HOW to MAKE HARD SELTZER

REFRESHING RECIPES for SPARKLING LIBATIONS

BY CHRIS COLBY
Brewers Publications®
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© Copyright 2020 by Brewers Association

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written
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ISBN-13: 978-1-938469-65-7
ISBN-10: 1-938469-65-8
Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-938469-66-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020941048

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

The following is for reference only:

Name: Colby, Chris

Title: How to Make Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for Sparkling Libations
Identifiers: ISBN: 978-1-938469-65-7; EISBN: 978-1-938469-66-4
Subjects: seltzer; cocktails; homebrew; low-carb; sparkling; craft-brewed

Publisher: Kristi Switzer

Technical Editor: David Wilson, Kris Kalav, Richard “Dee” Moore
Copyediting: Iain Cox
Indexing: Doug Easton
Art Direction and Production: Jason Smith
Interior and Cover Design: Danny Harms
Cover Photo: Luke Trautwein
To scientists everywhere who have fought to bring light to the darkness.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction

1. History
Springtime for Brewing
Summertime for Brewing
England
Germany
Belgium
Winter Arrives
Creating Consumer Appeal

2. Hard Seltzer Characteristics

Calories and Carbs
Alcohol Content
Flavors
Single-Flavored Seltzers
Flavor Combinations
Carbonation
Calories: Alcohol and Sweetness
Acidity
Variations

3. Ingredients
Water
Dealing with Chlorine
 Your Local Water Source
Sugar
Malt
Hops
Yeast Strains and Yeast Nutrients
Processing Aids
Flavorings
Acids
Carbon Dioxide

4. Craft Brewery Hard Seltzer Production

Sugar Plus Water
Boiling and Cooling
Fermentation
Clean Up
Dilution
Final Blending
Packaging

5. Recipes for Craft Breweries

Concentration and Volume
Calculating Volumes to Dilute
Calculating the Strength for the Neutral Base
Recipes
Hard Seltzer Recipes
Standard 4% ABV Hard Seltzer
Standard 5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Slightly Sweet 4% ABV Hard Seltzer For 1 US barrel
Slightly Sweet 5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Extra Low Calorie 3.5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Slightly Stronger 6% ABV Hard Seltzer
Moderately Strong 7% ABV Hard Seltzer
Strong 8% ABV Hard Seltzer
Neutral Base Recipes
 10% ABV Neutral Base
12% ABV Neutral Base

6. Government Regulations
Beer and Malt Beverages
Beer
Malt Beverage
Beer versus Malt Beverages
Approvals Required
Formula Approval
When Label Approval (COLA) is Needed
FDA Labeling
Canadian and US State Regulations
The Present and the Future

7. Making Hard Seltzer at Home

Equipment
Making a Hard Seltzer
Making the Sugar Wash
Aeration, Oxygenation, and pH Adjustment
pH Adjustment
Oxygenation
Pitching the Yeast
Fermentation
Taste Test
Fining
Odor Removal with CO₂
Flavor Additions and Carbonation
Recipes and Options
A Sweet Malternative Beverage
A Very Dry Beer

8. Recipes for Homebrewers

Recipes
 Hard Seltzer Recipes
Standard 4% ABV Hard Seltzer
Standard 5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Slightly Sweet 4% ABV Hard Seltzer
Slightly Sweet 5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Extra Low Calorie 3.5% ABV Hard Seltzer
Slightly Stronger 6% ABV Hard Seltzer
Neutral Base Recipes
8% ABV Neutral Base
10% ABV Neutral Base

9. Seltzer Cocktails Anyone Can Make

Simple Syrup
Simple Slimon
Sweet Cherry
Soft Drinks
OG Gator
Creature from the Black Lagoon
C8
Fruit Juice
Cape Scrod
Planet P
Beer
Velodrome
Michigana
Wine
Lobin Reach
Cozumel Sunset
Herbs and Flowers
Bog Blood
Lime Mint Fizz
Spices
Spirits
Fizziness

Appendix A: Making Hard Seltzer at Home – A Primer for First Time

Fermentationists
Appendix B: Homebrewing Beer for the First Time Fermentationist
Equipment for Homebrewing
Homebrewing Beer: The Basics
Malt Extract is Condensed Wort
Malt Extract-Based Beer
Homebrewing Beer with Malt Extract: Step by Step
Malt Extract Homebrew Recipe
Patrick Henry Pale Ale

Index
FOREWORD

I STARTED HOMEBREWING IN THE MID-2000S when I was in my

20s. I fell in love with the creativity and the community that came with
it. My first homebrew was a 100% extract wheat ale from a Mr. Beer® kit.
Within six months I was brewing with grain and adding all kinds of crazy
ingredients to my recipes. Fifteen years later, I sit as one of the cofounders
and chief brand officer of Denizens Brewing Co., and I am also on the
board of directors for both the Brewers Association and the Brewers
Association of Maryland. Producing 3,000 barrels a year, Denizens is a
small, craft brewery. I have been selling craft beer for over six years now
and have a pretty good impression of what consumers are drinking. Guess
what? Everyone who drinks alcohol—and I mean everyone—drinks hard
seltzer.
Hard seltzer is one of the more lighthearted and fun drinks to enter the
alcohol beverage space in a long time. Some of the most ardent craft beer
fans love hard seltzer, myself included. People who love ESBs love hard
seltzer. People who love fruited sours love hard seltzer. People who love
oatmeal stouts love hard seltzer. People who love IPAs (hazy or otherwise)
love hard seltzer. People who hate beer love hard seltzer. I could go on, but
you get the point.
I have always believed that the more people who engage with the craft
beer industry the better it will become. That includes drinkers and brewers
alike. Why would we not jump on the opportunity to make and sell hard
seltzer and potentially bring in new fans of our products? Who knows,
maybe a new hard seltzer customer will like it so much that they will try
one of our beers and enjoy that too? Craft brewers making hard seltzer is a
win-win for everyone. We can bring so many more people to the craft
brewing world by making this delicious beverage. Consumers can continue
to support locally made products while enjoying imbibing a drink with
lower calories, if that befits their lifestyle. And craft brewers do not have to
concede the hard seltzer consumer market to multinational conglomerates.
 At Denizens, adding hard seltzer to our core lineup has not detracted
from our beers but has, in fact, complimented them. Just because we are
making hard seltzers popular with drinkers does not mean we have to stop
making great beer. We want all customers to feel welcome, and part of our
mission is to offer flavors for every drinker. Everyone has a seat at our
table, including hard seltzer fans.
If you are a brewery owner you should be paying attention to the rise of
hard seltzers. After all, you are running a business and you want to make
sure that you are making the products that consumers want to drink. And if
you are brewing at home, why not add a new challenge? I know the thing
that I love most about homebrewing is learning new recipes and challenging
myself to make new styles.
The numbers tell a story. Hard seltzer is a skyrocketing category in the
alcohol beverage space. In fact, according to Nielsen1, hard seltzer’s highest
grossing week ever was the week leading up to July 4th, 2020. Generally
speaking, consumer trends are showing that sales of low-calorie and gluten-
free options are growing. Being a low-calorie, light, and easy-drinking
product, hard seltzer is the number one choice of drinkers who are carb
conscious.
Adding hard seltzer to your lineup is not only a short-term play, but in the
long term it will ensure your brewery’s success. We should all be making
the products that our customers want to buy if we want to survive. For those
of you who are still skeptical about adding hard seltzer to your product list,
here is the good news: there are still people who want to drink beer. I am
not arguing that we should stop making beer. I am arguing that our industry
should not miss out on a vast group of folks who would drink our products
if we simply added hard seltzer to our lineups.
If you picked up this book then you are at least curious about hard
seltzers and thinking they are something you may want to try and make.
Hard seltzer is a simple drink, but very easy to mess up when brewing it. I
wish this book existed when we started making seltzer two years ago. Our
team at Denizens spent a year honing recipes, production processes, yeast
choice, carbonation levels, and flavor profiles before releasing our first
version. You will find in the following pages an enormous amount of
information to help you get started and perfect your recipes. The author,
Chris Colby, is a long-term and avid homebrewer, has a formal education in
biology and chemistry, and has been writing about beer and brewing for 20
years. You should listen to him.

I will say it again: hard seltzer is the fastest growing category in the
alcohol beverage space, period. It has been experiencing double-digit
growth for years now and there are no signs of it slowing down. And yet,
until now, there have been no books or training materials on how to actually
make it. That is what this book is for. You are about to read the only book
solely dedicated to crafting hard seltzer. Not only will you find recipes and
discussions of production processes, raw materials, and ingredients, but also
a rundown of the regulations involved in classifying and labeling this new
product. If you are a homebrewer, this book also includes recipes and
brewing process tips aimed specifically at you.
I am looking forward to trying all the delicious versions of hard seltzer
you all come up with. I cannot wait to toast one with you!

Julie Verratti
Co-Founder/Chief Brand Officer, Denizens Brewing Co.

1 Justin Kendall, “Nielsen: Hard Seltzers Post Strongest Sales Week Ever During July 4 Holiday
Period,” Brewbound, July 13, 2020, https://www.brewbound.com/news/nielsen-hard-seltzers-
post-strongest-sales-week-ever-during-july-4-holiday-period.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I ’D LIKE TO THANK EVERYONE involved in this project, including

all the brewers who took time out of their busy schedules to talk to me
about their processes. I’d like to thank everyone who worked with the
manuscript, including the reviewers Dee Moore (Pretoria Farms
Cooperative), David Wilson (Alaskan Brewing Company), and Kris Kalav
(ATPGroup); and the copyeditor, Iain Cox. I’d also like to thank Kristi
Switzer (Brewers Association) for giving me the opportunity to write this
book—and my upcoming book on science and brewing. And finally, I’d
like to thank my wife for putting up with me.
INTRODUCTION

T HIS IS AN EXTREMELY TROUBLED time for craft brewers. Prior

to 2020, many breweries were struggling to keep up with craft beer
drinkers’ demand for new beers. In the “good ol’ days,” before the craft
beer revolution, brand loyalty was very strong among beer drinkers.
Budweiser drinkers drank Budweiser, period. They would turn their noses
up at other brands, even though they might not have been able to pick them
out in a triangle test. Not so among craft beer drinkers in 2019, who always
wanted the newest thing—invariably another variation on IPA. Meanwhile,
sales of classic craft beer brands suffered at the hands of an ever-changing
lineup of hazy, “juicy” IPAs. One potentially bright spot for brewers, at
least from a sales perspective, was the rise of hard seltzer. From 2016
through 2019 sales of hard seltzer kept rising and many breweries were
hopping on the bandwagon to brew these (usually) unhopped brews. Hard
seltzers were, surprisingly, selling to all age groups and, perhaps more
surprisingly, selling to both men and women equally.
Then came the COVID-19 pandemic. In most US states brewpubs closed,
able only to serve curbside to-go orders, and watched as beer in their brite
tanks slowly went stale. Production breweries had it a little better with
grocery store sales not directly affected, but some liquor stores were only
selling beer by curbside pickup. At time of writing, with the pandemic
ongoing, numerous brewpubs and craft breweries are on the brink of going
out of business.
So, this is a book on hard seltzers. If you are a professional brewer it is
possible you are reading this out of necessity and not a love of hard seltzers.
Brewing hard seltzers may allow you to keep your brewery afloat during
the COVID-19 crisis. And, when the dust settles on the pandemic, it may
bring greater profits to your brewery. In this book, I outline the steps
required to brew a hard seltzer and give example recipes for production
breweries and brewpubs. You will, of course, most likely formulate your
own recipes, but the recipes here will give you a starting point, something
to build on. I also review the federal regulations for brewing these “beers.”
Although hard seltzer might not excite anyone in your brewery, except
for your sales manager, it is an interesting beverage for technical reasons.
Brewing a good hard seltzer is a challenge for any brewer. There is a trick
to getting brewer’s yeast (or wine yeast or distiller’s yeast) to ferment a
solution of just sugar. Ending up with a crystal-clear, neutral base, with the
aroma and flavor of alcohol being the only organoleptic characters
detectable, likewise takes some skill. The best advice I can give—which I
repeat multiple times throughout the book—is to test everything. Taste test
your water. Taste test your recipe ideas using clear hard seltzer and your
chosen flavoring and acid. And definitely test to determine the level of
yeast nutrients required to allow your chosen yeast strain to ferment your
neutral base.
The history of the beverage is also somewhat interesting. Although hard
seltzers are wildly popular now, nobody was asking for them before they
were introduced. A change in Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
(TTB) regulations allowed sugar to be substituted for malt and some
brewers rolled the dice.
If you are a homebrewer, you are probably reading this book out of
curiosity. Maybe someone in your household likes hard seltzers and you
thought you would give it try. Or perhaps you enjoy technical challenges
and thought you could expand your brewing horizons. Well, here is some
good news—despite what some may say, you absolutely can brew a decent
hard seltzer at home. I give the full procedure for how to brew hard seltzer
at home and a handful of recipes covering the most popular types of hard
seltzer. (The flavors are all interchangeable.) For the homebrewer, running
the fermentation is the most difficult aspect of making a hard seltzer.
However, if you brew your hard seltzers at working strength this aspect is
not insurmountable. Producing a hard seltzer this way allows you to run an
ordered fermentation that yields a neutral base requiring little cleanup. (And
hey, you’re a homebrewer—it’s OK if your hard seltzer isn’t perfectly clear,
but you can certainly make it respectable.) Brewing a strong neutral base
and diluting it to working strength is something that advanced homebrewers
may want to tackle for the sheer challenge, but it takes a substantial effort to
clean up the strong neutral base after fermentation.
 Both professional brewers and homebrewers will, of course, likely
experiment and push the boundaries of hard seltzers. (Imperial barrel-aged
hazy hard seltzer anyone? Anyone? . . . Hello?) For its part, this book will
at least help you identify where the current boundaries are.
If you are not a brewer, you can at least gain an appreciation of the effort
that goes into making a hard seltzer. And as a bonus, the final chapter is on
mixing cocktails based on hard seltzers. Anyone can try these, even if they
are not a brewer.

I hope you enjoy the book. Now that I am done writing it, I need a beer.
© Getty/dkidpix
1
HISTORY

H UMANS HAVE BEEN BREWING FOR many thousands of years.

The history of brewing is expansive, endlessly fascinating, and well
beyond the scope of this book. Still, hard seltzers are mostly brewed
beverages, so a little brewing history can help us think about their place in
the world of fermented beverages. In this chapter I will review some of the
highlights of brewing history, paying attention to the ingredients, the
brewers, and the drinkers. Where it is known, I will also point out to what
extent societal customs and government regulations have affected the
course of brewing. All of these things are relevant to the continued rise of
hard seltzers today.

SPRINGTIME FOR BREWING

Archaeologists have found evidence indicating that the earliest known
brewing occurred in three distinct regions: ancient Mesopotamia, which
encompasses modern-day Iraq, southwest Iran, Kuwait, northeastern Syria,
and southeast Turkey; ancient Egypt; and ancient China. These
archaeological findings date back to at least 5,000 BC. The earliest brews
did not resemble modern, commercially produced beers, of course. In
addition to grain (including barley or spelt), some of the earliest beers
incorporated fruits or spices. None were hopped, the first recorded use of
hops in beer not appearing until the ninth century.
The earliest beers were not carbonated, as there were no pressure vessels
to hold them. Neither were they crystal-clear—even if they had been, there
were no clear glass vessels to view them through. Ancient pictures
depicting drinking in Mesopotamia show a group of people drinking a
beverage, described in texts as “cloudy and thick,” through straws. Both the
Egyptians and the Mesopotamians brewed multiple types of beer, and beer
was available to all regardless of social status.
The earliest brewers had to malt their own grain, relying on whatever
grains were grown in the region. Likewise, if their beers were spiced,
brewers were limited by whatever spices grew locally or were available
through trading. The same went for honey and fruit, ingredients also present
in early beer. Archaeologists have identified writings about beer—such as
the Hymn to Ninkasi—and analyzed residues in pottery from ancient sites
that, together, describe a wide variety of ingredients appearing in beers from
various times in various cultures.
Another shared aspect of many ancient beers is that they were likely
brewed by women. Archaeologists believe that much ancient brewing was
done by priestesses in service of their religion.

SUMMERTIME FOR BREWING

From its earliest beginnings, brewing spread to almost every culture and
beer was brewed wherever grains were grown. Throughout the Middle Ages
in Europe—lasting from the fifth through the fifteenth century—brewing
was done mostly by individual families or farms. In Scandinavia, for
example, each year farms were required to produce enough beer for their
residents. As in ancient times, brewing was predominantly the business of
women. The term alewife refers to such women. Although brewing was
mostly a household or farmstead practice, monastic brewing started in the
fifth century. The fermentable carbohydrates in most beers came from
malted grains, which included barley, wheat, oats, and others. Beers were
often spiced with a wide variety of bittering agents.
In many places, there were restrictions on brewers. For example, in
thirteenth-century England, all ale production was regulated by the Assize
of Bread and Ale. (An assize was originally a county court held periodically
to administer civil and criminal law; gradually, the word also came to mean
a statute for the regulation of weights and measures and the price of
commodities.) The Assize of Bread and Ale tied the price of ale to the price
of grain and specified that ale had to meet certain quality standards to be
sold publicly. After reaching Europe’s shores in the mid-fourteenth century,
the Black Death (bubonic plague) is estimated to have killed 75–200
million people in Eurasia from 1347 to 1351. After the Plague subsided
there was a rise in wages due to a labor shortage. For a variety of reasons,
there was also a rise in the standard of living, cheaper grain, and a
movement toward larger ale houses and brewing became more modernized.
As brewing transitioned from being something done mostly by individuals
to larger, commercial enterprises, men became the primary brewers of beer.
By the 1700s in Europe, guilds had formed to license brewers and brewing
became industrialized. This pushed lone women brewers and small female
brewing enterprises further to the side.
Through most of the nineteenth century, brewers in the Western tradition
recognized English, German, and Belgian brewing practices and tastes as
being the most influential in the modern world. In the twenty-first century
the United States, a Johnny-come-lately in terms of history, is now exerting
its own considerable influence on the brewing world.

ENGLAND
Throughout the mid-twentieth century, the English brewing scene was
heavily influenced by English pub culture. Most neighborhoods had a pub
and regulars would gather to drink milds and bitters, often with drinkers in
a group taking turns buying a round. These beers were low in alcohol by
today’s standards, often around 4%, and this was partly because the taxes
on more highly alcoholic beers made them more expensive. High-alcohol
beers such as barleywines and old ales existed, but were not the everyday
drink of most working-class Englishmen. It is unlikely that beer drinkers
clamored for low-alcohol brews. Instead, English pub culture evolved
around the low-ABV ales that resulted, in part, from high tax rates on
stronger beers.

GERMANY
In Germany, fears that too much wheat was being used for brewing led to
the Reinheitsgebot of 1516, often referred to as the German Beer Purity
Law. This law restricted the ingredients in beer to water, barley, and hops.
Brewers at the time did not have a full understanding of the role of yeast in
brewing and so it is not mentioned. The full text of the Reinheitsgebot is:
 We hereby proclaim and decree, by Authority of our
Province, that henceforth in the Duchy of Bavaria, in the
country as well as in the cities and marketplaces, the
following rules apply to the sale of beer:
From Michaelmas to Georgi, the price for one Mass
[1,069 mL] or one Kopf [slightly less than one Mass], is not
to exceed one Pfennig Munich value, and
From Georgi to Michaelmas, the Mass shall not be sold
for more than two Pfennig of the same value, the Kopf not
more than three Heller [a Heller is usually one-half Pfennig].
If this not be adhered to, the punishment stated below
shall be administered.
Should any person brew, or otherwise have, other beer
than March beer, it is not to be sold any higher than one
Pfennig per Mass.
Furthermore, we wish to emphasize that in future in all
cities, market towns and in the country, the only ingredients
used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and
Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses
upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court
authorities’ confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail.
Should, however, an innkeeper in the country, city or
market-towns buy two or three pails of beer [containing 60
Mass] and sell it again to the common peasantry, he alone
shall be permitted to charge one Heller more for the Mass or
the Kopf, than mentioned above. Furthermore, should there
arise a scarcity and subsequent price increase of the barley
(also considering that the times of harvest differ, due to
location), We, the Bavarian Duchy, shall have the right to
order curtailments for the good of all concerned.

Although touted as a law that ensured “beer purity,” it was partly enacted
to prevent brewers from competing with bakers for the available wheat and
rye on the market. While it is true that brewing with barley does indeed
produce great beer, there is no evidence that beer drinkers at the time the
Reinheitsgebot appeared preferred all-barley beers to those brewed with
other grains. If that had been the case, there would have been no reason to
order brewers to use only barley. As in Britain, German beer drinking
culture adapted to the constraints imposed by the government.

BELGIUM
Belgium’s beer culture is idiosyncratic in a lot of ways. And its history is no
exception. Arguably, Britain and Germany’s beer cultures were shaped by
government constraints that resulted in a lineup of beers that would not
have been brewed in the absence of those constraints. British brewers
would probably have made at least slightly stronger beer for sale if it was
more affordable to do so, something consumers would most likely have
embraced. Likewise, German brewers and beer drinkers would likely have
enjoyed producing a wider variety of beers if never roped in by the
Reinheitsgebot. In the case of Belgian brewers, however, legislation
actually opened the door for brewers to flourish and perhaps to appeal more
to consumer preferences.
In 1919, the Vandervelde Act prohibited the sale of spirits at pubs. The
legislation was named after Emile Vandervelde, Belgium’s Minister of
Justice and a vocal teetotaler. It allowed for the sale of spirits, which
included jenever, a distilled beverage that was a favorite in Belgium, only at
liquor stores. However, the minimum purchase was two liters and spirits
were taxed heavily. The law was supposedly aimed at preventing public
drunkenness by the working classes, hence the ban on selling spirits in pubs
and the prohibitive cost for anyone wishing to buy spirits to drink at home.
However, the Vandervelde Act placed no prohibitions on beer. In the years
since then, excepting during the Second World War, the Belgian beer
industry flourished, producing a dizzyingly wide variety of interesting, and
oftentimes unique, beers. The Vandervelde Act is sometimes credited with
spawning the boom in Belgian high-alcohol beers, but some beer historians
dispute this, pointing out that most of the well-known examples of highly-
alcoholic Belgian beers appeared only fairly recently in the 1980s. On the
other hand, Duvel—the 8.5% strong golden beer brewed from Pilsner malt
and sucrose—was introduced soon after the Vandervelde Act. What can be
said is that the constraints on purchasing spirits did slow their sale and
brewers stepped in to fill the void with a vast selection of beers.
 What all of this illustrates is that, in many cases, the beers available in a
country at any given time do not exist simply due to what brewers want to
brew and consumers want to buy. Taxes, proscribed ingredients, and other
constraints play a role in every country’s beer culture. Other variables not
discussed here—most notably technological advances—also drive changes
in brewing.

