simple and easy-drinking cider, with an apple closer to juice than to freshly cut fruit. Among the commercial types of cider, it keeps things direct, with a sweetness that rules over the acidity and a short finish that calls for the next sip.

1. Appearance

Golden amber with orange tones against the light, clear and bright, with a scant, fleeting white head that vanishes within seconds without leaving lacing on the glass, carried by a lively, fine-bubbled carbonation.

2. Aroma

It opens with apple juice and red apple skin on a simple nose of medium intensity; mid-nose, a sweet, somewhat artificial note close to caramel appears and takes some freshness away from the fruit.

3. Flavor

It starts semi-sweet, with yellow apple juice, a touch of caramel and a moderate acidity that barely gives the fruit any relief; mid-palate, a slight bitterness and soft tannins with an English air come through, before a short finish that cuts off abruptly on swallowing, clean and somewhat watery.

4. Mouthfeel

Medium-light body, light and easy-going, carried by a lively carbonation, with a very slight tannic astringency, no alcohol warmth at 4.5% and no roughness on the way down.

5. Overall Impression

As a product, Magners Original is a commercial cider made to be drunk cold and without ceremony, sweeter than it is tart, with a decent apple that never becomes complex. Over ice it gains freshness, because the cold makes it livelier, while the melting ice gradually lightens it, an idea the brand understood very well when it turned the ice-filled pint into its signature. If you are looking for a pub cider with no rough edges for a long afternoon, it more than delivers. If you come from natural Asturian cider or an English farmhouse cider, what you find in the glass will be closer to an apple soft drink than to fermented fruit.

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Suggested Pairings

Its moderate sweetness and restrained acidity bring it close to pub food, fried dishes and savory plates with some fat, where it works as a cold drink that cleanses the palate.

1. Main Courses

Fish and chips or an Irish lamb stew is the most natural pairing, because its bubbles and freshness cut through the frying and the fat, while the sweetness goes along with the toasted notes of the batter or the meat.

2. Cheeses

A medium-aged Irish cheddar finds a friendly counterpoint in it, since the sweetness of the apple balances the salt of the cheese without competing with its intensity.

3. Vegetarian Dishes

Colcannon made with potatoes, cabbage and butter, or a savory leek and cheese tart, works well with this cider, which brings the freshness those creamy, mild dishes lack.

4. Desserts

An Irish apple cake or an autumn fruit crumble goes well with its semi-sweet profile, as long as the dessert is not sweeter than the cider itself.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

1. How much alcohol does Magners Original have?

Magners Original has 4.5% alcohol, the strength stated on its label and on the brand’s product sheet.

2. Are Magners and Bulmers the same cider?

In Ireland the same cider is sold under the Bulmers name, while outside the Republic it has been marketed as Magners since 1999. It should not be confused with the English Bulmers from Hereford, which now belongs to Heineken.

3. Why is Magners served over ice?

It is the serve the brand itself presents as its signature, a pint full of ice with the cider poured over it. The cold enhances its freshness while the melting ice gradually lightens it.

4. How many calories does Magners Original have?

The label on the 568 ml bottle states 40 kcal per 100 ml, about 227 kcal per bottle.

5. Which apples is Magners made from?

The brand states a fresh juice recipe with 17 apple varieties gathered from the ground after falling from the tree, which are pressed in Clonmel before maturing in the dark for a couple of years. It does not publish the list of varieties.