WINTER ARRIVES
Zima was not the first “malternative” beverage (or alcopop), but it was the
first to gain, and for a reasonable period, keep, a national distribution and
the attention of consumers. This clear, lemon-lime flavored beverage was
introduced in 1993 by the Coors Brewing Company under the name Zima
Clearmalt. (Just a year earlier, Crystal Pepsi had been introduced to the soft
drink market.) The word zima means “winter” in the Slavic languages.
Brewed using some malt, and at 4.7%–5.4% ABV, Zima was pitched as an
alternative to beer. A year after its introduction, Coors estimated that 70%
of US beer drinkers had tried it.
Zima was derided both in beer circles and the popular media. Late-night
TV talk show host David Letterman repeatedly referred to the beverage as a
“girly-man” drink and the product never shook the reputation of being
aimed at women. (Early on, this accusation was also leveled at hard
seltzers, but sales of hard seltzers indicate they are equally popular with
men and women.) This image was hard to shake, and Coors told retailers
not to stock Zima next to the sweeter, and definitely women-associated,
wine coolers. In 1995, Coors tried to woo male drinkers with Zima Gold, a
beverage that was golden in color and featured a faint hint of bourbon, but it
tanked within the year. Coors also tried to do to Zima what Miller Brewing
Company did to its Miller Lite beer—masculinize it by tying it to sports.
Advertisements featuring young men enjoying a Zima after an apparent
pickup game of football failed to do what Bubba Smith, Dick Butkus, Larry
Csonka, Bob Uecker, and others succeeded at doing for Miller Lite.
Coors sold 1.3 million barrels of Zima in 1994, but sales dropped to
403,000 barrels in 1996. Despite this, Coors kept it in production for
another 12 years. Sales rebounded a little when the company increased the
lemon-lime flavoring and began advertising the drink for its thirst-
quenching properties. Nevertheless, Zima went out of production in the US
in 2008, although it had a limited re-release in 2017. It is still produced in
Japan.
Other clear beers followed, including Miller’s Clear Beer, Pabst’s Izen
Klar, and Stroh’s Clash, but none gained any traction. On the other hand,
alcopops such as Smirnoff Ice and Bacardi Breezer did succeed in carving
out a niche for themselves.
After Zima, a variety of flavored malt beverages came and went. A few,
such as Mike’s Hard Lemonade, were briefly a hit. Originally introduced in
Canada in 1996 as a cooler with spirits added, Mike’s Hard Lemonade was
reformulated as a flavored malt beverage for the US market. The Mark
Anthony Group, who later introduced White Claw hard seltzers, was the
company behind it. The reformulated, malt-based version of Mike’s Hard
Lemonade was launched in Boston on April Fools’ Day in 1999. It quickly
gained ground and began boasting strong sales despite competing malt
beverages from both Anheuser-Busch and Miller. In fact, in 2016, Mike’s
was one of the fastest-growing beer brands in the US. (When reporting on
sales figures, all brewed beverages are grouped under “beer,” which
includes flavored malt beverages.) Between 2009 and 2016 the company
doubled in size and the number of products expanded to 14, including
higher-alcohol versions.
Later, in 2015, one of the best-selling craft beers in the US was Not Your
Father’s Root Beer. There has been some discussion of how this beverage,
which some call a hard soda but falls into a craft beer data set, is made. The
brewery (Small Town Brewery) claims that it is a traditionally brewed beer
flavored with spices typically found in soft root beers. However, some
within the industry have speculated that it is a flavored malt beverage,
citing its sweetness. Still others, citing Small Town’s higher-alcohol version
of the drink (10.7% ABV), claim that it must be spiked with neutral grain
spirits. In addition, there is evidence that the brewery is not a small,
independent brewery but instead is connected to Phusion Projects, the
makers of Four Loko. However Not Your Father’s Root Beer is made, this
flavored alcoholic beverage preceded hard seltzers and is yet another
example of something marketed either as a beer or a substitute for beer that
tastes different from any traditional beer.
 In 2016, the Mark Anthony Group released White Claw. This drink was
made possible by a change in TTB regulations allowing sugar to be used as
a substitute for malt in beers. The company believed that millennials would
be receptive to a drink that was low in calories,1 low in carbohydrates, and
gluten-free. White Claw seltzer had approximately the same alcoholic
content as beer but gave a vague impression of being healthy. Sales grew
each year, and many other breweries began brewing their own versions. At
first, hard seltzers were selling most strongly in the warmer months, but
around 2019 they began showing strong sales year-round. Whereas most
flavored beers, malternative beverages, and alcopops in the past became
stuck with a reputation of being only for women, hard seltzers appealed
equally to both men and women. And, although targeted at younger
drinkers, older drinkers began enjoying them too. Dismissed by many as
likely to be a fad when they were introduced, most beverage industry
analysts believe hard seltzers will continue to gain market share in the next
few years.

CREATING CONSUMER APPEAL

Long story short, lots of different forces have shaped brewing throughout its
history: availability of ingredients, improved technology, and government
intervention (often in the form of taxes). These variables have had both
positive and negative influences, but one thing absent from this discussion
is consumer desire. Many of the changes did not come about because
consumers desired something. This is also the case with hard seltzers. In
2015, there was no consumer outcry for clear, alcoholic, fizzy beverages
with a light fruit flavor. A change in US government regulation via the TTB
allowed brewers to make hard seltzers that would be taxed at the rate of
beer (or malt beverages). Consumer demand followed the trend, it did not
precede it.
Hard seltzers racked up over $1 billion US sales in 2019. Ever since their
introduction, many people have dismissed them as a fad. Usually, these
dismissals were not based on evidence and showed a lack of understanding
about the nature of the appeal of the beverage. A December 2019 article in
Forbes opined that hard seltzer is not likely to be a fad, citing the fact that
30% of consumers who bought a hard seltzer made a repeat purchase. Also
in late 2019, financial services company UBS predicted hard seltzers would
reach $2.5 billion in annual sales by 2021. As signs continue to point to
growth in this segment, more and more breweries are jumping on the
bandwagon. In early 2020, Anheuser-Busch introduced its line of Bud Light
Hard Seltzers. Industry experts claim the company has invested $100
million to get in on this market.
Hard seltzers are marketed toward younger drinkers. They have been
labeled a “social media beverage” given the influence social media has had
on their sales. Comedian Trevor Wallace contributed to awareness of hard
seltzer when he released a June 2019 video in which he claimed, “Ain’t no
laws when you’re drinkin’ the claws, baby,” a reference to White Claw. The
video had over 3,700,000 views by late 2019.
Rightly or wrongly, many drinkers believe drinking hard seltzers is
“healthier.” The drinks are low in carbohydrates and calories, which is
widely believed to explain their appeal. In 2019 Twitter traffic, “low carb,”
“low calorie,” and “keto” are three terms strongly associated with the
beverage. (“Keto” here refers to a ketogenic diet, a high-fat, low-
carbohydrate diet originally formulated to help treat children with epilepsy,
but which has recently become a fad diet for people wishing to lose
weight.) On social media sites, drinkers are most likely to post pictures of
themselves drinking hard seltzer in social situations. Discussions of the
beverage itself are generally limited to it being low in calories and low in
carbs—and, of course, that it contains alcohol. There is virtually no
discussion of the flavor, aroma, or any other characteristic of the beverage
itself. These characteristics that typify hard seltzers—calorie content,
carbohydrates, alcohol, flavors—are outlined further in chapter 2.
Although initially viewed as drink for millennials, hard seltzer is making
inroads with older drinkers as well. Perhaps more importantly, despite early
indications that the drink was perceived as “feminine,” hard seltzer is
appealing to male and female drinkers equally. By contrast, beer’s
popularity is highly skewed toward men, whereas wine’s popularity is
higher with women.
In 2018, sales of hard seltzer rose in the early part of the year and were
especially strong in the period between Memorial Day and Labor Day, after
which they declined. In 2019, sales of hard seltzer continued to rise
throughout the year, ending speculation that hard seltzer might become just
a seasonal, warm-weather beverage.
Hard seltzer detractors tend to be drinkers who focus on the organoleptic
properties of the drink. How can people continue to buy something that
“tastes like TV static” they ask? The answer is that this is not what people
are buying into—they are buying a beverage that is the thing that young,
trendy, pseudo-health-conscious people are drinking. Rising sales, the fact
that both men and women are buying them, and a drop in seasonality all
hint that hard seltzers are here to stay.

1 Throughout this text, calorie refers to the large calorie (Calorie, or kilocalorie) used to express the
energy content of foods.
© Souders Studio
2
HARD SELTZER CHARACTERISTICS

A LTHOUGH OTHER MALTERNATIVE BEVERAGES HAVE at

least a 30-year history, depending on your definition of malt beverage,
drinks called hard seltzers only began rising to prominence in 2016. This
was the year White Claw was introduced. Since then, the number of hard
seltzer brands has grown continually. Some of these beverages are labeled
spiked seltzers, spiked spritzers, sparkling hard seltzers, or some other
combination of these terms. A few of these actually are spiked, in the sense
that they have a distilled spirit added to a base seltzer. However, for tax
purposes, most are brewed beverages. The market has already started to
produce variations on the basic hard seltzer theme, but the most popular
hard seltzers have several things in common—and a few things that
separate them from beer and other malternative beverages.

CALORIES AND CARBS

A basic hard seltzer is a low in calories compared to many other alcoholic
beverages. The most popular brands have 90–100 calories per 12 fl. oz.
serving. In contrast, the same size serving of typical American light Pilsner
beer ranges from 95 to 110 calories, with ultra-low-calorie beers such as
Miller Genuine Draft 64 and Bud Select 55 having 64 and 55 calories,
respectively. Most regular American Pilsners weigh in at 140–150 calories.
India pale ale (IPA), which is currently the most popular craft beer type,
typically contains between 180 and 230 calories.
In addition to their low caloric content, many hard seltzer brands tout the
low amount of sugar or carbohydrates in their beverages (typically 2 g per
12 fl. oz. serving or less) as a selling point. The sugar and caloric content of
hard seltzer is much lower than that of previous incarnations of malternative
beverages. From table 2.1, it can be seen that today’s hard seltzer contains
roughly 100 calories and 20 g of carbs less than the previous generation of
malternative beverages.

Table 2.1 Caloric and carbohydrate content of beverage brands per

12 fl. oz. serving

Brand Calories (kcal) Carbohydrates (g)

Zima 181 21

Smirnoff Ice 228 32

Mike’s Hard Lemonade 220 33

Not Your Father’s Root Beer 177 12

Together, the low calorie count and low sugar or carbohydrate content is
meant to appeal to “health-conscious drinkers” (which may sound a bit
oxymoronic), especially those on diets that restrict carbohydrate intake,
such as ketogenic diets, the Atkins diet, Whole30, and the South Beach diet.
Many brands additionally label themselves as gluten-free, something that
distinguishes them from beer, even though, ironically, some are categorized
as beers by the TTB rather than as malt beverages.

ALCOHOL CONTENT
Typical hard seltzers contain 4%–5% alcohol by volume (ABV), are highly
carbonated, dry to semi-sweet, and lightly flavored. “They taste like a La
Croix [a brand of flavored seltzer water] with a shot of vodka added,” says
Ashton Lewis, brewmaster at Springfield Brewing Co.
FLAVORS
Hard seltzers come in a wide variety of flavors, as well as unflavored. In
late 2019, I surveyed 24 hard seltzer makers, including all of the best-
selling brands, and found 45 different flavors represented. The flavors
mostly came from fruits, including citrus fruits, stone fruits (drupes), and
berries (aggregate fruits).
Grapefruit and lime are the most popular citrus flavors found in hard
seltzers. Cherry and mango are the most popular stone fruits. And
raspberry, strawberries, and blackberries are all popular aggregate fruits.
Other flavorings include vegetables (cucumber), herbs (basil and rosemary),
and flowers (hibiscus and elderflower). A small number of hard seltzers
include “rosé” in their name, which could indicate a color only or a color
and flavor associated with any red fruit.
Some hard seltzers are flavored with a single fruit or other flavor. Others
have a combination of flavors. Single-flavored seltzers and seltzers with a
flavor combination exist in roughly equal numbers in the examples I
surveyed. From the top 24 producers, I found 53 seltzers with a single
flavor listed, 52 with two flavors listed, and one with three flavors listed.
Additionally, I found multi-flavored hard seltzers sold as mixed berry, piña
colada, and mojito, for which the actual number of different flavors in each
is unspecified. The top two seltzer producers, White Claw and Truly,
favored single flavors to flavor combinations (at a 15:2 ratio), indicating
that single flavors may be more popular in terms of volume produced.
 © Getty/Roman Samokhin

SINGLE-FLAVORED SELTZERS
The single-flavored seltzers available in the ones surveyed range from
simple, “crowd-pleasing” flavors (e.g., cherry and lime) to slightly more
sophisticated, or at least less common, flavors such as prickly pear and
dragon fruit. The most popular flavor is grapefruit, alternately listed as
grapefruit, ruby grapefruit, or ruby red grapefruit. Thirteen of the top 24
brands produced a grapefruit-only seltzer. Cherry, in all but one case listed
as black cherry, was the second most popular flavor, with seven instances.
The top three seltzer producers—White Claw, Truly, and Bon & Viv—all
offer grapefruit and black cherry single-flavored options, so these flavors
assuredly lead in both numbers of brands produced and overall volume of
that flavor brewed. Lime and pineapple were the next most abundant, each
with six examples. Out of the top three producers, only White Claw offered
a lime-only flavor. However, lime was also the flavor most likely to be part
of a combination of flavors, and Truly and Bon & Viv offer a raspberry lime
and a lemon lime seltzer, respectively. The next most popular single flavors
are mango (4 instances); cranberry and watermelon (each 3 instances); and
orange, lemon, passion fruit, and peach (each 2 instances).

FLAVOR COMBINATIONS
Roughly half of hard seltzer offerings examined come with a combination
of two flavors. In some cases, these combinations are seemingly intended to
appeal to slightly more sophisticated palates than the average single-
flavored beverage. One manufacturer, Press, even advertises that it uses
“foodie” flavor combinations (Press’s hard seltzers also contain more sugar
and calories than is typical). Although plenty of hard seltzers feature two
flavors, there are only two flavor combinations that appear more than once
—these are lemon lime and raspberry lime, each produced by two different
brands. Lime was the flavor most likely to be one-half of a flavor
combination, with nine instances of lime being paired with another flavor.
Lemon was the second most popular flavor found in flavor combinations.
Raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry all had four instances (so did rosé,
which again could indicate either a color or an unspecified flavor and its
corresponding color.) There were three instances of flavor combinations
that include blueberry, cherry, cucumber, lemonade, or peach; this includes
blueberry acai, cherry lime, cucumber peach, blueberry lemonade, and
mango peach. If herbs or flowers are a listed ingredient, they are always
paired with a fruit; examples include watermelon mint, melon basil, black
cherry and rosemary, blackberry hibiscus, and lemon elderflower. The only
example of a seltzer with three flavors listed is lemon agave hibiscus
offered by Wild Basin Boozy Spiked Seltzers, a brand of Oskar Blues.
 © Getty/Photozek07

The numbers cited here are just a snapshot in time and will certainly
change. The overall pattern—simple single-flavored products in roughly
equal numbers with slightly more elegant two-flavor combinations—is
unlikely to dramatically change. Also, when I write about simple flavors
and slightly more sophisticated flavors, the word “slightly” is important. It
is unlikely that anyone with a refined palate would view any of the hard
seltzer flavors as complex or compelling. These are simple, inoffensive
beverages that can be drank (quickly, if desired) without requiring any
contemplation. The simplicity of these beverages is another of the possible
reasons for their sudden success, beyond appealing to health-conscious
drinkers. If you are standing at the seltzer display in a store, trying to decide
between hard cherry and lime, it is unlikely that anyone is going to tell you
his opinion of a particular brand, the brewery that makes it, the ingredients
they use, or whether its maker is independent or owned by a larger
company. These are simple beverages aimed at consumers who want to
make simple choices regarding their belch-fueling tipsy water.

Table 2.2 Common hard seltzer flavors commercially available in

descending order of abundance

Flavor Comment

Grapefruit Sometimes as Red Grapefruit or Ruby Red Grapefruit

Lime Singly and as one half of a flavor combination

Lemon Singly, paired with other flavors, or as lemonade

Cherry Almost always Black Cherry

Pineapple

Mango

Cranberry

Watermelon

Orange

Peach

Passion fruit
 Flavor Comment

Raspberry Often with lime

Strawberry Usually paired with another flavor

Blackberry Usually paired with another flavor

Acai Paired with blueberry

Cucumber Paired with peach

Mint Paired with watermelon

Basil Paired with melon

Rosemary Paired with blackberry and hibiscus

Hibiscus Usually paired with another flavor

Elderflower Paired with lemon

Notes: Order of abundance as of June 2020. Unflavored hard seltzers are also fairly popular.

CARBONATION
Like plain seltzers, much of the appeal of hard seltzers is their spritz. Hard
seltzers are typically carbonated to around 2.8 volumes of CO₂, slightly
higher than a typical craft beer or American Pilsner (which are usually
around 2.4–2.6 volumes of CO₂). There is no lasting foam in a hard seltzer,
but its fizz tickles the tongue and wafts the beverage’s (typically faint)
aroma up to the drinker’s nose. Brewpubs that make hard seltzers often
push them at the same CO₂ pressure as their beers. This results in a lower
level of carbonation but avoids potential problems with excessive foaming
in the draught system.

Table 2.3 Typical carbonation levels in fermented drinks

Beverage Volumes of CO₂

British pub-style ale 2.2

European lagers 2.4–2.5

Typical American craft ale 2.5

American-style Pilsner 2.5–2.6

Soda pop (cola, etc.) 3.5–5.0

Belgian-style tripel 4.0

German hefeweizen 4.0–5.0

Soft seltzer 3.0–5.0

Champagne or sparkling wine 6.0

Notes: Figures given are for the most typical examples of the beverage. Higher and lower levels
can be found.

CALORIES: ALCOHOL AND SWEETNESS

Hard seltzers are lightly flavored and not overtly sweet, being far less sweet
than soft drinks (e.g., Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper, and Mtn Dew). Many hard
seltzer producers list the amount of calories per 12 fl. oz. serving on their
packaging, with most being in the 90–100 calorie range. This is lower than
most soft drinks, which typically contain 140–160 calories in the same size
serving. However, the 90–100 calories in hard seltzer comes mostly from its
alcohol. In a soft drink all of the calories come from sugar, most often high-
fructose corn syrup.
Pure ethanol has 1,905 calories per 12 fl. oz. serving. Thus, the alcohol in
a drink that is 4.0% ABV would have 76 calories; a 5.0% ABV drink would
have 95 calories. Given the known caloric content of most hard seltzers,
this leaves little room for sweetness from sugars. A 4% ABV seltzer with
90 calories from alcohol would have 14 calories from carbohydrates. This
leaves room for 3.6 g of sugar per 12 fl. oz., assuming there is no other
source of calories. Similarly, a 5% ABV seltzer with 100 calories from
alcohol will have 5 calories remaining from carbs—meaning just 1.3 g of
sugar per 12 fl. oz. In contrast, a 160-calorie soda has 43 g of sugar per 12
fl. oz. serving. The amount of sugar with which you can potentially back
sweeten a hard seltzer is further reduced if there are any residual
carbohydrates left after fermentation. (Back sweetening refers to adding
sugar to a beverage after fermentation, then preventing fermentation of that
sugar. This sweetens the beverage.) In total, this means back sweetening
will be limited to 0.50–1.3 oz. (14–37 g) sugar per US gallon (3.8 L) or,
equivalently, 15–42 oz. (0.43–1.2 kg) per US barrel (31 US gallons, or 117
L). This is not much. In contrast, back sweetening a bone-dry wine to 2%
sugar—putting it at the low end of semi-sweet wines—would take about
twice as much sugar, around 2.7 oz. (77 g) per US gallon or 84 oz. (2.4 kg)
per US barrel.
As with the sweetness, the intensity of the flavor additions in hard seltzer
is low. The typical amount of flavoring added is around 0.7–3.0 mL/L. This
is equivalent to 2.8–12 fl. oz. (86–355 mL) per US barrel.
The sweetness of fruits in their native state varies. So does the level of
acidity and the type of acid found in the actual fruit. In some cases, the fruit
flavoring in a seltzer may not be as appealing as the flavor of the actual
fresh fruit because there is less sweetness associated with it. In other words,
the fruit flavoring may not contain sugar. In a similar manner, the fruit
flavor added to a seltzer may be improved if the seltzer’s acidity is brought
closer to the level of acidity of the native fruit.
For this reason, you might think that seltzer producers would stick to
flavors derived from low-sugar fruits. In this way, the flavor of the fruit
would be tasted with a similar level of background sweetness that
consumers would expect from the native fruit. But although lime and
cranberry (two low-sugar fruits) are popular flavors, so too are cherry and
mango. These latter two fruits have a relatively high sugar content in their
natural state, but the cherry and mango flavors used in hard seltzers do not
necessarily contain sugar.

Table 2.4 Typical alcoholic strength of various fermented

beverages

Beverage Alcohol by volume (ABV)

Hard seltzer 4%–5%

American pale ale 5%–5.5%

American-style Pilsner 5%

American-style IPA 6%–7%

British pub bitter 3.5%

Foreign export stout 6%–8%

German Oktoberfest 6%

German bockbier 6%–7%

 Beverage Alcohol by volume (ABV)

German hefeweizen 5%

Strong Belgian ale 6%–12%

White wine 9%–11%

Red wine 11%–16%

Sweet mead 8%–12%

Notes: Values are given for most typical examples. Weaker and stronger versions of any of these
beverages are not hard to find. Consult the BJCP Guidelines for the accepted ABV ranges of beer
styles recognized in homebrew contests.

ACIDITY
Hard seltzers are not sour, but most have a level of acidity that gives the
beverage some “zing” that complements the fruit flavor. Some of the acidity
comes from carbonic acid, a weak acid that forms naturally when carbon
dioxide is dissolved in water. However, additional acids are frequently also
present in a hard seltzer.
As a fruit ripens its acidity drops as its sugar level rises. At harvest most
fruits are sweet but still have enough acidity to make them tangy.
Raspberries and Granny Smith apples, for example, both have a prominent
tart edge to them. The acidity in these two fruits is the result of different
acids. The most abundant acid in raspberries is citric acid; the most
abundant acid in Granny Smith apples is malic acid. When making a fruit
flavored hard seltzer, the brewer should accentuate the acidity, if needed,
with the appropriate acid for the fruit.
Citric acid is the most abundant acid in strawberries, raspberries, and
many other berries. It is also, as the name implies, the most abundant acid
in citrus fruits. Lime, grapefruit, lemon, and orange are all popular citrus
flavors in hard seltzers. And citric acid is frequently seen on the ingredient
list of beverages with these flavors.
Malic acid is the most abundant acid in cherries, blueberries, peaches,
apricots, pears and plums. It is also abundant in apples and especially
prominent in sour apples. Green apple candies, for example are sometimes
flavored only with malic acid. The name “malic” comes from the Latin
malus, meaning apple (the genus of the domesticated apple is Malus).
Tartaric acid is an acid best known as a component of grapes. The
potassium salt of tartaric acid, potassium bitartrate, crystallizes and often
forms “wine diamonds” when grape juice is fermented. Grape is a popular
flavor in non-alcoholic beverages. However, at the time I surveyed
available hard seltzer brands there were none with grape flavoring. This is
likely due to potential problems related to grapes being the most common
fruit from which wine is made. Wine is taxed at a different rate than beer.
So, even though up to 49% of the ingredients in a beer can be grapes and it
still be classified as a beer, many brewers shy away from putting out grape
beers. (The recent rise of rosé beer is an exception to this pattern.)
Other acids play a key role in the flavor of some fruits. In some cases, the
appropriate acid may be a part of the flavoring mix. In other cases, it may
be added separately. None of the popular hard seltzers are overtly sour, but
most have a level of acidity that, along with the level of carbonation, gives
them a refreshing quality.

Table 2.5 Most abundant acids found in various fruits used as

flavorings in hard seltzers

Citric acid Lime, lemon, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, blueberry

Apple, pear, banana, raspberry, cherry, apricot, peach,

Malic acid
watermelon

Tartaric
Grape, tamarind
acid
 Quinic Cranberry
acid

In general, citrus fruits (e.g., lime and orange) contain a high amount of citric acid. Drupes (e.g.,
cherry and peach) usually contain a lot of malic acid. Most common berries (e.g., raspberry and
strawberry) have substantial levels of both citric acid and malic acid, with malic acid usually
being more abundant. Individual cultivars may vary.

VARIATIONS
Already, there are many variations on the hard seltzer theme. Perhaps the
most expected are the higher-alcohol versions. Pabst Brewing Company
was one of the first to offer a hard seltzer with more kick, releasing an 8%
ABV hard seltzer. The Anheuser-Busch Natural Light brand was another
early entrant in the higher alcohol derby with their 6% ABV lineup of
boozy seltzers. There are a variety of others now.
Other companies have introduced sweeter examples. Press, for example,
with their 110-calorie offerings, gives drinkers a sweeter, but higher-calorie,
option. White Claw went the other way, at least temporarily, with a lineup
of 70-calorie, 3.7% ABV seltzers. There are also brands, such as Crook and
Marker, who use artificial sweeteners like stevia to improve the flavor of
their offerings without increasing the calorie count.
Some breweries are also coming up with new variants that are not a result
of simply tweaking the existing variables. Alaskan Brewing Company is
using local ingredients in their lineup, namely sitka spruce. Also, multiple
breweries in states where it is legal have offered CBD-infused or THC-
infused hard seltzers. (There are soft seltzers infused with these compounds
as well.)

Since their introduction in 2016, hard seltzers have been characterized as

relatively low-calorie and low-carbohydrate beverages, typically supplying
between 90 and 100 calories and containing less than 2 g of sugar per 12 fl.
oz. serving. Most examples currently on the market are 4%–5% ABV. As
they are marketed toward health-conscious drinkers, some brands also tout
that they are gluten-free. Already, however, producers are making some
hard seltzers with more or less sugar or more or less alcohol. Hard seltzers
are typically lightly flavored and highly carbonated, with fruit flavors
dominating the flavor choices. The light fruit flavor is often accentuated
with a hint of acidity from citric or malic acid. In the next chapter, we will
take a look at the ingredients that go into making hard seltzers.
© Getty/heinstirred
3
INGREDIENTS

T HE INGREDIENTS IN A TYPICAL hard seltzer include water, sugar,

and a flavoring. As we saw in chapter 2, the impression of the
flavoring may be enhanced by the addition of the appropriate acid or by
back sweetening.
Yeast ferments the initial sugar mixture and yeast nutrients are required
to “feed” the yeast. The flavoring and other ingredients are added after
fermentation. If the beverage is back sweetened, a stabilizing agent is
required. This can either be potassium sorbate or heat pasteurization. Yeast
and yeast nutrients may be thought of as either an ingredient or a processing
aid; whatever category a brewer puts them in, their role in brewing does not
change.
Although most hard seltzers are made from fermented sugar, some
formulations include malted barley and hops. These beverages can be
identified as a malt beverage under TTB regulations. Otherwise, the
beverage will be categorized as a beer. (And yes, that is the opposite of how
most brewers think of it.) If malted rice is included in the recipe, the brewer
may be required to add enzymes to ensure complete conversion of the rice’s
starch. One of the most notable features of a hard seltzer is its fizziness. As
such, it is reasonable to think of carbon dioxide as an ingredient. Indeed, the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it is and carbon dioxide, or
carbonated water, has to be listed specifically.

WATER
Most hard seltzers are roughly 95%–96% water and none of the remaining
components of a hard seltzer are strongly flavored. As such, it is important
for brewers to ensure the quality of their water. The requirements for water
used in brewing a hard seltzer are very similar to those for brewing liquor. It
needs to be potable (of course), and free from any compounds that give it
off-odors or flavors. Most municipal water sources will deliver suitable
water in these respects. Some well water sources may contain iron, which
makes them unsuitable for brewing.

DEALING WITH CHLORINE

Brewers using municipal water sources need to remove the chlorine
compounds that have been added to the water to suppress microbial growth.
The most commonly used primary disinfectant is chlorine, which is added
to the water at the treatment plant. The most common secondary
disinfectant in municipal waters is monochloramine, a.k.a. chloramine
(NH₂Cl), which is synthesized by replacing one of the hydrogens in
ammonia (NH₃) with chlorine. Monochloramine is added to the water as it
leaves the treatment plant because monochloramine is more stable than
chlorine, maintaining its disinfectant properties for longer in the distribution
system. As a consequence, monochloramine is also harder to eliminate from
water than chlorine. Chlorine will evaporate from water, given time; heating
and agitation will increase the evaporation rate of chlorine. Unfortunately,
evaporation does not work with monochloramine.
Most breweries deal with chloramines by filtering their water through
activated charcoal. Some homebrewers neutralize chloramines by treating
their water with sodium metabisulfite or potassium metabisulfite, the active
ingredient in Campden tablets. One tablet treats 20 gallons (76 L) of water
and the reaction occurs almost instantaneously. If any chlorine remains in
the water, treatment for chloramines will remove it. Any established
brewery will already be processing their water to remove these
disinfectants, so no additional action beyond what is done to produce water
suitable for brewing is required for brewers of hard seltzers.
Brewing liquor—the treated water used for brewing beer—additionally
requires certain amounts of particular ions in order to set the proper
conditions in the mash. The proper level of calcium ions is especially
important. However, since the fermentable carbohydrates for most hard
seltzers do not come from malted grains that have been mashed, the mineral
requirements for beer do not apply to hard seltzers, excepting those that
include a small amount of malt in their formulation.
If the hard seltzer does use malted grains, the usual recommendations for
brewing liquor are that it contain 50–150 parts per million (ppm) calcium
ions. Additionally, for pale beers, the usual recommendation is that the
alkalinity of the water—expressed either as ppm or mg/L CaCO₃—not
exceed 50 ppm. Alkalinity is a measure of how much acidity a solution can
absorb. In brewing water sources, alkalinity is usually roughly equivalent to
the concentration of bicarbonate ions ( ). For darker beers, in contrast,
the most advantageous levels of alkalinity may climb to around 200 ppm.
For hard seltzers, below 50 ppm would be best.
The combination of calcium ions, magnesium ions, and bicarbonate ions
in brewing liquor influences the pH of a beer’s mash. The mash pH also
sets the stage for the pH to drop lower in the boil and during fermentation.
In a hard seltzer made from only sugar these pH changes do not occur. As
such, if a brewery has a standard brewing liquor for making pale beers,
using it would be the simplest approach.

YOUR LOCAL WATER SOURCE

Brewers who use municipal water sources have probably consulted their
city’s water analysis reports at some time. These will give the level of
calcium, carbonate, and magnesium ions in their water, along with the
standard measures of water purity. Keep in mind that these reports are
generally either from a single point in time or an average over a longer
period of time. Municipal water sources can change as cities switch
between different wells or other (surface) water sources. If you are brewing
hard seltzers, always taste test each batch after the chlorine compounds
have been removed and assess its suitability. Beyond simply being potable,
the water should also taste good.
If your brewery’s water source has off characters, these should be
remedied. In most cases, filtration through activated charcoal will be the
best approach. In the case of water with a very low amount of dissolved
minerals, minerals such as calcium chloride or calcium sulfate may be
added to improve the taste of the water. It should not take over 50 ppm of
either calcium chloride or calcium sulfate to do that. However, bottled water
sold as mineral water may have total dissolved solids in the 200–1,500 ppm
range. So, feel free to experiment with levels of minerals up to this amount.
Adding minerals should really only be necessary if you are using reverse
osmosis (RO) water. Still, it is easy to quickly tell if adding a small amount
of minerals affects the taste of your brewing water.

SUGAR
Table sugar (sucrose) is the most abundant, and in many cases the only,
fermentable carbohydrate in most hard seltzers. In some cases, glucose—or
even high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—can be used instead of sucrose. As
very nearly 100% of the sugar will be fermented in a well-run fermentation,
sucrose or glucose does not add sweetness to the drink; it is merely in the
recipe to be consumed by yeast to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. If
sweetness is desired, the beverage can be back sweetened.
 © Getty/pioneer111

Sucrose is most commonly sold as granulated sugar, consisting of small

white crystals, that is isolated from sugar cane or sugar beets. However,
there are other forms of sucrose. Brown sugar is primarily sucrose with
either a bit of molasses retained from the refining process or molasses
added back to refined white sugar. Sucrose may also be sold as powdered
sugar, or confectioner’s sugar, which is sugar ground to a fine consistency.
Powdered sugar often has up to 5% of an anti-caking agent added, usually
corn starch or tricalcium phosphate. The molasses in brown sugar and anti-
caking agents in powdered sugar make them unsuitable for hard seltzer
production. Regular white granulated sugar is, obviously, the preferred
choice.
Sources of Sugar
Back in the 1400s, sugar was an expensive luxury. Now it is a relatively
cheap commodity. If anything, some nutritional experts say it is too
cheap. The low cost of sugar is another reason, outside of tax concerns,
that brewing hard seltzers can be profitable. Most brewers know at least
a little about the production of barley and hops, which are the two main
agriculturally produced ingredients in beer. However, they may not be
aware of how sugar—the second-most abundant ingredient (after water)
in hard seltzers—is produced.
The two main sources of sucrose are sugarcane and sugar beet. Corn,
or maize, is the primary source of glucose (dextrose) and also the source
of high-fructose corn syrup. Here I give a brief overview of these three
crops. The information here does not have any implications for how hard
seltzer is produced in your brewery; it is simply (hopefully) interesting
information that will allow you to take a wider view of the ingredients
you use.

Sugarcane
 © Getty/fcafotodigital

Sugarcane is the largest food crop in the world in terms of harvest

weight; corn (maize) is second and rice is third. Seventy-nine percent of
the world’s sugar comes from sugarcane, with the crop being worth
US$24 billion in 2011. In 2016, 41% of sugarcane in the world was
grown in Brazil. In the US, sugarcane is grown commercially in the Gulf
states, from Texas to Florida. If you are a gardener in USDA hardiness
zones 9–10, you should be able to grow sugarcane in your area.
Sugarcane is a grass species in the genus Saccharum, which is in the
family Poaceae. Among the grasses, sugarcane is closely related to
sorghum (Sorghum) and slightly more distantly related to maize (Zea). It
is even more distantly related to the cereal grains, including rice (Oryza),
wheat (Triticum), barley (Hordeum), oats (Avena), and rye (Secale).
There are many species in the genus Saccharum, but most commercially
grown sugarcane is Saccharum officinarum. S. officinarum is native to
New Guinea but is now grown worldwide in most tropical and
subtropical climates. Another species of sugarcane, S. sinense, originated
in southeast Asia and was domesticated in what is now Taiwan and
southern China.
 Sugarcane is a tall perennial grass, with each plant’s 3–4 stalks
reaching 10–13 ft. (3–4 m) in height. Commercially, it is propagated
clonally by planting cuttings. The time until maturity varies from 8 to 22
months, depending on where sugarcane is grown. The plant will die if it
freezes during this period. Twelve to sixteen percent of the plant is
soluble sugars found in the internodes of the plant. (The internode is the
space between nodes, which are the locations that branches and leaves
emerge from.) Sugarcane is grown so that these sugars can be extracted
and, in many cases, refined for human use, either for direct consumption
or for fermentation (and sometimes later distillation) to produce
beverages and fuel. The unprocessed plant is also used as animal feed.
Sugarcane is grown mostly in regions that do not experience freezes. If
freezing does occur, the sugarcane must be harvested before the first
frost. If not, it is harvested when the plant reaches peak maturity. Rain
will make the sugary mass in the internodes less concentrated, so
sugarcane is not harvested during rainy periods.
During harvesting, the plant is cut just above ground level, leaving the
roots and ideally 2.8–3.9 in. (7–10 cm) of each stalk undisturbed. This
allows the plants to spring back from their roots and produce another
crop, called a ratoon crop. A ratoon crop is a crop that grows from the
“stubble” of a previous crop. Rice, sorghum, bananas, and pineapples are
grown this way. Ratoon crops mature faster by at least a month than
planted crops. The ability to ratoon is one of the most important
characteristics of commercial sugarcane cultivars.
In the past, the cutting was largely done by manual laborers with
machetes or similar cutting devices. Sometimes, the field was burned
prior to harvesting. Today, except where labor is extraordinarily cheap,
harvesting is done by machine. The harvester cuts the leaves from the top
of the stalks and cuts the stalks into short lengths, called billets. Once the
leaves in the field dry out, they are burned—returning nutrients to the
ground but not allowing disease to propagate. After two or three ratoon
crops have been harvested, the field should be plowed and a new crop,
preferably legumes, rotated in.

Sugar Beet
 © Getty/luiscarlosjimenez

Sugar from sugar beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris) accounts for 20%
of global sugar production. In the US, it accounts for 54% of
domestically produced sugar according to the American Sugarbeet
Growers Association (ASGA). Despite this, sugar beet is not even in the
top 30 crops globally by either harvest weight or economic importance.
In 2013, the last year for which numbers were available, Russia, France,
the United States, Germany, and Turkey were the top five producers. In
2017 in the US, sugar beet was grown in North Dakota, northern
Minnesota (USDA hardiness zones 2 and 3), Michigan (zone 5), and
other scattered locations (up to zone 8). According to the ASGA, there
were 23 factories to process the sugar from this crop. By 2011, 95% of
sugar beets grown in the US were GMO (in this case, being Roundup
Ready, i.e., immune to glyphosate herbicide.)
Sugar beet is a subspecies of the common beet (Beta vulgaris), which
lies in the Amaranthaceae family, the same family as spinach, quinoa,
and many ornamental plants. Commercially grown sugar beet belongs to
the Altissima cultivar group. The wild ancestor of the sugar beet is the
sea beet, B. vulgaris subsp. maritima. Swiss chard belongs to the same
species as sugar beet but is a different cultivar. Other B. vulgaris subsp.
vulgaris cultivars are beetroot (the common garden or vegetable beet),
borscht (formerly called blood turnip), and mangelwurzel (grown for
fodder).
Cultivated beets are biennial. In the US sugar beet is a temperate crop
that is hardy to zone 8 and takes 100 days to reach maturity. It is subject
to black root rot. Most sugar beet crops are wind pollinated, although
some are insect pollinated. Commercially grown sugar beets are
harvested mechanically and the fields rotated with maize or wheat every
4–6 years.
The weight of a single sugar beet is 1.1–2.2 lb. (0.5–1.0 kg) and
contains 12%–21% sugar (the rest is roughly 75% water and 5% pulp).
The ASGA claims that the root is 18% sucrose. The sugars in sugar beet
are stored in the root, which can be colored red, white, or yellow.
Refined beet sugar is the same as refined cane sugar.

Corn (Maize)

© Getty/Atoss
Corn (Zea mays), or maize, is the second largest crop worldwide by
harvest weight. In 2012, roughly 885,000,000 metric tons of corn was
harvested, compared to 1,800,000,000 metric tons of sugarcane. (Of
course, this compares the weight of the corn cobs to the weight of the
entire sugarcane stalk.) The US is largest corn producer, harvesting 371
million metric tons in 2017, worth about US$26 billion. China was
second at 259 million metric tons, and Brazil came a distant third, with
98 million metric tons.
Corn has many uses. Aside from food for humans and animal feed,
40% of US corn production is used to produce ethanol to be used as a
fuel additive. A substantial amount of corn is converted into corn syrup
and high-fructose corn syrup, either of which can be used in hard seltzer
production.
In the US, the top five corn-producing regions are centered on north
central Iowa. These regions are northern Iowa, northern Illinois, central
Nebraska, southern Minnesota, and western Indiana. However, corn can
be grown almost anywhere in the US. (Sweet corn, a North American
garden favorite, can be grown in USDA zones 3–8.) Successfully
growing corn requires full sun, rich soil, and temperatures over 50°F
(10°C) for most of the growing season.
Corn has shallow roots and as such is prone to lodging. Lodging is
when the plant is blown over by the wind or knocked down by heavy
rain. Corn borers are the most important insect pest while smut fungus is
an important pathogen.
Zea is a genus of grass in the family Poaceae. It is relatively closely
related to sorghum and sugarcane and more distantly related to cereal
grains. Corn grows as vertical stalks, commonly 10 ft. (3 m) tall, but
taller varieties exist that can grow up to 43 ft. (13 m). Fully-grown corn
has 20 leaves. Each leaf extends from a node on the stalk, facing the
opposite direction as the previous leaf. In rich soil, the central stalk may
develop side branches called tillers (or suckers). When the plant reaches
its full height, or nearly so, it develops a “tassel.” The tassel is a
branched structure at the top of the plant on which the male flowers
develop. Later, the female flowers develop inside a presumptive corn
cob. Corn is wind pollinated and pollen from the tassels floats onto the
 “silks” of corn ears. The silks are the pollen tubes that conduct pollen to
the ovaries on the cob. Each ovary forms a corn kernel.
Corn is a facultative short-day plant and needs temperatures over 50°F
(10°C) for most of its growing season. The development of hybrid corn
raised yields from around 70 bushels per acre in the 1970s to around 220
bushels per acre today. GMO corn varieties are able to grow in cooler
climates with less irrigation, and require less tilling because weed control
is done by pesticides that the corn plant has been engineered to be
resistant to. The reduction in tilling saves on fuel costs and decreases the
amount of erosion caused by farming. About 85% of corn grown in the
US is genetically modified, with Roundup Ready corn (i.e., resistant to
the herbicide glyphosate) being the most popular type grown.
Maize was domesticated from the grass teosinte (Zea mays) in the
Tehuacán valley of Mexico. Geneticists believe there was initially a
single domestication event 9,000 years ago. The major differences
between the wild teosinte ancestor (Zea mays) and modern corn (Zea
mays subsp. mays) is mostly due to two genes, grassy tillers 1 (gt1) and
teosinte branching 1 (tb1).

Sucrose is a disaccharide, composed of two monosaccharide sugar

residues, glucose and fructose, joined together. Glucose and fructose are
both 6-carbon sugars with the molecular formula C₆H₁₂O₆. Although their
molecular formulas are identical, the arrangement of their atoms (their
conformations) differ. Glucose can take the form of a linear molecule or a
six-membered ring. Fructose can take the form of linear molecule or a five-
membered ring. In sucrose, the glucose and fructose units are in their ring,
or cyclic, conformation. The molecular formula for sucrose is C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁.
You will notice this is not exactly equivalent to two monosaccharide
molecules because a molecule of H₂O is released when the glucose and
fructose bind together. For reference, maltose—the most abundant sugar
formed when malted grains are mashed—is also a disaccharide. It is
composed of two cyclic glucose residues linked together and has the same
molecular formula as sucrose (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁).
Brewer’s yeast can use sucrose as a carbon source. The yeast takes in
sucrose and breaks it into its component monosaccharides—glucose and
fructose—via the enzyme invertase. When glucose and fructose are
separately available to brewer’s yeast, glucose is used preferentially.
However, yeast raised in a fructose-only environment process fructose
almost as quickly as yeast raised in a glucose-only environment process
glucose. The presence of high levels of glucose also suppresses the
utilization of maltose, if that is also present in the mix.
Glucose (also called dextrose) is available as crystals or as syrup. High-
fructose corn syrup may also be used. Other sugar sources, including agave
syrup and honey, can supplement the refined sugars in the formulation, but
these are more expensive and any flavors or aromas contributed by
additional sugar sources may be stripped by fining or filtration.
The sugar base fermented to make a hard seltzer is frequently more
concentrated than the final product. As with high-gravity beer production, a
higher-gravity solution is fermented and then diluted to working strength
when it is packaged. The dilution must be done with de-aerated water to
keep the product from staling prematurely. High-gravity brewing saves on
tank space. However, the higher the gravity of the initial sugar mixture, the
longer it will take to ferment, all other variables being equal. Also, high-
gravity fermentations may be more susceptible to the off-aromas associated
with stressed fermentations, not to mention the possibility of a fermentation
that finishes prematurely. For this and other reasons detailed below, before
dedicating a full-scale production tank to a sugar fermentation, I
recommend at least one smaller scale test fermentation.
If you use brewer’s yeast, a fermentation of a 15–22 degrees Brix (°Bx)
sugar wash can be performed. The resulting 7.6%–11% ABV neutral base
can then be diluted such that the final alcohol content is 4%–5% ABV after
the addition of the flavoring. If you are using wine yeast or distiller’s yeast,
fermentations up to 30°Bx can be attempted. For smaller breweries,
including brewpubs, fermenting the sugar solution at working strength may
be the best approach, especially if generating the required volume of de-
aerated water is difficult.
 Using Degrees Brix
A value in degrees Brix (°Bx) defines the weight/weight (w/w) percent
of sucrose in an aqueous solution. If 100 g of an aqueous solution
contains 1 g of sucrose it is 1°Bx. The density of a sugar solution
measured in degrees Brix is roughly equivalent to its density in degrees
Plato (°P). The differences are small at lower concentrations, but the
disparity increases at larger values. For example, 0.00°Bx is 0.00°P but
22.0°Bx is 22.9°P. Since the Brix scale is meant for measuring sucrose
concentrations and the base of hard seltzers is fermented sucrose, I will
use degrees Brix rather than degrees Plato, even though the latter is more
familiar to brewers.

MALT
Some hard seltzers contain malted grains. This is usually so that the brewer
can categorize the hard seltzer as a malt beverage rather than a beer. In
order to qualify as a malt beverage to the TTB, a brewed beverage must
contain 25% malted barley and 7.5 lb. of hops per 100 bbl. (29 g/hL). At the
time of writing, this is under reconsideration by the TTB and the ruling may
change.
Malted barley may be used, but any color and flavor from it will need to
be removed by filtration or fining later. Malted rice is frequently used in
hard seltzers as it is colorless and flavorless. Depending on the diastatic
rating of the malted grain, exogenous enzymes may be needed to ensure
complete conversion of the starches to sugars. This is not required for
malted barley, but it may be for malted rice. Even when malted grain forms
a low percentage of the total fermentables, the unconverted carbohydrates
from a mash may need to be degraded further to make a sugar wash with a
fermentability high enough for a hard seltzer.
For the purposes of keeping the color low, some of the malt in the grain
bill may be chit malt. Chit malt is barely malted barley, with a color usually
around 1.4 degrees Lovibond. This is lower than most Pilsner malts, even
undermodified ones. Because it is very lightly kilned, chit malt has a very
high diastatic power. Chit malt is comparatively high in protein, however,
so it may lead to foam in the final beverage, something not normally seen in
hard seltzers.

HOPS
Hard seltzers do not exhibit any hop bitterness. Still, if you want your hard
seltzer to qualify as a malt beverage according to the TTB, you need a
minimum of 7.5 lb. of hops per 100 bbl. (29 g/hL) of product. The first
instinct for many brewers might be to use dried hop cones (or pellets) with
the lowest alpha acid rating. However, there are other approaches. The TTB
regulations do not specify unused hops. To satisfy their requirements, spent
hops from a beer wort boil can be used. Spent hops are not only very low on
residual alpha acids but carry some water weight that dried hops do not.
Brewers using spent hops should rinse them thoroughly so that color from
the beer does not carry over. Note also that the TTB requirements call for
hops, not hop cones. Adding 7.5 lb. per 100 bbl. of hop leaves or stems—
which do not contain lupulin glands, and hence have no alpha acids—would
satisfy the requirements. Spent T-90 pellets are also available.

YEAST STRAINS AND YEAST NUTRIENTS

A wide variety of yeast strains may be used for fermenting hard seltzers.
The best yeast strains should be fast fermenters, attenuative, and neutral.
Yeast strains with comparatively low nutrient requirements are also a plus.
Brewers will want their fermentations to quickly proceed to near or
complete dryness and for the resulting fermented mix to be free of strong
flavors or aromas. Different breweries use brewer’s yeasts, wine yeasts, or
distiller’s yeast to ferment their hard seltzers. Among brewer’s yeast strains,
those used for neutral ale fermentations are the best.
In order to ferment a solution of sucrose (or glucose) and water, yeast
nutrients are required. Sugar provides the carbon source for the
fermentation but living yeast cells require other nutrients to be healthy. If
yeast health is not considered, the fermentation will stall and never finish.
In some ways, wine fermentation is a lot like hard seltzer fermentation.
This is one reason many producers use a wine yeast for the task. The
fermentable sugars in wine are glucose and fructose from the wine grapes.
However, the grapes contribute a small amount of other biological
molecules (esp. proteins and amino acids) as well as trace amounts of some
minerals. Still, for most commercial wine fermentations, a winemaker will
add yeast nutrients to ensure a rapid, complete fermentation. Two of the
biggest considerations when adding yeast nutrients are nitrogen and zinc.
The nutritional requirements of yeast strains vary, but in most cases yeast
requires at least 300 ppm free amino nitrogen (FAN) to conduct a healthy
fermentation. As the name implies, FAN is nitrogen that is available to
yeast (“free” as opposed to bound) and this comes in the form of amino
acids, compounds that contain nitrogen. Another measure of nitrogen
available to the yeast is yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN), which is the
amount of FAN plus ammonia (NH₃) and ammonium ( ) in solution.
Nitrogen that is a part of proteins—long chains of amino acids bound
together—is not accessible by yeast because yeast does not break down
proteins. An odd upside to all-sugar mixes having no other nutrients is that
calculating the amount of yeast nutrients to add to reach your FAN target is
simple. There is no need to test the original mixture to determine the
existing level of FAN (or YAN), as is done in wine, because it is zero. If the
yeast strain requires 425 ppm YAN to ferment properly, then all you need
do is add 425 ppm of nitrogen via the appropriate yeast nutrient.
Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is a yeast nutrient that is widely used by
winemakers to supply some of the nitrogen yeast requires. The formula for
DAP is (NH₄)₂HPO₄, and in solution it supplies ammonium ions that the
yeast can use. (DAP is also a fertilizer that farmers spread in their fields to
give their plants nitrogen.) In wine fermentations, DAP is typically used at
rates of 0.41–0.83 oz./bbl. (10–20 g/hL).
Excessive DAP levels can have negative effects and should be avoided.
A fermentation in which the yeast has access to more nitrogen than it needs
can be “overstimulated” and give off excess heat. This can become a
positive feedback loop, stimulating more yeast activity, which heats up the
fermentation more. In addition, excess nitrogen in the neutral base can
become fuel for the growth of contaminating microorganisms. Some
winemakers refer to DAP as “yeast crack”—yeast cannot get enough of it
but it can quickly become bad for them if used in excess. Yeast nutrient
blends often contain DAP, so be careful if you plan to use DAP along with a
“complete yeast nutrient,” as is common practice in winemaking.
 Zinc is another required nutrient that is completely absent from sugar
solutions. A concentration of 0.2 ppm zinc will keep most yeast strains
healthy. You can add zinc sulphate heptahydrate, which is 25% zinc by
weight, to supplement your other yeast nutrients, if required.
Blends of DAP and other compounds beneficial to yeast are often sold as
complete yeast nutrient or yeast energizers. These usually contain an
inorganic source of nitrogen (DAP), an organic source of nitrogen (amino
acids from ground up yeast cells), zinc, and other compounds. The ground
up yeast cells provide a wide spectrum of trace nutrients. Many types of
blended yeast nutrients are available commercially and there is no need to
develop your own blend unless you are using a yeast strain with unusual
nutritional requirements. Some distiller’s yeast strains are sold packaged
with the appropriate yeast nutrients for them.
The manufacturers of yeast nutrients give a recommended range for their
products. Generally yeast nutrients that contain a higher percentage of DAP
are required in lower amounts. Addition rates vary from 0.12–0.60 oz. per
bbl. (3.4–17 g per bbl.). Homebrew recommendations are generally ¼–½
tsp. per 5.0 gal. (19 L) for yeast nutrients that do not contain DAP. Higher-
gravity fermentations require higher levels of yeast nutrients, so it is
recommended that brewers try at least a few test fermentations with
different levels of yeast nutrients to find the minimal effective dosage.

PROCESSING AIDS
In some cases, the fermented sugar solution will need to be stripped of
unwanted aromas, flavors, or colors. This may involve filtration through
activated carbon or using activated carbon as a fining agent. Filtration is
greatly preferred because fining with activated carbon creates dust in the
brewhouse and is hard to clear from the fined beverage. Alternatively, it
may also involve other fining agents, either singly or sequentially.

FLAVORINGS
Flavorings for hard seltzers may be natural or artificial. They generally
come as liquids, but some powders exist. Commercial breweries need to be
aware of the relevant TTB and FDA regulations. The TTB and FDA
websites have information on what is approved for malt beverages and
beers (several useful links are given in chapter 6). In some cases, flavorings
may be limited to a certain concentration; or the presence of an ingredient
may require a warning label, as with beverages containing ingredients that
include FD&C Yellow 5.
Manufacturers of flavorings advertise whether their ingredients are TTB
and FDA compliant, so this is just a matter of checking. Performing an
online search for “TTB approved ingredients” or “FDA approved
ingredients” brings up a wide variety of companies selling flavor extracts.
And, of course, companies that sell brewing ingredients to commercial
brewers will carry TTB and FDA approved ingredients.
The most popular flavorings in hard seltzers include citrus and fruit
flavors. In their natural form, the fruits in question will have a normal level
of sweetness and acidity associated with them. The flavor extracts need not.
In almost all cases, the level of sweetness will be lower in a hard seltzer.
For example, dark cherry hard seltzers are not as sweet as cherries. For
citrus-flavored hard seltzers, the level of acidity will likewise be lower.
Lime-flavored hard seltzers are not as tart as an actual lime. When
formulating recipes, it is important to run trials to determine the level of
flavoring to use in a beverage with a level of sweetness, added acidity, and
carbonation similar to your planned hard seltzer. Those three variables will
affect how the flavoring is perceived.
Flavoring manufacturers will give a recommended dosage range, but
brewers should blend the flavoring with non-alcoholic seltzer water or
“blank” hard seltzer to determine the proper rate. Hard seltzers are less
intensely flavored than many flavored beverages, so the recommended rate
of addition for beverages might be too high unless it specifies it is the rate
for hard seltzers. When testing for the appropriate flavoring levels, brewers
should test for the proper levels of added acids. In most cases, fruit
flavoring is added at a rate of 0.7–3.0 mL/L. This is equivalent to 2.8–12 fl.
oz. (86–355 mL) per barrel. For less strongly flavored fruits, the rate may
be higher. One brand of blueberry flavoring, for example, recommends a
dosage of 6.0–8.0 mL/L. Even at these high dosages, the addition of
flavoring changes the volume of the beverage very little. In the case of the
example blueberry flavoring at its highest dosage, the added volume is only
0.8% of the total. Still, the brewer should account for this addition in their
volume and alcohol by volume calculations.

ACIDS
The flavor of a hard seltzer may be improved by adding a small amount of
the appropriate acid. Citric acid (C₆H₈O₇), for example, may improve the
flavor of any hard seltzer with the flavor of any citrus fruit. Malic acid
(C₄H₆O₅) may enhance the flavor of hard seltzers flavored with fruits in
which malic acid is abundant. These include cherries, blueberries, and
peaches. Both of these acids are available as white crystals. Fruit flavoring
may already contain the appropriate acid to accentuate its flavor, so brewers
should test the flavoring alone and next to samples treated with small
concentrations of acid. Hard seltzers are never sour from acid additions but
do have enough acidity to give the product a little “zing.”
Citric acid may be present in the juice of citrus fruits at concentrations
around 47 g/L. In limes, citric acid comprises 8% of the dry weight of the
fruit. In apple juice, malic acid is present at a concentration of 5 g/L. The
final concentrations in hard seltzers will be much lower as these beverages
are less flavorful (and sweet) than fruit juices—and especially less tangy
than lemon or lime juice. In addition, as mentioned, the flavoring itself may
already contain some amount of the proper acid. Thus, acid additions
required for hard seltzers may be as low as 1 g/L. The taste tests that
brewers conduct to determine the rate of flavoring addition should be
accompanied by tests of acid additions to the preferred flavor concentration.
The typical pH of a hard seltzer is 3.1 to 3.3. This low pH helps with the
biological stability of the beverage. A small amount of acid may also be
added prior to fermentation to lower the pH of the sugar solution to a range
that the yeast prefers. For brewer’s yeast, this is pH 5.0–5.5. For wine yeast,
a pH around 3.8 is preferred.

CARBON DIOXIDE
Carbon dioxide (CO₂), as all brewers know, is a flavorless and odorless gas
at temperatures and pressures encountered in breweries and inside packaged
fermented beverages. (It is a liquid inside CO₂ tanks, which are highly
pressurized, and a solid [dry ice] when very- cold at atmospheric pressures.)
In an aqueous solution, a small amount of CO₂ combines with water to
form carbonic acid, H₂CO₃. Carbonic acid is a weak acid. The hydration
equilibrium constant, Kh, for carbonic acid in water at 25°C is

What this means is, in solution, very little of the total CO₂ is hydrated to
carbonic acid.
However, hard seltzers are not at standard ambient temperature and
pressure, and the concentration of carbonic acid increases with the partial
pressure of CO₂ above a solution. In addition, the concentration of carbonic
acid increases at lower pH levels. At the partial pressure of CO₂ in the
atmosphere, the formation of carbonic acid contributes to lowering the pH
of pure water to 5.7. In fact, this is the typical pH of raindrops. (For
comparison, however, it’s not the typical pH of standing water on Earth’s
surface. That water has dissolved acids, bases, buffers, and living organisms
that all influence their pH. The pH of natural waters varies greatly but most
bodies of water fall in the pH 6.5 to 8.5 range.) At CO₂ pressures typical of
beer and soda, carbonic acid, and a nearly equal amount of bicarbonate (
) contribute to achieving a fairly low pH (3.7) in pure water.
Bicarbonate ( ) is the ion formed when carbonic acid gives up one
proton. However, as discussed above, carbonic acid is not the only acid
contributing to the acidity of hard seltzers. And these stronger acids are
used in higher concentrations. So, although it is good know that CO₂ forms
a small amount of carbonic acid (and bicarbonate) when dissolved in water,
this knowledge does not have much effect on how hard seltzers are brewed.
Canned hard seltzers should be carbonated to 2.8 volumes of CO₂. Given
the higher level of carbonation, bottling should only be done in bottles rated
to accept that level without breaking. Brewpub brewers may decide to only
carbonate their hard seltzers to the same degree as their beers in order to
sidestep potential problems with their draught system.

You can think of hard seltzers as having two major ingredients: water and
the sugars that are fermented by yeast. Because hard seltzer is typically
lightly flavored, special attention must be paid to the quality of your
brewing water. Most hard seltzers also have several minor ingredients.
These include flavorings, sugar (for back sweetening), acid, stabilizing
agents, and, in some cases, malt and hops. The yeast requires yeast nutrients
to function properly and carbon dioxide is important enough to the
character of the beverage—especially its level of fizziness—that it can be
thought of as an ingredient. After fermentation, but before the flavoring and
other ingredients are added, the neutral base may need to be cleaned up
with the help of some processing aids.
© Brewers Association/Luke Trautwein
4
CRAFT BREWERY HARD SELTZER
PRODUCTION

T HERE ARE VARIATIONS IN HOW small commercial breweries

make hard seltzers. Different breweries are set up differently, use
different formulas, and take different approaches. However, despite
differences in equipment and approach, all procedures for brewing hard
seltzers share several core steps. In this chapter I will give a basic approach
to making a hard seltzer, with the most common options discussed.

SUGAR PLUS WATER

The first step in making a hard seltzer is to mix the sugar solution. For this
you need water, sugar, and a vessel to mix them in. Eventually, the sugar
solution will need to be boiled (or at least heated). So, if you can mix the
sugar solution in your kettle, do so. However, for some brewers the mash
tun with its mixers is going to be the best choice. The solubility of sucrose
at 77°F (25°C) is 2,000 g/L, and that for glucose is 909 g/L. Even for high-
gravity sugar solutions, which will be diluted later, you will only be adding
about one-eighth of this amount, or one-fourth if you are using glucose.
What is more, the solubility increases at higher temperatures. So, dissolving
the sugar takes time, but it will all dissolve with few problems in a vessel
that can be stirred while the sugar is being added.
 Initially, you should add slightly less water to the tank than the batch
size, perhaps 28 gal. (106 L) per every barrel (117 L) expected. When
planning how much water to add to your mixing vessel, know that 13.5 lb.
(6.12 kg) of sugar displaces 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) of water. This is equivalent to
419 lb. of sugar displacing 1.0 US barrel of liquid or 162 kg of sugar
displacing a hectoliter of liquid. After the sugar is dissolved, you can top up
to the batch size plus the volume that a 15-minute boil (or pasteurization
step) will evaporate. Treat the water to remove chlorine compounds as you
would for any brewing liquor. Additionally, you may want to add minerals
(yielding 50–100 ppm Ca²⁺) to make the water taste better, although this is
probably only necessary if distilled or RO water is being used. Ideally, the
water should contain no more than 50 ppm .
So, if you heat the water as you are stirring in the sugar it should dissolve
quickly. This is especially true if you add the sugar in aliquots and allow
each to dissolve completely before adding the next. If added too quickly, it
is possible for clumps of dry sugar crystals to be surrounded by water and
resist being dissolved, at least for a time. These will float on top of the
solution initially, then sink when water begins to dissolve into their interior.
If they come to rest on a heated surface they can scorch—this will add color
and flavor to the sugar mix and should be avoided. Due to the high
solubility of sugar, however, getting it into solution should not require any
extraordinary steps.
Sugar is not a hazardous substance. You would not, for example, take any
safety precautions if you were using it in your kitchen. However, when
using the amounts called for in hard seltzers, the material safety data sheet
(MSDS) for the sugar you are using should be consulted. In the case of
sucrose or glucose, handlers should wear goggles, gloves, and a dust mask.
In addition, the area where you are handling the sugar should be well
ventilated because the dust particles are crystals that can mechanically
irritate the eye and cause skin irritation. The Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) gives the personal exposure limit (PEL) of
sucrose dust as a time-weighted average (TWA) of 5 mg/m³ for the
respirable fraction of the dust. Overall, however, handling sucrose in an
industrial setting is not particularly hazardous. It is, however, sticky if it
gets wet.
 If sugar dust or spilled sugar settles anywhere in the brewhouse it should
be cleaned immediately. If it becomes wet it will become very sticky and
provide a carbon source for microorganisms to grow. When adding sugar to
your mixing vessel, try to minimize the amount of dust that escapes and the
amount that is spilled. Clean up any spills or settled dust immediately. Hot
water will easily rinse any surface. Handling sugar in a small brewery
usually involves lugging sacks of sugar onto the brewing platform in the
brewhouse. Larger breweries may want to invest in specialized equipment
to handle the movement of sugar.
By the time the sugar is dissolved, the solution should already be heated
a bit. At this point, you should add water to bring the solution up to the
appropriate volume for the boil. The next step is to transfer it to the kettle.
If you are going to adjust the pH of the solution, this is the time to do it.
Beer wort is generally around pH 5.0 after the boil, so this is a good value
to target if you are using brewer’s yeast. Wine yeast generally starts
operating at a lower value, around pH 3.8. Adjust the pH with food-grade
phosphoric acid or lactic acid. A solution of just water and sucrose or
glucose has no buffering capacity, so very little acid should be required
unless the water is high in carbonates. The amount of acid required depends
on the mineral content of your water. Add small amounts of acid—a few
fluid ounces per barrel, or roughly 50 mL per hectoliter—stir, and then test
the pH, repeating as needed. And know that you do not need to hit a pH of
5.0 exactly, anything in the ballpark is fine. The boil will not alter the pH as
it does during wort production. The pH drop in wort is driven by reactions
between calcium and phosphates, whereas your sugar solution will not
contain any phosphates. Also keep in mind that pH is temperature
dependent, so cool your sample to the appropriate temperature for your pH
meter when testing. Most pH meters are calibrated to 77°F (25°C) or “room
temperature.” Some meters may feature automatic temperature
compensation (ATC).
 Mash for a Malt Beverage
Hard seltzers brewed as a malt beverage under the TTB’s classification
must contain 25% malt and a small amount (7.5 lbs/100 bbl., or 29 g/hL)
of hops. (Under the TTB’s classification scheme, brewing with malt and
no hops would make it a beer.) Production of a malt beverage begins
with a small mash of very-low-color malt. Any color added by the malt
will need to be removed later. A step mash with a long rest at 140–145°F
(60–63°C) may be employed to generate a very fermentable wort. In
addition, an exogenous enzyme, such as amyloglucosidase, may be
added to reduce any residual complex carbohydrates to simple sugars.
While the mash is proceeding, the brewer may mix the sugar and water
solution in the kettle, which should at most be three-quarters full to leave
room for the wort. After the mash, the wort can be pumped to the kettle
to be boiled.

BOILING AND COOLING

The sugar solution is usually boiled for a short time and then cooled before
fermentation. Alternatively, the sugar solution may be heated to 170°F
(77°C) and held for 15 minutes. The goal of the boil is simply to sanitize
the solution. If any unwanted volatile compounds are present in the sugar
solution, the boil will drive these off. Even if you are brewing a malt
beverage—which must include malt and hops—you do not want to
isomerize any alpha acids in your hops. As mentioned in chapter 3, spent
hops or even hop leaves (not cones) may be used to ensure that no
bitterness is imparted. Additionally, there is no requirement for the hops to
be boiled for any length of time. They may be added at knockout or when
the “wort” is whirlpooled, if it is. Boiling the sugar solution for a short time
will not caramelize any of the sugar nor add color to the solution. The
temperature required to caramelize sucrose or glucose is 320°F (160°C) or
above and this cannot be arrived at when boiling a (relatively) dilute sugar
solution in bulk. However, if clumps of incompletely dissolved sugar make
it into the kettle they may settle on a hot surface and scorch.
 Boil (or heat) the sugar solution for 15 minutes, sufficient to reduce the
pre-boil volume slightly to your batch size. Add yeast nutrients such as
DAP near the beginning of the boil. If you are using yeast nutrients that
contain vitamins, reserve them for later as the vitamins can be destroyed by
the heat of the boil. If you are brewing a malt beverage, you will have a hop
addition at some point during the boil, before proceeding directly to
cooling. There is no need for whirlpooling unless your water has a high
level of carbonates, you added hops, or sediment of any type is present.
Nothing should be precipitating in the boil of a solution consisting of only
sugar and water. The sugar solution needs to be cooled, aerated, and
transferred to a fermentor.
If you are using a yeast strain you normally use for beer production, cool
the sugar solution to the usual temperature and aerate to the same degree.
For most ale strains, something around 65–68°F (18–20°C) and 6–8 ppm of
oxygen should be close to optimal. For high-gravity fermentations, up to 12
ppm of oxygen may be required.

FERMENTATION
Fermentation is the make-or-break stage of a hard seltzer. This stage is
almost universally regarded as the most difficult part of making a hard
seltzer. Running an ordered fermentation will save you effort later and
ultimately make a better product. The key to running a fermentation well—
beyond the variables that apply to ordinary beer fermentations—is adding
the appropriate level of yeast and yeast nutrients. It may take you several
test batches to get the balance right and you may need to refine your
approach as you gain more experience.
If you are fermenting your hard seltzer at working strength, pitch the
yeast. If you are using brewer’s yeast, your pitching rate should be in line
with your normal pitching rate, or perhaps up to 20% higher. If you are
using a wine yeast, follow the cell counts recommended for it. (Note that, as
a commercial brewer, you cannot call your hard seltzer gluten-free if you
used a solution containing malt to propagate your yeast for pitching.)
At working strength, the fermentation may last a little longer than a
typical beer fermentation at the same starting gravity, but not by much.
High-gravity fermentations may take longer. Fermentation times of 8–11
days are common. And, of course, if the yeast does not have the required
amount of nutrients the fermentation may proceed even more slowly. A
sluggish fermentation is almost guaranteed if yeast nutrition is not
addressed properly. As mentioned in chapter 3, you may need between 250
and 300 ppm of FAN to yield an orderly fermentation. As with beer
fermentations, the yeast strain, the level of aeration, and density of solution
to be fermented all influence the level of nutrients required. The yeast
manufacturer may have data on the appropriate level of FAN required for
your yeast. Some distiller’s yeast preparations are packaged with the
appropriate amount of nutrients. You should achieve at least one successful
test fermentation before proceeding to try a production-scale batch.
Presuming you estimated the amount of yeast nutrients correctly (or
followed the manufacturer’s recommendations), the fermentation should
proceed in an orderly fashion and finish at an appropriately low density of
around −1.8°Bx to −2.0°Bx. There are hydrometers that have scales that
measure down to −3°Bx to −5°Bx, which may come in handy for brewers
hard seltzers, as well as brut IPAs. You should hold your fermentation
temperature steady, perhaps raising it to the top end of your yeast strain’s
working temperature range at the very end of fermentation. A late rise in
temperature should not lead to ester formation to the degree it would in
early fermentation. Stirring the tank, if you have that option, can also help.
All you need is a couple minutes of stirring twice a day. If a fermentation is
nearing the end but seems sluggish, try taking the pH of the solution. Most
yeast strains struggle if the pH drops below 3.5. An overly low pH may be
corrected by adding sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to neutralize some of
the acid. If this is a recurring problem, your water chemistry should be
adjusted pre-fermentation to include enough carbonates to buffer the
solution a bit, as is done in some mead fermentations.
If you ferment a high-gravity sugar solution, with the intention of
diluting it to working strength before packaging, you may have more
difficulty with your fermentation. However, this is not insurmountable.
When fermenting a high-gravity solution, make sure you are pitching the
proper amount of yeast. A minimum of 1 million cells per mL per degree
Plato—the old-school ale pitching rate recommendation—is required.
Twenty to 50 percent more cells than this is likely better. Another thing you
may need to do to help fermentation along is give the yeast a second shot of
oxygen after pitching. But do this before high kräusen—aerating after high
kräusen is not recommended as this could stimulate the production of more
diacetyl than the yeast can reabsorb later.
Breaking the yeast nutrients into two aliquots, or perhaps even three, and
adding them sequentially is also an option. The idea here is to give the yeast
nutrients as they are needed, not all up front. One way to stagger yeast
nutrient additions would be to add half (or up to two-thirds) of the yeast
nutrients during the boil, then add the remaining nutrients at high kräusen.
Be sure not to add yeast nutrients with vitamins during the boil. Another
option would be to add half the yeast nutrients in the boil, another quarter
(of the total) right before high kräusen, and the remaining one-quarter the
day after high kräusen. Adding yeast nutrients late in the fermentation is not
recommended as any unused nutrients can lead to biological instability in
the final product and will need to be scrubbed by filtration or fining.
If you want to ferment a high-gravity sugar solution beyond what your
yeast would normally be able to handle, you may want to consider
“feeding” the fermentation. The basic idea is to begin fermenting a sugar
solution at a concentration the yeast can handle well. When the specific
gravity drops, add a little more sugar, all the while keeping the specific
gravity within levels the yeast can handle well. Feeding complicates the
fermentation and should really only be considered if nothing else works or
if you are set on fermenting a very high gravity sugar solution.
As an example, let us say you want to ferment 30 bbl. of a 16°Bx sugar
solution. Test batches have shown that your yeast performs well on batches
up to 12°Bx but runs into problems at higher gravities. Your first step is to
calculate the total sugar amount of sugar you would need to produce 30 bbl.
with a starting gravity of 16°Bx. We will call that amount S(30_16). Next,
calculate how much sugar it would take to make roughly ⅞ of that volume
(i.e., ~26 bbl.) with a starting gravity of 12°Bx. We will call that amount
S(26_12). Subtracting the latter from the former gives you how much additional
sugar you will need to bring the batch to a virtual starting gravity of 16°Bx.
We can call that difference S(feeding). When calculating these variables, you
must use the same volume and mass units for all three variables, whether
barrels, gallons, pounds, ounces, liters, kilograms, or other.
With these values in hand, you begin by brewing and starting to ferment
your “short” batch of 12°Bx sugar solution from S(26_12). Once it reaches
8°Bx, make a sugar solution with the remaining sugar (i.e., S(feeding)) to a
volume ⅛ of your total batch size. (If your initial batch size was some
fraction other than ⅞ of the total batch size, the feeding volume plus your
short batch volume should equal your total volume.) Blend the feeding
solution with the 8°Bx fermenting short batch. This will bring the gravity of
the fermenting batch up to 12°Bx, the virtual starting gravity up to 16°Bx,
and the volume up to your total batch volume. Note that the sugar solution
used for feeding will be at a very high gravity, but still well below the
solubility level of sucrose. When adding the feeding solution to the main
fermenting batch do not aerate either the main batch or the feeding solution.
Adding oxygen at this point will trigger the production of diacetyl.
Likewise, do not add further yeast nutrients.
As an option, you can do two feedings, each at the same gravity but half
the volume as before. Doing this will put less stress on the yeast. For the
first feeding, let the short batch fermentation proceed to 10°Bx, then boost
it back to 12°Bx with the feeding solution. Repeat with the second feeding,
with this final addition bringing the virtual starting gravity to 16°Bx and the
volume to the full batch size.
As with working strength fermentations, letting the temperature rise at
the very end of fermentation and intermittently stirring the tank may also
help—in fact, it may be required. Expect a high-gravity fermentation to last
longer than an equivalent beer fermentation, and substantially longer than a
hard seltzer working-strength fermentation. Fermentations lasting three
weeks, or even a month, have been reported. These are problematic,
however, and a well-run fermentation should finish within 8–11 days.
High-gravity neutral bases eventually need to be blended down to
working strength with de-aerated water, but that does not happen until after
they are cleaned up.

CLEAN UP
The neutral malt base for a hard seltzer is expected to be free of aroma,
flavor, and color. Often, the brewer must clean the base up for this to be the
case. The first stage of clean up involves filtration, fining, or centrifugation
to yield a clear solution that is free of yeast cells and other large particles.
This step cleans up the neutral base to the extent that an ordinary beer
would be clarified. If does not, however, remove aromas, flavors, or color.
In order to achieve the clarity and lack of color seen in hard seltzer, other
methods are required.
At the largest breweries, the removal of aroma, flavor, and even color
may be accomplished by ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis (RO). In both
these processes, the fermented base is pressed against a semipermeable
membrane. The membrane allows water molecules and ethanol molecules
to pass through, but the pore size is small enough that odorants, flavor-
active molecules, and pigments or other colored substances are left behind.
This will produce a crystal clear, colorless base solution.
Smaller breweries that do not have ultrafiltration or RO equipment can
filter their neutral base through activated carbon or recirculate the solution
over a bed of granular activated carbon. Fining with activated carbon will
also work, but it is very dusty and can be extremely difficult to remove
from solution. Both granular and powdered forms of activated carbon
should be thoroughly rinsed with clean water prior to use.
Carbon filtration can remove odors, flavors, and colors. Carbon sheet
filters come in different filtration depths and pores sizes and are designed to
fit into a frame. Everything from coarse filtration to sterile filtration can be
achieved with carbon filters. Deeper depths and smaller pore sizes clean the
neutral base more effectively but require more filtration time for the liquid
to pass through. A filter with a depth of around 4 mm and a pore size
between 1 and 25 micrometers would be a good trade-off for a brewery. The
up-front cost of carbon filtration is higher than fining with activated carbon.
However, carbon filters create substantially less mess in the brewery. To
save on the cost of carbon filter pads, you should only run clear neutral base
through the filter rack, that is, neutral base that has already gone through the
first stage of clean up with “ordinary” filtration, fining, or centrifugation.
Brewers can also fine with activated carbon. Rates of 50–2,000 mg/L
(equivalent to 5.8–230 g/bbl.) are common, with the lower end of the range
being useful for removing odors and the higher end of the range for
stripping color. Typically, a stock solution of 10% (w/v) activated carbon is
mixed before stirring it into the main batch. The activated carbon must be
stirred thoroughly into the neutral base. It will settle out in an hour or two.
Activated carbon is dusty and brewers should only use it in a well-
ventilated area, always wear goggles and a dust mask while handling it, and
avoid skin contact. In addition, using activated carbon for fining creates a
black sludge that must be cleaned after the tank is emptied. If not
completely removed from solution it can leave the beverage with a gray
cast.
If the neutral base contains odors, bubbling CO₂ through the solution can
knock them out of solution. The most common off-odor encountered in hard
seltzer production is hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), which can smell like rotten
eggs or a burnt match. Bubbling CO₂ through the mixture will not remove
flavors or colors. Keep in mind that the neutral base will be saturated with
CO₂ immediately after fermentation. Stirring the tank before the treatment
will knock some of the gas out of solution. This, in combination with
beginning the treatment with just a trickle of CO₂ gas, will minimize the
risk of a violent bubbling over.
Although a neutral base can be scrubbed of odor, flavor, and color, you
should endeavor to produce the cleanest neutral base possible to begin with.
This will minimize the number of filtration passes or amount of fining
required.

DILUTION
If a strong neutral base was brewed, that is, one with a higher alcohol
content than that intended for the beverage, it will have to be diluted to
working strength. Use de-aerated water for this dilution. In the largest
breweries, designed for producing high-gravity beer that is diluted to
working strength at packaging, it may be possible to obtain water
containing as little oxygen as 80 parts per billion. Smaller breweries
typically do not have the equipment to do this. Simple boiling for 15
minutes should reduce the level of oxygen—usually 8–9 ppm in water at
room temperature and atmospheric pressure—to less than 1 ppm. Bubbling
CO₂ through the solution will also bump out oxygen (and other gases).
The volume of strong neutral base and de-aerated water required for any
dilution step can be calculated if the desired ABV is known. Use the
equation

C₁V₁ = C₂V₂.
 In the above equation, C₁ and C₂ are the concentrations (i.e., % ABV) of
the starting solution and end solution, respectively. Likewise, V₁ and V₂ are
the starting volume and end volume, respectively.
As an example, suppose you have 7 bbl. of neutral base at 12% ABV and
wanted to fill a 3.5 bbl. tank with 4% ABV neutral base. You need to
calculate V₁, the amount of strong neutral base you have to take to dilute to
3.5 bbl. of working strength neutral base.

Figure 4.1 Overview of hard seltzer process

 C₁V₁ = C₂V₂
12·V₁ = 4·3.5
V₁ = (4·3.5) ⁄ 12
= 14 ⁄ 12
= 1.16

Solving for V₁ yields 1.16, so 1.16 bbl. of 12% ABV base is required. As
such, 1.16 bbl. subtracted from 3.5 bbl. means 2.34 bbl. of de-aerated water
is required for dilution.
Available tank space should be considered before brewing a strong
neutral base so that, when diluted, the resulting hard seltzers fill their
respective tanks. To give a simple example, if you had two 15 bbl. brite
tanks you wished to fill with 5% ABV hard seltzers, and one 15 bbl.
fermentor available, brewing 15 bbl. of a 10% ABV strong neutral base
would, after dilution, fill both brite tanks completely without any left over.

FINAL BLENDING
In the blending stage, the neutral malt base is transformed into a flavored
hard seltzer. This is simply a matter of mixing the appropriate flavors and
acids with the working strength base. If the beverage is going to be back
sweetened, the sugar is also added. If not pasteurizing after back
sweetening, a stabilizer or preservative should also be added—potassium
sorbate is recommended. Also, sometimes citric acid is added to lower the
pH to the 3.0–3.1 range, further stabilizing the beverage. Whenever adding
multiple solids to any liquid, do not mix the solids. Stir each one into
solution in succession, ensuring each is thoroughly dissolved before
proceeding to the next.
The flavoring agent for a hard seltzer is most likely a liquid, although
some are powders. The acid (if required) will be in the form of white
crystals or a clear liquid. Although the amounts required are very small
relative to the batch size, wearing gloves, goggles, and a dust mask are
recommended when handling flavoring agents and acids. Add each
component separately rather than mixing them together and then stirring
them into the main batch. Once all the materials are dissolved into the
batch, it should be carbonated to 2.8 volumes of CO₂. If the hard seltzer is
going to be served on draught, carbonate it to the usual level the draught
system is balanced for. This is around 2.5 volumes of CO₂ for most
brewpub systems.

PACKAGING
Hard seltzers are usually canned, by convention in cans that are taller and
narrower than normal beer or soda cans. These are called sleek style cans.
Brewers should conduct corrosion tests on the cans they select, as hard
seltzers can have a low pH (down to 3.0). Brewpubs may serve hard seltzer
through their draught system. Brewers that do so should keep a line
dedicated to hard seltzer because the fruit flavoring may soak into the
tubing, tainting any beer that is later pushed through the same line.

Conceptually, making a hard seltzer is not difficult. As with anything,

paying attention to the details will increase your chances of success
dramatically. Many of the fundamentals to making good beer—proper
pitching rate, proper wort aeration, running an ordered fermentation—also
apply to making hard seltzer. The fermentation is what requires the most
attention. A solution of plain sugar and water does not have the nutrients
required to support the yeast. If yeast nutrients are not supplied, the
fermentation will stall before it reaches a reasonable terminal gravity. Stress
on the yeast may also lead to off-aromas. However, although adequate yeast
nutrition is absolutely required, an overly large addition of yeast nutrients
has negative consequences as well. There is a “window” of correct yeast
nutrient amounts for every combination of yeast strain and starting gravity.
If you have matched your yeast nutrients to your yeast and sugar base
gravity, the fermentation should proceed in an orderly manner. However,
some fermentations may still require agitation, an additional dose of yeast
nutrients, or the raising of the fermentor temperature so that they reach the
finish line.
© Getty/LoveTheWind
5
RECIPES FOR CRAFT BREWERIES

I N THIS CHAPTER I GIVE recipes for most of the popular types of hard
seltzer. The flavor of each is simply a matter of what flavoring extract is
added, which can be changed to suit your needs. Although the required
volume will differ between flavorings, the difference in amounts is small
enough that it can be ignored (any difference typically works out to roughly
17 fl. oz. per barrel, or less than half a liter of flavoring per 117 liters). At
the end of this chapter I also give recipes for two strong neutral bases that
can be diluted to working strength.
Of course, it is not hard to formulate a hard seltzer from scratch, so let us
start there. When formulating a hard seltzer recipe, you really only need to
make four decisions. What is the alcoholic strength of the beverage? What
is the flavor of the beverage? Will it be back sweetened? And, finally, will it
be packaged in cans or served on draught? Based on the answers, some
downstream decisions will need to be made, but these four are the main
decision points.
The alcoholic strength of the beverage is correlated with its caloric
content. Most hard seltzers weigh in a 4.0%–5.0% ABV and have 90–100
calories per 12 fl. oz. Almost all of those calories are from ethanol. Once
the alcoholic strength is decided on, you need to decide if you will brew the
beverage at working strength or make a strong neutral base and dilute it to
working strength before adding the flavoring. The benefits of making a
working strength base is that the yeast experiences less stress and the
resulting fermentation is faster and cleaner than a high-gravity
fermentation. You also do not need to prepare de-aerated water when a
working strength base is brewed. The benefit of making a strong neutral
base is that you can make a greater volume of hard seltzer utilizing the
same amount of tank space.
 Choosing the flavors for your hard seltzers is purely subjective. The most
popular flavors are citrus fruits (lime, grapefruit, etc.) and other, non-citrus,
fruits (cherry, pineapple, etc.), for which TTB-approved commercially
produced extracts are available, among many more. If there is an ingredient
with a local angle, making a hard seltzer featuring its flavor may be a smart
business decision. However, depending on how common this ingredient is,
you may need to use your own preparation of it to infuse the hard seltzer
with flavor. You will also need to get TTB, and maybe FDA, approval to
use the ingredient and its preparation in a commercially produced beverage.
The expression of the added flavor will be influenced by the acidity of
the beverage and the level of sweetness and carbonation. You should
conduct bench trials to determine whether the flavoring is improved with a
small addition of the appropriate acid. The same goes for determining the
appropriate level of back sweetening for the beverage. Keep in mind that
sweetness is a flavor that most people find pleasing. As such, sweeter fruit-
flavored beverages will taste better to most. However, beverages sweetened
with sugar also contain more calories and carbohydrates, two things
consumers want to be low in hard seltzers. The bench trials to determine
flavoring levels, acidity levels, and back sweetening should be done with
(soft) seltzer as the mixer because carbonation also influences flavor
expression.
The level of flavoring in most mass-produced hard seltzers is low. For
people accustomed to drinking high-quality craft beers, wines, or similar
fermented beverages, the flavor of hard seltzers may seem lacking in big
flavors and complexity. Hard seltzers might be described as eminently
quaffable but somewhat forgettable. So do not worry if your hard seltzer is
not bursting with fresh fruit flavor, that is not what fans of this beverage are
expecting. In fact, given the amount of carbohydrates required to achieve
that level of character—and the calories that would accompany them—a
hard seltzer like this would likely be rejected in favor of a less flavorful,
less caloric, version. Then again, if you want to stress the craft aspect of
your brewery, there may be a niche for slightly higher-calorie hard seltzers
that pack in more flavor.
As discussed in chapter 4, brewers who back sweeten their hard seltzers
will also need to add a stabilizer. For smaller breweries, this will require the
addition of potassium sorbate. Larger breweries can pasteurize their
product.
If you package your hard seltzer in cans, the standard level of
carbonation is 2.8 volumes of CO₂. If you plan to serve your hard seltzer
through a draught system, either from kegs or from brewpub serving tanks,
carbonating it to standard craft beer levels (2.5 volumes of CO₂) will lower
the probability of experiencing problems when dispensing it.
Having made decisions on alcoholic strength, flavor, sweetening, and
packaging, you can write out a trial recipe.

CONCENTRATION AND VOLUME

I give instructions on how to brew these hard seltzers at working strength.
However, I also give the instructions starting with a volume of neutral base
solution at a given alcohol level (in ABV). This is for brewers who wish to
brew a strong neutral base and dilute it when it comes time to blend the
hard seltzer components.

CALCULATING VOLUMES TO DILUTE

In order to dilute strong neutral bases into working strength neutral bases,
you only need one equation:

C₁V₁ = C₂V₂.

We have already come across this equation in the “Dilution” section of

chapter 4. In this equation, C is concentration and V is volume. The
subscripts denote the two different solutions, “1” is the pre-dilution solution
and “2” the post-dilution solution. This “concentration times volume”
equation, known to every college chemistry major, will give you the right
dilution factor every time.
For example, let us say you have a 40-barrel fermentor filled with a
neutral base. The starting gravity is 1.060 and the calculated ethanol content
is 7.6% ABV. How much 5.0% ABV hard seltzer can you make from that?
Take your 7.6% solution at a volume of 40 barrels, which is your pre-
dilution solution, and set it equal to your desired post-solution, which is 5%
but at an unknown volume (V₂):

7.6·40 = 5.0·V₂

Isolate the unknown quantity by dividing both sides of the equation by 5:

V₂ = (7.6·40) ⁄ 5.0
= 304 ⁄ 5.0
= 60.8

So, you can produce 60.8 barrels of 5% ABV hard seltzer from your 40
barrels of 7.6% ABV neutral base.
The odds are, however, that a brewery with 40-barrel fermentors is not
going to have a 60-barrel tank for blending. What if the brewery only has
15-barrel brite tanks? Also, what if the owner wants to produce some 4%
hard seltzer alongside the 5% hard seltzers to see if customers will pay the
same price for a beverage with less ingredient cost? The concentration
times volume equation comes to the rescue.
So, the owner wants at least one 4% ABV seltzer and your brite tanks are
15 barrels. As before, you have 40 bbl. of 7.6% ABV base. Take the desired
4% base times the volume it will occupy in the brite tank (15 bbl.) and set it
equal to your neutral base at 7.6%. This time the unknown volume, V₂, is
how much of the 7.6% base you need to make 15 bbl. of 4% hard seltzer.

4·15 = 7.6·V₂
V₂ = (4·15) ⁄ 7.6
= 7.89

Solving for V₂ yields 7.9, which means you need 7.9 bbl. of 7.6% ABV
neutral base to make 15 bbl. of 4% ABV seltzer. Now, how much 5%
seltzer can you make with the remaining neutral base? Start by subtracting
7.9 barrels from 40 barrels, to yield 32 barrels of neutral base (I rounded to
32 bbl. here. In your own equations, you can carry out your calculations to
as many decimal places as is justified by the accuracy of your volume
measurements.)
Repeat the concentration times volume equation, this time for a 5%
seltzer.

5·15 = 7.6·V₂
V₂ = (5·15) ⁄ 7.6
= 9.87

In this case, V₂ equals 9.9. This means 9.9 barrels of your strong neutral
base is needed to blend 15 bbl. of 5% seltzer. This leaves you with 22 bbl.
of strong neutral base. This is enough to make 2.2 more 15-barrel batches of
5% hard seltzer (i.e., 22 bbl. divided by 9.9). So, that makes a total of 3 full
batches of 5% seltzer, which leaves you with a remainder of 2.2 bbl. of the
7.6% base. What can be done with that? No problem, the concentration
times volume equation can tell you. In this case you have 2.2 bbl. at 7.6%.
That is 4.5 bbl. at 5% ABV. To blend that you would need:

7.6·2.2 = 5·V₂
V₂ = (7.6·2.2) ⁄ 5
= 3.34

So, you could make 3.3 barrels of 5% hard seltzer with the last bit of the
7.6% strong neutral base.

CALCULATING THE STRENGTH FOR THE NEUTRAL BASE

Of course, making a small batch a hard seltzer to use up the last of your
neutral base means one of your tanks ends up only partially filled. When
you plan to brew your neutral base, it is best to think ahead to how many
full tanks of finished hard seltzer you desire. Then, brew the neutral base to
a volume and strength such that it will be diluted into this number. This is
very easy to do. Start by deciding how much hard seltzer you want and sum
the total volume of the tanks that will hold it. Now, use the C₁V₁ = C₂V₂
equation, but this time you know the volumes of your brite tanks and
fermentor, so you calculate the percent ABV that your neutral base should
be.
For example, let us say you have three 15 bbl. brite tanks and a 30 bbl.
fermentor. You want to fill all three brites with 5% ABV hard seltzer, which
is 45 bbl. altogether. Plugging those figures into the equation:

C₁V₁ = C₂V₂
5·45 = C₂·30
C₂ = (5·45) ⁄ 30
= 7.5

The calculation shows you should brew a 7.5% ABV neutral base in your
30 bbl. fermentor.

RECIPES
This section contains eight recipes for hard seltzers of varying strengths. I
have also included two recipes for strong neutral sugar bases that can be
diluted to make larger volumes of hard seltzer. As this chapter is for
professional brewers, I give 1.0 bbl. (117 L) recipes. To scale the recipe for
your brewery, simply multiply all the ingredients in the one-barrel recipe by
your brewhouse size. (Do not worry, homebrewers, there are five-gallon [19
L] recipes in chapter 8.) Each recipe specifies a certain volume of neutral
base at a given alcoholic content. This can be obtained either by diluting a
strong neutral base—as described above—or by fermenting a sugar solution
at working strength.
I have tried to put a number to everything. However, some ingredients
are added “to taste” because they really do need the brewer’s input.
Likewise, the amount of phosphoric acid required for pH adjustment
depends both on the mineral content of your water and your pH target. This
needs to be added in small amounts and tested to hit the proper pH.
I would highly recommend doing a pilot brew of any hard seltzer before
jumping into a full production batch.
HARD SELTZER RECIPES

STANDARD 4% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US barrel (31 gal.,

or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 90

Flavor: lime

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 4.0% ABV neutral base
5.9 fl. oz. (175 mL) lime flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
12 oz. (340 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate (necessary if not pasteurizing)

4% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

21.5 lb. (9.75 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
700 billion cells yeast
1.3 oz. (37 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 4% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount of
sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar for
back sweetening. If you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the
potassium sorbate. Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the
level of CO₂ appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in
cans or kegs) or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 4% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 27.0 gal. (102 L) of water (per barrel).
Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and stir until
dissolved. Add water to top up to your desired volume. Check with a
hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.032 SG, or 8.0°Bx. Check the
pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if desired. (This is
around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 3.8 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. This temperature depends on the yeast strain. For most neutral
ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much
higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C). Monitor the specific gravity daily
to ensure that fermentation is proceeding at a reasonable pace. If the
fermentation slows beyond what it normally does early on, or the yeast is
producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a second dose of
yeast nutrients may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the amount listed in
the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want
to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per day or allow the temperature to
rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 4% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, add the remaining ingredients as described above in the seltzer
ingredients and procedures.

STANDARD 5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US barrel (31 gal.,

or 117 L)
Calories per serving: 100
Flavor: cherry

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 5.0% ABV neutral base
5.1 fl. oz. (150 mL) cherry flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
12 oz. (340 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate (necessary if not pasteurizing)

5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

27.0 b. (12.3 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
880 billion cells yeast
1.4 oz. (40 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 5% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount of
sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 5% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 27.0 gallons (102 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to to top up to your desired volume. Check
with a hydrometer or refractometer, the density should be 1.040 SG, or
10°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
in an orderly manner. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally
does early on, or the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other
by-products, a second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should
be ⅛–¼ the amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears
its conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per
day or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast
strain’s recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 5% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as described above
in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

SLIGHTLY SWEET 4% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US barrel

(31 gal., or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 99

Flavor: peach

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 4.0% ABV neutral base
12.7 fl. oz. (375 mL) peach flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
50 oz. (1.4 kg) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate (necessary if not pasteurizing)

4% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

21.5 lb. (9.75 kg) of sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
700 billion cells yeast
1.3 oz. (37 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 4% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount of
sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 4% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 27.0 gallons (102 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to your desired volume. Check with
a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.032 SG or 8.0°Bx. Check
the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if desired. (This is
around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
at a reasonable pace. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally
does early on, or the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other
by-products, a second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should
be ⅛–¼ the amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears
its conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per
day or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast
strain’s recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 4% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as described above
in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

SLIGHTLY SWEET 5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US barrel

(31 gal., or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 110

Flavor: grapefruit

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 5.0% ABV neutral base
5.1 fl. oz. (150 mL) flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
41 oz. (1.2 kg) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate (necessary if not pasteurizing)

5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

27.0 lb. (12.3 kg) of sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
880 billion cells yeast
1.4 oz. (40 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 5% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount of
sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 5% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 27.0 gallons (102 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to make your desired volume. Check the
density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should be 1.040 SG or 10°Bx.
Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if desired.
(This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
apace. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally does early on, or
the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a
second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the
amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears its
conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per day
or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s
recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 5% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as described above
in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

EXTRA LOW CALORIE 3.5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1

US barrel (31 gal., or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 70

Flavor: pineapple

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 3.5% ABV neutral base
9.3 fl. oz (275 mL) pineapple flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
12 oz. (340 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate (necessary if not pasteurizing)

3.5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

19.0 lb. (8.62 kg) of sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
620 billion cells yeast
1.2 oz. (34 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 3.5% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount
of sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 3.5% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 28.0 gallons (106 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to make your desired batch volume. Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.028 SG or
7.1°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
apace. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally does early on, or
the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a
second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the
amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears its
conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per day
or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s
recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon.
The amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the
3.5% base is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution
such as this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

SLIGHTLY STRONGER 6% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US

barrel (31 gal., or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 115

Flavor: orange

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 6.0% ABV neutral base
9.3 fl. oz. (275 mL) orange flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
12 oz. (340 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate

6.0% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

32.0 lb. (14.5 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
1,023 billion cells yeast
1.5 oz. (43 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 6% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount of
sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.
PROCEDURES FOR 6% NEUTRAL BASE
If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 27.0 gallons (102 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to make your desired batch size. Check the
density with a hydrometer or refractometer, the reading should be 1.047 SG
or 11.7°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture, pitch the yeast, and add yeast nutrients. Ferment in a
temperature range that will produce a fast fermentation, but one that will
not produce excessive esters or other yeast characters. For most neutral ale
strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much
higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C). Monitor the specific gravity daily
to ensure that fermentation is proceeding apace. If the fermentation slows
beyond what it normally does early on, or the yeast is producing unusual
amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a second dose of yeast nutrients
may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the amount listed in the ingredients
list. As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to stir the tank
gently for a few minutes per day or allow the temperature to rise slightly.
Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 6% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as described above
in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.
MODERATELY STRONG 7% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1
US barrel (31 gal., or 117 L)

Calories per serving: 135

Flavor: lemon

INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 7% ABV neutral base
6.3 fl. oz. (185 mL) lemon flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
18 oz. (500 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate

7.0% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

37.5 lb. (17.0 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
1,200 billion cells yeast
1.6 oz. (45 g) yeast nutrients

SELTZER PROCEDURES
Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 7.0% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount
of sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or the level of CO₂ appropriate
for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs) or pump to
serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 7% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 26.5 gallons (100 L) of water (per
barrel). Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and
stir until dissolved. Add water to reach your batch size. Check the density
with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should be 1.056 SG or 13.8°Bx.
Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if desired.
(This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Pump the sugar slurry to your kettle and boil or hold the solution at
170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate temperature for your
yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or 18°C.) Transfer the
cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your
fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
apace. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally does early on, or
the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a
second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the
amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears its
conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per day
or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s
recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 7% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-gravity solution such as
this should not put much stress on the yeast. Once your base is brewed and
cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as described above
in the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

STRONG 8% ABV HARD SELTZER For 1 US barrel (31 gal., or

117 L)

Calories per serving: 155

Flavor: blueberry
SELTZER INGREDIENTS
31 gal. (117 L) 8% ABV neutral base
30.4 fl. oz. (900 mL) flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
23 oz. (650 g) sucrose
0.81 oz. (23 g) potassium sorbate

8.0% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

42.5 b. (19.3 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
1,400 billion cells yeast
1.7 oz. (48 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

Dilute an appropriate amount of your strong neutral base to the desired
number of barrels at 8.0% ABV. Or brew the neutral base with the amount
of sugar listed (per barrel). Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sugar. If
you are not going to pasteurize the hard seltzer, add the potassium sorbate.
Carbonate to 2.8 volumes of CO₂ if canning or to the level of CO₂
appropriate for your draught system in that case. Package (in cans or kegs)
or pump to serving tanks.

PROCEDURES FOR 8% NEUTRAL BASE

If you are fermenting your neutral base at working strength, follow these
instructions. Fill your mash tun with 26 gallons (98 L) of water (per barrel).
Add the correct amount of sugar (per barrel) to your mash tun and stir until
dissolved. Add water to top up to correct batch size. Check the density with
a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.063 SG or 15.4°Bx. Check
the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if desired. Pump the
sugar slurry to your kettle and boil for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate
temperature for your yeast strain. (For ale yeasts, cool to around 65°F, or
18°C.) Transfer the cooled sugar solution to your fermentor. (Repeat as
needed to fill your fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–20°C) will work.
Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up to 80°F (27°C).
Monitor the specific gravity daily to ensure that fermentation is proceeding
apace. If the fermentation slows beyond what it normally does early on, or
the yeast is producing unusual amounts of sulfur or other by-products, a
second dose of yeast nutrients may be called for. This should be ⅛–¼ the
amount listed in the ingredients list. As the fermentation nears its
conclusion, you may want to stir the tank gently for a few minutes per day
or allow the temperature to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s
recommended working temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to bubble CO₂ through your tanks to
scrub any unwanted aromas. Likewise, you may want to either fine with
activated carbon or filter your hard seltzer base through activated carbon
(filtering methods are easier to work with and less messy than fining). The
amount of bubbling and carbon used will depend on how clean the 8% base
is. With proper yeast nutrition, fermentation should not put much stress on
the yeast. Once your base is brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the
remaining ingredients as described above in the seltzer ingredients and
procedures.

NEUTRAL BASE RECIPES

10% ABV NEUTRAL BASE For 1 US barrel (31 gal., or 117 L)

When diluted 1:1 with de-aerated water, this neutral base can be used to
generate twice its volume of 5% ABV hard seltzer.

INGREDIENTS
53 lb. (24 kg) sucrose
1,800 billion cells yeast
1.8 oz. (51 g) complete yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES
Fill your kettle with 26 gallons (98 L) of water (per barrel). Add the correct
amount of sucrose (per barrel) and stir to dissolve. Top up to your full
volume. The resulting specific gravity should be 1.079 or 19°Bx. Boil or
hold the solution at 170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate
temperature for your yeast strain and transfer the cooled sugar solution to
your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add the yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. Monitor the fermentation temperature and keep it in line with
your yeast strain’s recommended temperature. Also keep track of the
density of the solution to see that the fermentation is proceeding at a
reasonable pace.
Near the end of fermentation, rousing the tank and allowing the
temperature to rise a bit may help the yeast finish. Assess the neutral base
and determine if you need to scrub any flavor or aromas. Bubbling CO₂
through the solution will scrub aromas. Filtering through or fining with
activated carbon will remove flavors, aromas, and color.

12% ABV NEUTRAL BASE For 1 US barrel (31 gal., or 117 L)

When diluted 2:1 with de-aerated water, this neutral base can be used to
generate three times its volume of 4% ABV hard seltzer.

INGREDIENTS
63.5 lb. (28.8 kg) sucrose
1,800 billion cells yeast
2.0 oz. (57 g) complete yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES
Fill your kettle with 25 gallons (95 L) of water (per barrel). Add the correct
amount of sucrose (per barrel) and stir to dissolve. Top up to your full
volume. The resulting specific gravity should be 1.094 or 22°Bx. Boil or
hold the solution at 170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes. Cool to an appropriate
temperature for your yeast strain and transfer the cooled sugar solution to
your fermentor. (Repeat as needed to fill your fermentor.)
Aerate the mixture in the fermentor, pitch the yeast, and add the yeast
nutrients. Ferment in a temperature range that will produce a fast
fermentation, but one that will not produce excessive esters or other yeast
characters. Monitor the fermentation temperature and keep it in line with
your yeast strain’s recommended temperature. Also keep track of the
density of the solution to see that the fermentation is proceeding at a
reasonable pace.
Near the end of fermentation, rousing the tank and allowing the
temperature to rise a bit may help the yeast finish. Assess the neutral base
and determine if you need to scrub any flavor or aromas. Bubbling CO₂
through the solution will scrub aromas. Filtering through or fining with
activated carbon will remove flavors, aromas, and color.
6
GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

C OMMERCIAL BEER PRODUCTION IN THE US is regulated by

the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB). The TTB is a
bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury. It was formed in
2003 when the law enforcement functions of the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) were transferred to the Department of Justice.
The responsibilities for taxation and trade regulation remained with the
Department of the Treasury, to be handled by the newly created TBB.
This chapter gives an overview of TTB and other federal regulations that
are applicable to hard seltzers. It is expected that brewers will already be
familiar with the regulations that apply to “normal” beer and brewery
operations. For guidance, the resource hub at the Brewers Association
website can help:
• https://www.brewersassociation.org/resource-hub/ttb/
TTB regulations can seem labyrinthine at first glance. However, their
webpage can help guide you through the process:
• https://www.ttb.gov/alcohol/beverage-alcohol
Commercial brewers should familiarize themselves with the relevant
regulations for hard seltzer production and be aware that they can change
over time. In addition, specific state regulations—which are not
comprehensively covered here—may also apply. Brewers operating outside
of the United States will have that country’s own set of regulations to
follow.

BEER AND MALT BEVERAGES

The TTB regulates ingredients, processes, labeling, and advertising of beer
and malt beverages. Brewed hard seltzers may be categorized as either
beers or malt beverages and thus fall under the TTB’s jurisdiction. Brewed
hard seltzers may contain added alcohol, however, including alcohol that
may be contained in the added flavorings. For any type of brewed hard
seltzer—either beer or flavored malt beverage—that is under 6% ABV, up
to 49% of the ethanol in the beverage can come from distilled alcohol,
whether part of the flavor extract or not. If the beverage is close to the
maximum amount of added alcohol allowed under the 49% rule, the brewer
may want to apply for a drawback (credit) or else they will actually be
paying taxes on the alcohol present in the flavoring at the time the flavoring
is purchased and also when the final beverage is sold. If the hard seltzer is
stronger than 6% ABV, the amount of added alcohol is limited to 1.5%.

BEER
Beer is defined by the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) of 1986 as

beer, ale, porter, stout, and other similar fermented beverages

(including sake or similar products) of any name or
description containing one-half of 1 percent or more of
alcohol by volume, brewed or produced from malt, wholly or
in part, or from any substitute therefor. (26 U.S.C. § 5052(a))

The IRC is enforced by the Internal Revenue Service, which is, of course, a
bureau of the Department of the Treasury.
The TTB definition of beer, found in 27 C.F.R. 25.11, is essentially the
same as that in the IRC. However, the TTB regulations further stipulate
what qualifies as a malt substitute (27 C.F.R. 25.15(a)): “Only rice, grain of
any kind, bran, glucose, sugar, and molasses are substitutes for malt.”

MALT BEVERAGES
A malt beverage must contain malt and hops, although it can contain other
ingredients. The Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) is an agency of the
Department of the Treasury, formed in 1935 to regulate alcohol after the
repeal of Prohibition. Here is how a malt beverage is defined in the FAA
Act:
 [A] beverage made by the alcoholic fermentation of an
infusion or decoction, or combination of both, in potable
brewing water, of malted barley with hops, or their parts, or
their products, and with or without other malted cereals, and
with or without the addition of unmalted or prepared cereals,
other carbohydrates or products prepared therefrom, and
with or without the addition of carbon dioxide, and with or
without other wholesome products suitable for human food
consumption. (27 U.S.C. § 211(a)(7))

The same definition appears in the TTB regulations at 27 C.F.R. 7.10.

BEER VERSUS MALT BEVERAGES

The key difference between beer and malt beverages is that beer—by the
TTB definition—does not need to contain malted barley or hops. In
addition, a minimum alcohol content of 0.5% ABV is specified for beer but
not for malt beverages. Thus, a hard seltzer made from fermenting a sugar
solution and adding a flavoring qualifies as a beer under these regulations.
To qualify as a malt beverage, some malted barley and hops would have to
be used. (Specifically, 25% malted barley and 7.5 lb. of hops per 100 bbl.)
Another difference is that a malt beverage (brewed with malt and hops)
does not require FDA labeling but a beer brewed from just sugar does.
These definitions are the opposite of what many brewers might think
before familiarizing themselves with the regulations. Brewers tend to think
of beer as a beverage containing malt and hops, whereas malt beverages—
especially a flavored malt beverage (FMB)—are considered as something
similar to beer but not really beer. Under the TTB definitions, a “regular”
IPA would be considered a malt beverage but a drink like hard seltzer made
from fermenting just sugar is a beer. For this reason, some brewers refer to
beers under this definition as “IRC beers.”
The TTB ruling 2008-3 details the relevant distinctions between beer and
malted beverages in the context of the IRC of 1986 and the FAA Act.
Additional discussion can be found in TTB ruling 2015-1. Both rulings can
be accessed from the TTB website:
• https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/rulings/2008-3.pdf
 • https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/rulings/ttb-ruling-2015-1-malt-
beverage-formulas.pdf
The significance of these definitions is that the Internal Revenue Service
classifies a beverage brewed by fermenting sugar as a beer and taxes it as
such. Thus, a hard seltzer made from fermenting sugar will be taxed at a
lower rate than one made by adding distilled spirits to carbonated water.

APPROVALS REQUIRED
To brew a hard seltzer you will need a Brewers Notice, as you would for
brewing any beer. In addition, TTB formula approval is required for most
hard seltzers. The usual TTB label approval (COLA) is not needed for most
hard seltzers, but breweries must abide by FDA guidelines.

FORMULA APPROVAL
Almost all hard seltzers require formula approval. You can check if yours
does by using the following interactive page on the TTB’s website. Just
answer a few questions and it will tell you if you need formula approval.
• https://www.ttb.gov/formulation/which-alcohol-beverages-require-
formula-approval-beer-and-malt-beverages-mb

Typical brewed beverages produced in a commercial brewery, that is,

beer in the usual sense of the word, do not require formula approval. By
contrast, most hard seltzers do. This is largely because brewed beverages
using non-traditional techniques (such as processes used to remove color
and flavor) or additional flavoring and coloring agents require TTB formula
approval.
Using activated carbon to strip color and flavor from a hard seltzer is
considered a non-traditional procedure. Formula approval also proves that a
beverage does not contain any prohibited ingredients (or limited
ingredients). Ingredients that are categorized as generally recognized as safe
(GRAS) by the FDA can be used in hard seltzers. Further guidance can be
found at:
 • https://www.ttb.gov/formulation/determining-if-and-how-
ingredients-may-be-used-in-your-beverage
TTB limited ingredients, and the amounts in which they can be used, can be
found at:
• https://www.ttb.gov/scientific-services-division/limited-ingredients
The normal ingredients for brewing beer, including many ingredients
used for brewing specialty beers, may be used without seeking formula
approval. The addition of flavorings or coloring requires formula approval
and you will need to get a TTB/ATF number for each flavoring used.
Manufacturers of flavors used in hard seltzers are aware of this and will
have all the information you need, including the alcohol percentage in the
flavoring, which can be found on the flavor ingredient data sheet (FIDS).
The entire process of formula approval can be done online by going to
the TTB’s “Alcohol Beverage Formula Approval” webpage:
• https://www.ttb.gov/formulation/
If you need help, you can download the “Formulas Online 2.0 Online
Industry Member User Manual” at:
• https://www.ttb.gov/images/pdfs/foia_fonl-docs/fonl_oim_um.pdf.
This 295-page user manual will guide you step by step through the process.
You need to have a Brewer’s Notice to submit a formula for approval. You
also need to apply for an online account to use the online formula
application process. This same account allows you to use the online COLA
application process, should you have beverages requiring this (see below).

WHEN LABEL APPROVAL (COLA) IS NEEDED

For most ‘ordinary’ beers (or malt beverages, using the TTB’s definition
above), you also need to get a Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) for
the label. As with formula approval, this can all be done online:
• https://www.ttb.gov/labeling/colas
The online manual, entitled “COLAs Online 3.11.3 Public COLA Registry
User Manual,” will guide you through the process and is only 50 pages
long. Within the user manual are links to the proper forms, available to
submit electronically or as printable forms that can be mailed in. You will
need to get formula approval—assuming your malt beverage needs it—
before applying for a COLA.
The labeling of hard seltzers made only from sugar (i.e., IRC beers) is
governed by FDA regulations and therefore a COLA is not required.
However, the FDA requires a number of things on labels.

FDA LABELING
Any beer brewed without malted barley and hops (i.e., an IRC beer)
requires FDA-compliant labeling. The FDA has an online document,
“Labeling of Certain Beers Subject to the Labeling Jurisdiction of the Food
and Drug Administration: Guidance for Industry,” which details the process
and can be found at:
• https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-
documents/guidance-industry-labeling-certain-beers-subject-
labeling-jurisdiction-food-and-drug-administration
This guidance document addresses the changes brought about by TTB
Ruling 2008-3, in which sugar became a substitute for malt. Further
information on labeling can be found at:
• https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-
documents/guidance-industry-food-labeling-guide
You do not submit paperwork to the FDA to get label approval. The FDA
will audit you if it receives consumer complaints or believes you have not
met the requirements.
The highlights of these FDA documents are easy to summarize. A label
must include a statement of identity. This tells the consumer what the
product is. For a hard seltzer, “beer (or alcoholic beverage) brewed from
sugar,” or any reasonable, accurate variant will suffice.
The net quantity of the contents must be given, preferably in both US
customary units and metric units, although only US customary units are
required. As you might expect, these measurements need to be accurate.
The statement of identity and net quantity must appear on the front label,
which is the principle display panel (PDP). The name and place of business
of the producer must also be given.
 Water is the most abundant ingredient in a hard seltzer. If a brewer wants
to describe their water as filtered or purified, they should review FDA
guidelines (under 21 C.F.R. 165.110). These standards are tightly regulated
due to the bottled water industry.
A major part of meeting FDA requirements for any label is the nutrition
panel. This includes a statement of ingredients listed in descending order of
predominance by weight. Any added flavors or colors must be included in
this list. Ingredients should be GRAS or, for limited ingredients, used in
amounts that are allowed. (Most limited ingredients are coloring agents and
one option to avoid any problems caused by their inclusion would be not to
use them or products that contain them.) The panel should also include
nutritional information, although this requirement can be waived for small
businesses. Each element of the nutrition panel has requirements, such as
typeface and type size, which are outlined in the FDA documents cited
above.
Major food allergens, including peanuts, shellfish, and wheat, must be
declared if they are present. If your brewery is certified as making a gluten-
free product, this information is allowed on the label. Only IRC beers can
be declared gluten-free. Malt beverages cannot. However, in general, the
brewer should not make any health claims on the label—and be aware that
the FDA takes a broad view of health claims. Likewise, you can declare
your hard seltzer GMO-free if it does not contain any genetically modified
organisms. In this regard, sugar, the second most abundant ingredient in a
hard seltzer, is not considered a GMO ingredient. This is the case for
glucose/dextrose (corn sugar), even if the corn it was extracted from was
GMO—the rationale is that no DNA from the corn exists in the sugar. The
brewer can leave “corn sugar” off the label and instead list the ingredient as
alcohol, because the sugar is converted into alcohol. (This also allows the
brewer to switch from corn sugar to cane sugar without changing the label.)
Acids are also a major component in some hard seltzers. All the major
food use acidulants, including citric acid, are considered GRAS by the
FDA. Note that citric acid is a component of many citrus fruits and may be
added in that manner as opposed to a purified compound.
The label may contain the name of a cocktail, unless that name contains
the name of another company or brand.
 In the past, the brewing industry was reluctant to put nutritional
information on their product labels. It was thought that the caloric content
(and possibly other aspects) would dissuade consumers from purchasing
beer. But for hard seltzers the caloric content, low amount of carbohydrates,
and lack of gluten (where applicable) are major selling points.

CANADIAN AND US STATE REGULATIONS

Your hard seltzer will need to meet the requirements of whatever country or
US state it is sold in. Canada’s regulations can be found at:
• https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/
legislation-guidelines/guidance-documents/flavoured-purified-
alcohol.html
Be aware that some US states require hops to be in any product classified
(and taxed) as a beer. Until recently, Florida defined both beer and malt
beverages to mean that all brewed beverages must be made with at least
some malt (hops were not mentioned), but this requirement was done away
with after lobbying from the industry. There are other state-specific
requirements that brewers should watch out for. Oregon, for example, treats
hard seltzers as a wine and requires a winery license to produce them.

THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE

A change in the wording of how beer was defined by the Internal Revenue
Code—rendering sugar as a malt substitute—paved the way for the brewing
of hard seltzers. The trend of valuing low-calorie beverages, with other
perceived health benefits, caused consumers to embrace these beverages
and make them staggeringly popular. However, some in the industry worry
about possible changes to beverage regulations in the future that this surge
in popularity may engender. Specifically, now that brewed beverages that
taste like seltzer water with added alcohol are available, will the
government re-evaluate the tax structure on alcoholic beverages; will beer
still be afforded the tax break compared to packaged mixed drinks when it
essentially mimics them? Even if nothing comes of this, brewers of hard
seltzers should keep track of any potential changes in regulation. Any new,
booming business is likely to attract some attention from regulators and
brewers should be ready for change.
© Brewers Association/Luke Trautwein
7
MAKING HARD SELTZER AT HOME

I F YOU ARE A HOME brewer, winemaker, or mead maker, you may

want to try your hand at making hard seltzer or something similar. There
are some technical challenges to making a hard seltzer at home, but they are
not insurmountable. Any experienced homebrewer can make a satisfactory
hard seltzer using only ordinary homebrewing equipment. If you are
interested in making a hard seltzer up to commercial standards, you will
need to get a suitable activated carbon filter. However, there are some
workarounds that can achieve higher clarity without filtration.
If you have never fermented beer or wine at home before, or you have no
interest in doing so, you can make hard seltzer with the bare minimum of
equipment. Appendix A at the end of this book will talk you through the
basics of making your own hard seltzer and does not assume any prior
brewing experience.

EQUIPMENT
Any “regular” homebrewing setup—even the simplest—should allow you
to make a hard seltzer at home. At a minimum, you will need the pieces
discussed in this section.
In the US, most homebrewing setups are designed around producing 5.0
gallons (19 L) of beer at a time. So, this equipment list will assume you are
making the same amount of hard seltzer. It is possible to make more or less,
of course. The adjustments required for this should be obvious, mostly
involving a larger or smaller kettle and an appropriately sized fermentor.
For a five-gallon (19 L) batch of hard seltzer, you should have a stainless
steel pot that is at least five gallons in volume to use as your kettle. Seven to
ten gallons (27–38 L) would be better, because with this size kettle you can
boil a little over five gallons of sugar wash (the unfermented hard seltzer
base mixture) down to five gallons. While a five-gallon pot would also
work, you would need to boil about 4.25 gal. (16 L) down to a bit over 4.0
gal. (15 L), then dilute the mixture to 5.0 gal. (19 L) in your fermentor. If
you attempt to boil a higher-gravity wash for a five-gallon batch at a
volume smaller than four gallons, you run the risk of scorching sugar to the
bottom of the pot.
After the boil, you will need a way to cool your sugar wash. This can be
done in a large sink or bathtub with some ice water, but a wort chiller is a
much better choice. A long, sturdy spoon for stirring will also come in
handy.
You need a 6.0–7.0 gal. (23–27 L) primary fermentor to ferment a five-
gallon batch of hard seltzer. The fermentor can be a bucket, carboy, or
stainless steel cylindroconical fermentor. For a variety of reasons that will
become clear later, one reason being that additions will need to be made
during fermentation, a bucket fermentor is an excellent choice. A five-
gallon (19 L) carboy to use as a secondary fermentor is very helpful,
although not strictly necessary. You will also need a way to transfer the
chilled wash from the kettle to the fermentor and, later, the fermented hard
seltzer from the fermentor to the packaging. If your kettle and your
fermentors have a spigot, all you need is some food-grade plastic tubing
(Tygon tubing). If not, you will need a racking cane. A siphon starter can be
handy but is not required. Your fermentor will need a fermentation lock
(also called an airlock) and a drilled stopper to attach the fermentation lock
to the fermentor.
Once the hard seltzer has fermented and cleared, you will need one or
more vessels in which to package the hard seltzer. A five-gallon (19 L)
Cornelius (“corny”) keg is the best option. With a keg, you can force
carbonate the beverage and serve it without worrying about the yeast
sediment that settles to the bottom of bottle-conditioned beverages.
Bottle conditioning is an option if you are not bothered by a little bit of
yeast sediment at the bottom of every bottle. You will need fifty-four 12 fl.
oz. (355 mL) bottles to package 5.0 gal. (19 L) of hard seltzer; alternatively,
you can use twenty-nine 22 fl. oz. (650 mL) bottles. You will also need a
bottling bucket in which to mix the hard seltzer and the priming sugar.
Finally, obviously, you need a bottle capper and the appropriate number of
uncrimped crown bottle caps.

MAKING A HARD SELTZER

The basic idea behind brewing a hard seltzer is simple: you mix a sugar
wash, ferment it, then flavor and carbonate it. A sugar wash is simply the
name for an unfermented mixture of simple sugar and water. The term is the
equivalent of wort in brewing or must in wine making.
All your brewing equipment must be clean before you start. Your
fermentor—in fact, any surface that the sugar wash will touch after chilling
—should be sanitized. Visually inspect everything, especially surfaces that
will be in contact with chilled sugar wash. If you see even the smallest
amount of soil, clean it again.
In many cases, especially when using liquid yeast, you will want to make
a yeast starter two or three days ahead of time in order for your pitching rate
to be adequate. If you are using dried yeast, you can simply add the proper
amount of yeast when pitching. If your hard seltzer recipe does not specify
a pitching rate, assume the pitching rate is either the normal ale pitching
rate—1.0 million cells per milliliter per degree Plato—or up to 50% higher.
For a 5.0 gal. (19 L) batch of 4.0%–5.0% ABV hard seltzer, this amounts to
roughly 150–270 billion cells.
Not all homebrewers have the equipment to count yeast cells. However,
if you make a 2.0–3.0 qt. (1.9–2.8 L) yeast starter with a starter solution
(wash, wort, or must) at around 1.020 specific gravity (SG), you should end
up with approximately the right number of cells when the starter has
fermented. The ingredients for your starter solution can be sugar, malt
extract (or wort), grape juice, or a mixture of these. The color in the yeast
starter should be as light as possible as some of the liquid will end up being
transferred to the main batch along with the yeast. You should add a small
amount of yeast nutrients regardless of the starter solution used. As with
any fermentation, pay extra attention to the cleaning and sanitation of your
yeast starter vessel. Any small amount of contamination in the starter will
be amplified in the main fermentation.
If you are using brewer’s yeast, a starter made with roughly equal
amounts of the lightest malt extract you can find and sugar is a good option.
For a 5.0 gal. (19 L) batch, the volume of the starter should be 2.0–3.0 qt.
(1.9–2.8 L). Make the starter solution so it has a specific gravity of around
1.020, which, for the volume range given, should take 2.0–3.0 oz. (57–85 g)
each of dried malt extract and sucrose (table sugar). Add just a gram or two
(“a pinch”) of complete yeast nutrients. Bring the solution to a boil and
simmer for a few minutes. All you need to do is sanitize the solution.
Sprinkle the yeast nutrients into the mix once it comes to a boil. (Keep in
mind that if you use malt extract, which is made from barley, to raise your
yeast starter, it may result in trace amounts of gluten being present in your
hard seltzer.)
If your starter vessel is made of borosilicate glass or stainless steel,
carefully pour the hot starter solution into the vessel. Cap with aluminum
foil (or close the lid) and cool the vessel. If your starter vessel is ordinary
flint glass, cool the starter solution and then pour it into the starter vessel.
When you are certain the starter solution is at the right temperature, aerate
it. In this instance, the right temperature is any temperature at which the
yeast can function properly. This depends on the yeast strain. You can
aerate by vigorously shaking the vessel, assuming you can keep it from
leaking as you do so. You can also use a sintered aeration stone and aerate
with HEPA-filtered air or oxygen.
Next, pitch the yeast to your starter as quickly as is feasible. The oxygen
dissolved in the starter solution will be diffusing out of solution, assuming
you aerated the starter above the volume of gas it would normally hold at
atmospheric pressure. This does not happen instantly, so you do not need to
rush, just avoid taking your lunch break between aerating and pitching the
yeast. Depending on how the yeast is packaged, you may want to wipe
down the outside of the yeast package with sanitizing solution before
opening it. Then, pour or sprinkle the yeast and swirl the starter. Set the
starter somewhere at “room temperature” or slightly above and shield it
from strong light. It should ferment to completion in 2–3 days. Depending
on the type of yeast, all or most of the yeast may flocculate and form a
dense layer at the bottom of the starter.
If you are using wine yeast, your starter could be made from very light,
white grape juice and sucrose. As with the malt extract starter, aim for
around 1.020 SG and include a pinch of yeast nutrients. You will only need
2.0–2.5 qt. (1.9–2.4 L) of grape juice starter for a 5 gal. (19 L) batch
fermented with wine yeast. You can very lightly simmer the starter, cool as
described above, and pitch the yeast. Or you can skip heating the mixture
and add a tiny amount of potassium metabisulfite powder and pitch the
yeast the next day.
Distiller’s yeast is yet another option. The starter volume and specific
gravity will be very similar to that for brewer’s or wine yeast. Make the
starter from sucrose (or glucose) and let it ferment somewhere warm. Some
distiller’s yeast is packaged with its own yeast nutrients built in. Some of
these nutrients will be used up when the starter ferments, so you may want
to add a pinch of yeast nutrients to the main batch to make up for this. Do
not overdo it on yeast nutrients though—more is not better.

MAKING THE SUGAR WASH

The first step on brew day is to make your sugar wash. This is the sugar
solution that the yeast will ferment to make alcohol. This is typically
fermented without the flavor addition, including any acid added for flavor.
The fermented sugar wash is the “neutral” base beverage to which you add
flavor, acidity, and carbonation.
Making the sugar wash is extremely straightforward. Some commercial
breweries make a (relatively) high-gravity sugar wash and dilute it to near
working strength after fermentation. For homebrewers, it is easier to make
the sugar wash at working strength. High-gravity fermentations stress the
yeast more and you want the lowest level of yeast by-products, such as
esters, that you can manage. Diluting a high-gravity beverage to working
strength is also best done with de-aerated water, and this requires boiling
the dilution water, then quickly cooling it. It is not impossible to do at home
but unless you are trying to brew a lot of hard seltzer, or wish to emulate
how some commercial brewers do it, simply making a working strength
sugar wash is a lot easier.
As with any brew day, it is best to assemble all your equipment before
you start. Make sure that it is cleaned and, if needed, sanitized. It will be
helpful if you write out a checklist of the major steps. Then, as you brew,
you can check them off the list.
The fermented sugar wash is meant to be neutral—a flavorless canvas for
which to add flavor and perhaps color. As such, the water you use must
meet all the usual requirements for brewing. And you should really assess
the taste of the water alone before using it. If your tap water has any
detectable off-flavor or aroma, you either need to carbon filter it until it
tastes clean or find another source of water.
Municipal water supplies are usually treated with some form of chlorine
compound for sanitation. To remove this chlorine, most homebrewers either
filter their water through a carbon filter or treat it with potassium
metabisulfite. The latter can be done by adding one standard Campden
tablet per 20 gal. (76 L) of water to be treated.
Your kettle should be able to hold the entire volume you plan to boil (see
below) and about 20% extra. Begin heating your water. Add small amounts
of sugar as the water heats, stirring frequently so none sinks to the bottom
and scorches. Do not pour in all of the sugar called for at once. Break it into
smaller aliquots and add them gradually. The sugar can be dextrose
(glucose), sucrose, or any other simple sugar including, for example, candi
sugar, agave syrup, rice syrup solids, or Brewers Crystals. Of these,
dextrose or sucrose will give the most neutral base. For 5.0 gal. (19 L) of
sugar wash, you will need 3.3–4.3 lb. (1.5–2.0 kg) of sucrose or 4.2–5.2 lb.
(1.9–2.4 kg) of glucose (monohydrate), also called corn sugar. The specific
gravity should be 1.031 to 1.038 to yield a finished base around 4.0%–5.0%
ABV. The actual ABV will depend both on the starting gravity after the boil
and the final gravity of the solution after fermentation.
If you are boiling the full volume of sugar wash, your starting volume
should be 5.25 gal. (19.9 L). This should yield 5.0 gal. (19 L) of sugar wash
at the specified specific gravity after a 15-minute boil. Before the boil, the
specific gravity will be slightly less because the volume is greater than five
gallons. Also, if the hydrometer sample is warm your specific gravity
reading will be lower than the true specific gravity. Make sure to take
hydrometer readings at the temperature your hydrometer is calibrated to,
which is usually listed right on the device. A refractometer can also be used
to measure the density of the solution before yeast is pitched.
If you like, you can boil a sugar wash that is thicker than required and
dilute to your intended strength in the fermentor. (This is how most malt
extract worts are made.) This may be an option if your kettle is too small
for a full-volume boil or if you are trying to get the most hard seltzer
possible from a single kettle boil. However, if you have the ability to boil
(and cool) your full volume, it is probably best to do that. That way you
lower the chances of darkening the wash during the boil and do not have to
worry about preparing dilution water.
If you are boiling less than the full amount and diluting it to five gallons
(19 L) in the fermentor, your wash will have a higher specific gravity and
be more prone to picking up color when heated. It is best to keep the
specific gravity under 1.064 when boiling, and even this might be pushing it
a bit if you are trying for clear (not slightly yellowed) base.
A short boil, around 15 minutes, is all you need. If you are confident in
your ability to maintain a steady temperature with your kettle, you can hold
the wash at 170°F (77°C) for 15 minutes to pasteurize it. You are not
extracting bitterness from hops—even if you add hops, you do not want any
perceptible hop bitterness in a hard seltzer. You are not coagulating
proteins, as would be required in a brewery boil. All you really need to do is
sanitize the wort and perhaps bubble out any volatile compounds. You
should add a small amount of yeast nutrients at this point. You can do so
any time within the first 10 minutes of the boil. For 5.0 gal. (19 L) of sugar
wash, you will need of total of about 2 tsp. diammonium phosphate (DAP)
and 1 tsp. complete yeast nutrients. Your recipe may specify breaking this
amount into aliquots and adding part of it later, but the first dose should be
added in the boil.
After the boil, the sugar wash should be chilled quickly. A submersible
wort chiller will work well for this. If you, like me, live somewhere where
the groundwater is fairly warm, adding a pre-chiller will help. A pre-chiller
is another wort chiller in line between the tap and the main wort chiller. The
pre-chiller sits in a bucket or other vessel to which ice water is added. This
cools down the water that flows to the main chiller. When using a pre-
chiller, hold off adding the ice until the sugar wash has chilled significantly.
If you can touch the outside kettle and it does not feel particularly warm or
cold, it is right around human body temperature. (Be very careful and do
not touch the kettle until the wash has been cooling for a while.) For 5.0
gal. (19 L) batch of hard seltzer, a 10 lb. (4.5 kg) bag of ice will help you
quickly get from around 100°F (38°C) to the mid-60s Fahrenheit (~18°C).
A counterflow wort chiller or plate chiller can also be used. If a pre-
chiller is used, the ice should be added to the pre-chiller water throughout
the entire process. Adjust the flow of water through the chiller and the flow
of wash out of the kettle so the liquid entering the fermentor is at the correct
temperature. Some chillers of this type also allow you to aerate the chilled
wort as it exits the chiller.
A workable, but far less elegant, solution is to chill the wash in a large
sink or bathtub filled with cold water. If you cool the wash in a sink, you
will have to change the water multiple times until the side of the pot feels as
if it is roughly body temperature. (Do not touch the pot until the water has
been changed at least three times and 15 minutes has elapsed. Even then, be
careful.) Once the pot has been cooled to that point with tap water, add ice
to the next couple batches of cooling water. Keep the lid on the pot at all
times during cooling, regardless of what method you use. This blocks
airborne microorganisms from falling into the wash.

AERATION, OXYGENATION, AND PH ADJUSTMENT

No matter what method of chilling you used, the wash needs to be chilled,
transferred to the fermentor, and aerated. A small oxygen tank connected
via tubing to a HEPA filter that is, in turn, connected to a sintered aeration
stone can be used for this. Most homebrew stores sell kits with everything
you need except the oxygen tank. Those can be found at hardware stores
with the welding equipment.

pH ADJUSTMENT
There is an optional step at this point in the process after chilling: pH
adjustment. When wort is boiled, the pH typically drops to 5.0–5.2.
Likewise, the pH of wine must is often in the 3.3–3.5 range. A solution of
sugar and water will have a pH that is higher than either of these. When the
sugar wash is fermented its pH will drop. However, you can adjust the pH
prior to the fermentation if you wish to give the yeast a less stressful initial
environment.
Sugar, whether glucose or sucrose, is not acidic or basic and does not
contribute to the pH of the solution it is in. Thus, a mixture of pure sugar
and pure water will simply be the pH of the water. If you used pure water,
the pH will be 7. The pH of tap water might be different depending on what
is dissolved in it. Most municipal water sources deliver water between pH
6.5 and 8.5, with a value around pH 8.1 being common. A sugar and water
solution does not act as a pH buffer either. As such, a relatively small
amount of acid added to a sugar wash will change its pH substantially. So,
although the yeast might initially be slightly stressed by a high pH, the
lactic acid produced during fermentation will quickly drop the pH into a
more comfortable range. Still, some commercial producers adjust the pH of
their wash and homebrewers can too.
To adjust the pH, use food-grade phosphoric acid or lactic acid. Take the
pH of your sugar wash and, if it is out of the range you are shooting for, add
a drop of acid. Stir the solution, wait 30 seconds or so, and take the pH
again. Add acid drop by drop until you hit your desired range.

OXYGENATION
To aerate with oxygen, sanitize the tubing leading to the aeration stone and
the stone itself by soaking in sanitizing solution. Drop the stone into the
chilled sugar wash and let it sink to the bottom. Slowly turn the regulator
knob on the oxygen rig until bubbles emerge from the aeration stone.
Adjust the flow so the bubbles are small and there is only a small ripple at
the surface of the liquid. If large bubbles are popping at the top, that means
oxygen is just passing through the solution. One minute of oxygenation is
all that is needed to reach the desired dissolved oxygen level of 6–8 ppm. If
you can manage it, gently swirling the fermentor as you add oxygen will
help the gas dissolve slightly better. (It makes the path of a bubble from the
stone to the top slightly longer, a helix rather a straight line.)
You can also aerate with your stone connected to an aquarium pump. Air
contains about 21% oxygen. So, when aerating with air, you need to bubble
more gas through your wash. Aerating for 7–8 minutes with air should do
the trick. As with oxygen, a stream of small bubbles that only makes a
ripple at the top—not a bunch of fizz—is what you want.

PITCHING THE YEAST

Once the sugar wash is prepared—boiled, cooled, aerated, and (optionally)
pH adjusted—it is time to pitch the yeast. Dried yeast can be sprinkled on
top of the liquid, allowed to sit for about 5 minutes, then stirred into
solution. Alternatively, the yeast can be rehydrated first in hot water, then
cooled, and pitched. Different yeast strains have different requirements for
rehydration—including temperatures and amounts of water required—and
these are usually printed right on the sachet. Done properly, rehydration
yields a higher percentage of healthy yeast cells compared to sprinkling
dried yeast onto a sugar solution. Done incorrectly, for example, by pouring
still-hot yeast into a cool solution, it actually decreases the number of
healthy cells.
If you made a yeast starter, give it a whiff and see if it smells as a yeast
starter should. (How should a yeast starter smell? That depends on the yeast
strain.) If there is a layer of yeast on the bottom and clear liquid above it,
carefully pour off as much of the supernatant (the clear liquid) as is
possible, swirl the yeast, and dump it in the sugar wash. Pouring off the
supernatant gets rid of any color it may be carrying, especially if it was
made with some wort or grape juice. Pour the yeast starter supernatant into
a glass and give it a taste, to check for signs of contamination. If the yeast
starter is cloudy, the yeast is still in suspension and you will have to pitch
the whole starter.
Once the yeast has been pitched, affix the airlock and move the fermentor
somewhere where the temperature can be controlled. The optimal
fermentation temperature will depend on the strain of yeast being used.
Ideally, you want to conduct a fermentation that is as “clean” as possible. If
you are using a neutral brewer’s yeast, ferment in the mid-to-low range of
the strain’s recommended temperature range. Wine yeasts and distiller’s
yeasts are less finicky, but the temperature should be maintained such that
the fermentation is orderly and not allowed to rise higher than a comparable
wine fermentation would.

FERMENTATION
If you have pitched an adequate amount of healthy yeast, evidence of active
fermentation should start by the next day. It may start sooner with some
types of yeasts. During active fermentation, all the brewer needs to do is
monitor the situation and ensure that the temperature stays within its
prescribed bounds. Fermentations generate heat and you may see a spike
early on. As fermentation proceeds, you may detect some unusual odors
coming from the airlock. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is the most common off-
odor that is found in sluggish hard seltzer fermentations. But a small
amount is normal, especially in lager fermentations. With some yeast
strains, certain off-putting aromas may be normal. If you are brewing your
first hard seltzer, do not panic and dump a batch based on the odors
emanating from the airlock. Do make sure to note the odors, the yeast strain
you are using, the temperature, and how many hours fermentation has
progressed, in your brewing notebook. This will help you interpret airlock
odors the next time you brew.
Fermentation should peak during the first or second day of fermentation.
With most yeast strains, it will be the first. This is a good time to add a
second dose of yeast nutrients, if your recipe calls for it. The idea behind
staggering the yeast nutrient additions is that the yeast will have taken in the
initial dose and be ready—or almost so—for fresh nutrients. To add the
second dose, place the yeast nutrient mixture in a small pan and add just
enough water to make a fairly thick slurry. Gradually heat the mix. You can
either simmer the mixture for about a minute or hold the mixture above
170°F (77°C) for a couple minutes and it will be sanitized. Let the mixture
cool, swirl it around in the pan, and dump it into the fermentor. Your recipe
will likely specify when to add yeast nutrients and in what amounts.
In the day or two after visible fermentation peaks, you will have to
decide whether to add a third dose of yeast nutrients. If the yeast cells have
depleted both of the previous additions, or nearly so, they may benefit from
a third dose. On the other hand, if they have received all the nutrients they
need to complete the fermentation, adding more nutrients will not help the
yeast but they will be available to contaminating microorganisms. As a
homebrewer, this decision will always involve some guesswork.
As fermentation progresses, the amount of CO₂ given off decreases as the
fermentable sugars are consumed. If the fermentation is struggling, for
example, because the yeast is lacking in nutrients, the amount of CO₂
production may drop drastically. Being able to distinguish between an
ordinary slowing of fermentation, which can be occur quickly, and a sharp
drop-off is difficult. With hard seltzers, your best approach may be to smell
the gases exiting the airlock. If they smell strongly of hydrogen sulfide,
which smells like rotten eggs, that is a sign the yeast is struggling.
However, some yeast strains produce a lot of hydrogen sulfide in a healthy
fermentation. If your yeast starter smelled of hydrogen sulfide but the
starter liquid tasted fine, then hydrogen sulfide at this stage may be normal.
Unless you are reasonably sure that the fermentation is struggling or stalled,
withholding yeast nutrients at this stage is probably the best approach.
In most cases, your hard seltzer fermentation should complete in 6–8
days. The amount of time required depends primarily on the amount of
yeast pitched, the temperature of the fermentation, the yeast strain, the
extent of aeration, and yeast nutrition. With starting gravities less than
1.040 SG, the yeast should work quickly if it is healthy and abundant.
Allow the fermentation to slow to a stop and let the fermented wash sit,
undisturbed, for at least a few days afterwards. This will give the yeast time
to flocculate and take up some yeast by-products, such as diacetyl.
If your fermentation does become sluggish, you may want to rouse the
yeast, raise the temperature of the fermentation slightly, or both. You can
rouse the yeast by stirring the solution or swirling the fermentor. If the
fermentation turned sluggish early, that is, before the first one-third of the
sugar is consumed, adding additional yeast nutrients may help. Oxygenating
after fermentation is likely to produce an excess of diacetyl and should be
avoided.
Your fermentation should have produced a solution that is mostly water
and 4%–5% alcohol. However, there are likely other compounds in the mix
that may have an odor, flavor, and color. Removing these unwanted
compounds will make for a better hard seltzer. A quick taste test will reveal
how much intervention is required.

TASTE TEST
If you taste your fermented sugar wash and it smells and tastes “neutral,”
like water with a little alcohol and no strong off-odors or flavors, you can
skip the following procedures and add your flavoring and acids. This is
doubly true if the fermented wash is additionally low in color. As a
homebrewer, your hard seltzer does not have to be crystal clear and
absolutely flavorless. You can be the judge of whether your result is “close
enough” and you wish to avoid the hassle of cleaning it up. Remember also
that small amounts of off-odors and flavors, depending on what they are,
may be at least partially hidden by the flavoring. Certainly, if your
fermented wash smells slightly estery, and your flavoring is fruit based, the
esters likely will not be a major problem. Flavors or aromas that are strong,
offensive, or both will not be obscured by flavor additions. Small amounts
of color in the wash may not be detrimental, especially with some
flavorings that may also add some color. Large amounts of color, which in
this case would be anything light Pilsner colored or darker, are problematic.

FINING
There are a variety of fining agents that homebrewers and home
winemakers are familiar with. Two that can be very helpful when brewing a
hard seltzer are activated carbon and polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP).
Activated carbon is sometimes used to fine wines for off-flavors, off-odors,
and color, but it is fairly non-specific. PVPP is usually used to fine
alcoholic beverages for excess tannins, which should not be a problem in
hard seltzers, but also removes bitter compounds. Used together, activated
carbon and PVPP have the reputation of “stripping” wine of flavor and
color. For a hard seltzer, for which you want a neutral base as beverage, this
is a good thing.
Activated carbon is often mixed in a thick (10% w/v) slurry and used at a
dosage of 50–2,000 mg/L. For 5.0 gal. (19 L) of hard seltzer, that would be
0.034–7.1 oz. (0.95–200 g). At the lower end of this range, activated carbon
removes odors; at the higher end, it removes colors. Activated carbon falls
out of solution and settles in less than an hour. Take care when mixing the
slurry and dosing the beer. Activated carbon can be messy.
PVPP is dissolved in hot water and added at concentrations of 100–800
mg/L. For 5.0 gal. (19 L) of hard seltzer, this would be 0.067 to 0.53 ounces
(1.9–15 g). Most types of PVPP will settle out in about six hours. Working
together, you can fine with both activated carbon and PVPP in one day and
then rack the clarified wash to a secondary fermentor that evening or the
next day, leaving the fining agents behind as best you can in the primary
fermentor. You may lose a tiny amount of liquid doing this.
For a homebrewed hard seltzer, one approach to fining would be to first
assess the base beverage. It is pretty close to neutral and colorless? Does it
have a few off-odors and a little unwanted color? Or is it problematic,
showing strong off-odors or flavors and far too much color? For a “pretty
close” beverage, fine with activated carbon at 0.034 oz. (0.95 g) per 5.0 gal.
(19 L) followed by 0.067 oz. (1.9 g) of PVPP. For a problematic batch, fine
with 7.1 oz. (200 g) of activated carbon per 5.0 gal. (19 L) and 0.53 oz. (15
g) of PVPP. For intermediate batches, use a rate between these based on
whether you think it is closer to either of the two ends of the spectrum. You
cannot mistakenly over-fine, so if you err on the side of using more finings,
the only downside is the cost of the finings used. Also, if you fine the base
beverage once and it improves but still shows problems, you can fine again.
There are other finings used in winemaking and beer making, but carbon
and PVPP are easy to mix and use, are fast-acting, and have the reputation
of being effective in removing odors and color when used together.
Filtering the neutral base will yield a clearer beverage. However, most
homebrewers do not have the equipment for filtration. If you do, the best
approach is to perform a coarse filtration to remove the yeast and other
large particles, if present. Next, a finer filtration, preferably through filter
pads that contain activated carbon, will produce a more polished beverage.

ODOR REMOVAL WITH CO₂

If your base beverage is good except for a small amount of unwanted odor,
you have an option besides fining, which is bubbling CO₂ through the
solution to scrub the volatile compounds responsible for the odor. To do
this, you will need an aeration stone attached to your CO₂ tank. You will
also need to knock as much CO₂ out of solution before you start as is
feasible. Immediately after fermentation, your base beverage will be
saturated with CO₂. If you bubble CO₂ through a solution already saturated
with CO₂, it will foam extensively.
To remove CO₂ from your base beverage, take a sanitized long-handled
spoon and stir the liquid, initially in a circular motion. It should start to
form a whirlpool in the fermentation vessel. Then—while still stirring in the
circle—move the spoon up and down to bring the bottom layers of the
solution to the top as the solution rotates. Do not stir so vigorously that you
whip air into the mix. Avoid splashing as far as you reasonably can. You
want to let CO₂ out but not let oxygen in. Stir for a few minutes or, if you
see bubbles rising to the surface, until the rate of bubbling diminishes.
 Sanitize the stone and the tubing that leads to it and let the stone sink to
the bottom of the vessel. Turn the gas on as slowly as you can reasonably
manage and be ready to turn it off immediately if excessive foaming occurs.
Adjust the flow of CO₂ bubbles coming from the aeration stone so it is just
a trickle at first. Swirl the fermentor, if possible, being watchful that it does
not start to foam uncontrollably. Once you can see the flow of bubbles is
not causing a lot of foaming, turn the CO₂ up very slowly and bubble CO₂
through the solution for a couple minutes. Grasp the tubing leading to the
stone and move it around so bubbles rise through all the different regions in
the fermentor. Swirling the fermentor gently as the bubbles rise will help.
After bubbling the base beverage, you can taste test it again and see if
this cleared up the problem. If not, you may want to try carbon fining and
perhaps another round of bubbling. Obviously, avoiding problems in your
fermentation is going to be a lot easier than cleaning them up afterward.

FLAVOR ADDITIONS AND CARBONATION

Once the wash is fermented and cleaned up, if needed, the next steps are
flavor additions, back sweetening, stabilization, and carbonation. In a home
brewery, it may be more convenient to leave carbonation as the last step.
The big decision you need to make is whether you will force carbonate the
batch or bottle condition it.
Hard seltzers are generally flavored with one or two different flavors and
these should be stirred into solution at this point. The amount of each
flavoring will be specified by the recipe, but it will not occupy a large
volume. So, unless you are extremely exacting and want your hard seltzer
to occupy 5.000 gallons (18.93 L) exactly, you do not need to worry about
the tiny bit this will dilute your beverage. Once the flavoring is stirred in,
add any acid that is called for. Do not mix these two together and then add
them—add one and then the other. The order does not matter. The flavoring
solution should be sanitary if the package has not been opened. Even if the
flavoring has been used, if it is promptly closed and refrigerated it should
be fine to use again. As for acid powders, like citric acid or malic acid,
contaminating microorganisms cannot live on them in the absence of water.
Additionally, the alcohol content and low pH of the presumptive hard
seltzer will guard it against tiny amounts of contamination.
 The next addition is the sugar for back sweetening. Back sweetening is
only an option if you stabilize and force carbonate the beverage. You cannot
back sweeten and bottle condition.
You may want to dilute the sugar in water and simmer it briefly to
sanitize it. On the other hand, the alcohol and the low pH of the fermented
solution make it unlikely that a sugar addition will contaminate the
beverage. Once sugar is added any yeast remaining in solution can begin
fermenting it, which is why the potassium sorbate stabilizer is necessary.
For 5.0 gal. (19 L) of homebrewed hard seltzer, only 2.5 tsp. of potassium
sorbate is needed. The addition of potassium sorbate keeps the yeast from
“reawakening” (it will not stop an active fermentation, however, at this
dosage).
Keep in mind that, if tasting a sample at this stage, the beverage is not
carbonated and this will affect the final flavor. Carbonation will “brighten
up” the flavor and make it seem crisper. If you have back sweetened and
added potassium sorbate to stabilize the solution, you must force carbonate
the hard seltzer. Any of the methods that work with homebrewed beer will
work, including letting the keg sit under the appropriate CO₂ pressure for a
while, or cranking up the pressure and shaking the keg. For 2.8 volumes of
CO₂ at 40°F (4.4°C, i.e., usual refrigerator temperature), your gauge
pressure should be 15–16 psi. You may also choose to carbonate and serve
your hard seltzer at normal craft beer carbonation levels, typically 2.5
volumes CO₂. This will ensure you do not encounter any issue with
foaming or other symptoms of an unbalanced draught system. (Many
brewpubs do this.) To carbonate to 2.5 volumes of CO₂ you will need a
gauge pressure of 12–13 psi for a beverage at 40°F (4.4°C). Note that any
tubing in your draught system may retain a hint of whatever flavoring was
used in the hard seltzer.
If you do not back sweeten you can bottle condition your hard seltzer.
The mechanics are exactly the same as bottle conditioning homebrew: add
sugar to the beverage and let the yeast ferment that sugar in the bottle. The
carbon dioxide produced during fermentation will be trapped and carbonate
the beverage. After fermentation, the sugar wash is saturated with carbon
dioxide. At the atmospheric pressure in your residence, the liquid holds as
much carbon dioxide as it can. Temperature also plays a role, because the
cooler the temperature of your hard seltzer base beverage the more carbon
dioxide it will hold. So, the amount of priming sugar to add depends both
on your target level of carbonation and the degree to which it is already
carbonated. Use tables 7.1 and 7.2 to estimate how much sugar you will
need. For example, if you fermented your hard seltzer base at 65°F (18°C),
it will have 0.89 volumes of CO₂ in it. To reach 2.8 volumes, you will need
to add 1.9 volumes of CO₂. This corresponds to 5.5 oz. (160 g) of glucose
in a 5.0 gal. (19 L) batch. Beware of adding too much priming sugar and
overcarbonating the beverage—glass bottles can explode.

Table 7.1 Residual dissolved CO₂ at various temperatures

Temp (°F) Temp (°C) CO₂ (volumes)

50 10.0 1.15

51 10.6 1.13

52 11.1 1.11

53 11.7 1.09

54 12.2 1.08

55 12.8 1.06

56 13.3 1.04

57 13.9 1.02

58 14.4 1.01

59 15.0 0.99
Temp (°F) Temp (°C) CO₂ (volumes)

60 15.6 0.97

61 16.1 0.96

62 16.7 0.94

63 17.2 0.92

64 17.8 0.91

65 18.3 0.89

66 18.9 0.88

67 19.4 0.86

68 20.0 0.85

69 20.6 0.83

70 21.1 0.82

71 21.7 0.81

72 22.2 0.79

73 22.8 0.78

74 23.3 0.77
 Temp (°F) Temp (°C) CO₂ (volumes)

75 23.9 0.75

76 24.4 0.74

77 25.0 0.73

78 25.6 0.72

79 26.1 0.70

80 26.7 0.69

81 27.2 0.68

82 27.8 0.67

83 28.3 0.66

84 28.9 0.65

85 29.4 0.64

Table 7.2 Volumes carbon dioxide produced in 5 gal. (19 L) of beer

by priming sugar added

Sugar (oz.) Sugar (g) CO₂ produced (volumes)

0.25 7 0.09
Sugar (oz.) Sugar (g) CO₂ produced (volumes)

0.50 14 0.17

0.75 21 0.26

1.00 28 0.34

1.25 35 0.43

1.50 43 0.51

1.75 50 0.60

2.00 57 0.68

2.25 64 0.77

2.50 71 0.85

2.75 78 0.94

3.00 85 1.02

3.25 92 1.10

3.50 99 1.19

3.75 106 1.27

4.00 113 1.36

Sugar (oz.) Sugar (g) CO₂ produced (volumes)

4.25 121 1.44

4.50 128 1.53

4.75 135 1.61

5.00 142 1.70

5.25 149 1.78

5.50 156 1.87

5.75 163 1.95

6.00 170 2.04

6.25 177 2.12

6.50 184 2.20

6.75 191 2.29

7.00 199 2.37

7.25 206 2.46

7.50 213 2.54

7.75 220 2.63

 Sugar (oz.) Sugar (g) CO₂ produced (volumes)

8.00 227 2.71

priming sugar = glucose monohydrate (corn sugar)

RECIPES AND OPTIONS

The recipe chapter (chap. 8) gives recipes for various hard seltzers at the
homebrew scale. You will notice that most are very similar. As a
homebrewer, you have the option to try different twists on the hard seltzer
theme. Here are a few.

A SWEET MALTERNATIVE BEVERAGE

This is the most obvious twist on a hard seltzer. A sweeter, more flavorful
drink, similar to “old-school” malternative beverages. To brew a beverage
like this, all you really need to do is add more sugar to back sweeten and
increase the amount of flavoring and acid. You will need to add potassium
sorbate to stabilize a sweet malternative beverage, so this option is only
available to homebrewers who can force carbonate and keg their beers.

A VERY DRY BEER

Hard seltzers are typically dry beverages. There are several beer styles also
known for being dry. Brut IPA, which is a very dry pale ale, is one recent
beer type that has gained some popularity. Dry stouts and some Belgian
specialty ales, including tripel, are also known for being (at least relatively)
dry. It is possible to concoct a recipe in which about half of the
fermentables come from malted grains and half come from sugar.
Exogenous enzymes reduce the carbohydrates in the wort or beer to simple
sugars, as is done in brut IPA, and the result will be a super-dry, very pale
beer. Adding fruit flavor is an option but the beverage can be unflavored.
Making a hard seltzer is well within the ability of any accomplished
homebrewer on any “regular” homebrewing set-up. Hard seltzer brewing
begins with making a flavorless and (nearly) colorless base beverage by
fermenting a sugar wash, which is a mixture of sugar and water. The water
used should be treated—as homebrewing water always should be—and also
carefully taste tested. The initial density of the sugar wash should be 1.031–
1.038 SG. In this range, the final alcohol content of the beverage will be
4%–5% ABV. The sugar wash is boiled and cooled, then the yeast is
pitched. In order to help the yeast perform, yeast nutrients are added. After
fermentation, the (hopefully) neutral base beverage is smelled and tasted. If
off-odors or off-flavors are present, the solution can be fined. In the case of
off-odors, CO₂ can be bubbled through the solution. Even color can be
removed by fining with (relatively) large amounts of activated carbon. Once
the base beverage is cleaned up, if needed, the flavor and acid (if any) are
added and it is carbonated—typically to a fizzy 2.8 volumes of CO₂.
The most difficult aspect of brewing a hard seltzer is setting the
conditions to allow the yeast to conduct an ordered fermentation. The better
your fermentation is run, the less intervention will be required to clean the
base beverage. The rest is just mixing flavors, sugars, and acids to the
appropriate level.
© Brewers Association/Luke Trautwein
8
RECIPES FOR HOMEBREWERS

I N CHAPTER 7, I DISCUSSED how you can brew hard seltzers at

home. Here I give homebrew recipes for many of the popular hard
seltzer types. The flavors in these are interchangeable. The volume of
flavoring you need to add will vary depending on the flavor. However, the
difference in amounts is small enough that any dilution effects can be
ignored. Of course, you can tweak the level of flavoring, acidity, and back
sweetening to suit your tastes. The recipes are formulated to fit the mold of
commercial hard seltzer examples. I also give recipes for two strong neutral
bases that can be diluted to working strength.
The biggest key to success with these recipes is giving the yeast enough
nutrients to vigorously ferment the sugar solution. The pitching rate and
temperature recommendations should also be followed so that the
fermentation is orderly and finishes with nearly all of the sugars being
consumed. The final specific gravity of these beverages should be below
1.000, around 0.997 in most cases. (The specific gravity can drop below
1.000 because ethanol is less dense than water, which, by definition, has a
specific gravity of 1.000.)
Fining with activated carbon, or other fining agents, can help clear up
unwanted odors, flavors, and even colors. However, if you run an ordered
fermentation you may not need to do this step. Taste your neutral base
before deciding to fine the solution.
These recipes can be scaled up or down, as needed. Just multiply the
amount of every ingredient by your intended batch size (in either gallons or
liters) then divide by 5.0 gal. (or 19 L), the volume of these recipes. For
example, if you want to brew 2.5 gal. (9.5 L), multiply the amount of every
ingredient by 2.5 (or 9.5) then divide by five (or 19). The units for volume
will cancel, leaving the unit of measurement in the ingredients list.
 You can substitute fruit or fruit juices for the flavorings, if you wish. In
most beers, 1.0–2.0 lb. per gallon (120–240 g/L) is the range for fruit
additions. For hard seltzers, about one-quarter to one-third of this rate is
appropriate unless you are trying to make a more flavorful version. To add
real fruit, brew the beverage at working strength. The best way to add fruit
for this purpose is either as a puree or as juice. Be sure to account for the
volume of the fruit addition when making the sugar solution. Dissolve the
sugar to make a volume that your fruit addition will bring up to 5.0 gal. (19
L). Boil and cool, adding yeast nutrients where appropriate, then add the
fruit to bring the mixture up to your batch size. Pitch your yeast and
ferment. You can also wait to add the fruit until the sugar mixture has
almost finished fermenting; the fermentation will briefly be renewed in this
case. Either way, package as usual (for hard seltzers) when the fermentation
is finished. The trace nutrients in fruit should help the yeast somewhat, but
do not omit the yeast nutrients. (Do, obviously, omit the flavoring.) A final
option is to add the fruit juice after fermentation is completely finished and
add potassium sorbate to prevent a renewed fermentation. This may make
the beverage sweeter than commercial examples.
You do not need to boil a full volume of sugar solution. You can add all
the sugar required for a 5.0 gal. (19 L) batch into 2.5–3.0 gal. (9.5–11 L) of
water. After boiling and cooling, transfer the sugar solution to your
fermentor and top up to five gallons with cool water. This is essentially
what is done when brewing stovetop extract beers. Boiling smaller volumes
of sugar solution at higher concentrations of sugar may turn the liquid
yellow.

RECIPES

HARD SELTZER RECIPES

STANDARD 4% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5 US gallons (19 L)

Calories per serving: 90 (est.)
Flavor: lime
SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 4.0% ABV neutral base
0.95 fl. oz. (28 mL) lime flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
3.7 oz. (110 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

4% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

3.5 lb. (1.6 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
113 billion cells yeast (1 qt. or 1 L yeast starter)
0.21 oz. (6.0 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch size at 4% ABV. Or brew the 4% neutral
base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal., or per 19 L) and transfer
to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for back
sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to prevent
fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate to 2.8
volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer levels
so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not add
the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy bottles,
such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged.

PROCEDURES FOR 4% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.032 SG or
8°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for the seltzer ingredients and procedures.

STANDARD 5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5 US gallons (19 L)

Calories per serving: 100 (est.)
Flavor: cherry

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 5.0% ABV neutral base
0.82 fl. oz. (24 mL) cherry flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
1.9 oz. (54 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

4.30 lb. (1.95 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
142 billion cells yeast (1 qt. or 1 L yeast starter)
0.23 oz. (6.5 g) yeast nutrients
PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER
In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch size at 5% ABV. Or brew the 5% neutral
base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal. or per 19 L) and transfer
to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for back
sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to prevent
fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate to 2.8
volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer levels
so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not add
the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy bottles,
such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged.

PROCEDURES FOR 5% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.040 SG or
10°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for seltzer ingredients and procedures.
SLIGHTLY SWEET 4% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5 US
gallons (19 L)

Calories per serving: 99 (est.)

Flavor: peach

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 4.0% ABV neutral base
2.0 fl. oz. (60 mL) peach flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
8.1 oz. (230 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

4% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

3.5 lb. (1.6 kg) of sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
113 billion cells yeast (1 qt. or 1 L yeast starter)
0.21 oz. (6.0 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch volume at 4% ABV. Or brew the 4%
neutral base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal. or per 19 L) and
transfer to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for
back sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to
prevent fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate
to 2.8 volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer
levels so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not
add the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy
bottles, such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged. Without back
sweetening, however, the beverage will not be sweet.

PROCEDURES FOR 4% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.032 SG or
8°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for seltzer ingredients and procedures.

SLIGHTLY SWEET 5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5 US

gallons (19 L)

Calories per serving: 110 (est.)

Flavor: grapefruit

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 5.0% ABV neutral base
0.82 fl. oz. (24 mL) flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
6.6 oz. (190 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

4.4 lb. (2.0 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
142 billion cells yeast (1 qt. or 1 L yeast starter)
0.23 oz. (6.5 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch size at 5% ABV. Or brew the 5% neutral
base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal., or per 19 L) and transfer
to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for back
sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to prevent
fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate to 2.8
volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer levels
so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not add
the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy bottles,
such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged. Without back
sweetening, however, the beverage will not be sweet.

PROCEDURES FOR 5% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.040 SG or
10°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for seltzer ingredients and procedures.

EXTRA LOW CALORIE 3.5% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5

US gallons (19 L)

Calories per serving: 70 (est.)

Flavor: pineapple

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 3.5% ABV neutral base
1.5 fl. oz (44 mL) pineapple flavoring
malic acid (to taste)
1.9 oz. (54 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

3.5% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

3.1 lb. (1.4 kg) of sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
100 billion cells yeast (1 qt. or 1 L yeast starter)
0.19 oz. (5.4 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch volume at 3.5% ABV. Or brew the 3.5%
neutral base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal., or per 19 L) and
transfer to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for
back sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to
prevent fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate
to 2.8 volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer
levels so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not
add the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy
bottles, such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged.

PROCEDURES FOR 3.5% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.028 SG or
7°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for seltzer ingredients and procedures.

SLIGHTLY STRONGER 6% ABV HARD SELTZER For 5 US

gallons (19 L)
Calories per serving: 115 (est.)
Flavor: orange

SELTZER INGREDIENTS
5.0 gal. (19 L) 6.0% ABV neutral base
1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL) orange flavoring
citric acid (to taste)
1.9 oz. (54 g) sucrose (for back sweetening)
0.13 oz. (3.7 g) potassium sorbate
6.0 oz. (170 g) corn sugar (for bottle carbonation)

6.0% NEUTRAL BASE INGREDIENTS

5.2 lb. (2.3 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
165 billion cells yeast (1.5 qt./1.5 L yeast starter)
0.24 oz. (6.9 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES FOR SELTZER

In a large, sanitized bucket, dilute an appropriate amount of your strong
neutral base to the desired batch volume at 6% ABV. Or brew the 6%
neutral base with the amount of sugar listed (per 5.0 gal., or per 19 L) and
transfer to a bucket. Add the flavoring, acid (if needed), and sucrose for
back sweetening. After those are dissolved, add the potassium sorbate to
prevent fermentation of the sweetening sugar. Rack to a keg and carbonate
to 2.8 volumes of CO₂. You may also carbonate the beverage to normal beer
levels so you do not need to balance your draught system. If bottling, do not
add the sugar for back sweetening or the potassium sorbate. Use heavy
bottles, such as those in which hefeweizens are packaged.

PROCEDURES FOR 6% ABV NEUTRAL BASE

To ferment your neutral base at working strength, follow these instructions.
Fill your kettle with 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water. Add the correct amount of
sugar and stir until dissolved. Add water to top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L). Check
the density with a hydrometer or refractometer, it should read 1.047 SG or
12°Bx. Check the pH and adjust to an appropriate pH for your yeast, if
desired. (This is around pH 5 for beer yeasts or pH 4 for wine yeasts.)
Bring the sugar solution to a boil and boil gently for 5 minutes (this
should not boil off a significant volume of water). Cool the sugar solution,
aerate the mixture, and transfer to your fermentor. Pitch the yeast and add
the yeast nutrients. Ferment in the middle of the temperature range
specified for your yeast strain. For most neutral ale strains, 65–68°F (18–
20°C) will work. Wine strains can ferment at much higher temperatures, up
to 80°F (27°C). As the fermentation nears its conclusion, you may want to
swirl the fermentor gently for a few times each day or allow the temperature
to rise slightly. Do not exceed the yeast strain’s recommended working
temperature range.
After fermentation, you may want to either fine with activated carbon or
some other fining agent. With proper yeast nutrition, fermenting a low-
gravity solution such as this should not put much stress on the yeast so you
may not have any off-aromas or flavors to address. Once your base is
brewed and cleaned up, proceed to adding the remaining ingredients as
described above for seltzer ingredients and procedures.

NEUTRAL BASE RECIPES

8% ABV NEUTRAL BASE For 5 US gallons (19 L)

When diluted 1:1 with de-aerated water, this neutral base can be used to
generate twice its volume in 4% ABV hard seltzer.

INGREDIENTS
6.8 lb. (3.1 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
225 billion cells yeast (2.5 qt. or 2.5 L yeast starter)
0.27 oz. (7.7 g) yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES
Mix the sucrose into 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water and stir to dissolve. Top up to
your full volume. The density should be 1.063 SG or 16°Bx. Bring the
mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Cool the sugar solution, transfer to
a fermentor, and aerate thoroughly.
Pitch the yeast and add the yeast nutrients. Monitor the fermentation
temperature and keep it in line with your yeast strain’s recommended
temperature. Near the end of fermentation, it may help to rouse the yeast by
gently swirling the fermentor. You may also want to allow the temperature
to rise a bit to help the yeast to finish.
Assess the neutral base and determine if you need to scrub any flavors or
aromas. Bubbling CO₂ through the solution will knock out aromas. Filtering
through or fining with activated carbon will remove flavors, aromas, and
color.
Five gallons (19 L) of this 8% ABV strong base will make 10 gal. (38 L)
of 4% ABV neutral base when diluted with 5.0 gal. (19 L) of de-aerated
water. Water can be de-aerated by boiling it vigorously, then cooling
quickly with as little agitation as possible.

10% ABV NEUTRAL BASE For 5 US gallons (19 L)

When diluted 1:1 with de-aerated water, this neutral base can be used to
generate twice its volume in 5% ABV hard seltzer.

INGREDIENTS
8.5 lb. (3.9 kg) sucrose
phosphoric acid (for pH adjustment)
290 billion cells yeast (4.5 qt. or 4.5 L yeast starter)
0.30 oz. (8.5 g) complete yeast nutrients

PROCEDURES
Mix the sucrose into 4.0 gal. (15 L) of water and stir to dissolve. Top up to
your full volume. The density should be 1.078 SG or 19°Bx. Bring the
mixture to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Cool the sugar solution, transfer to
a fermentor, and aerate thoroughly.
 Pitch the yeast and add the yeast nutrients. Monitor the fermentation
temperature and keep it in line with your yeast strain’s recommended
temperature. Near the end of fermentation, it may help to rouse the yeast by
gently swirling the fermentor. You may also want to allow the temperature
to rise a bit to help the yeast to finish.
Assess the neutral base and determine if you need to scrub any flavor or
aromas. Bubbling CO₂ through the solution will knock out aromas. Filtering
through or fining with activated carbon will remove flavors, aromas, and
color.
Five gallons (19 L) of this 10% ABV strong base will make 10 gal. (38
L) of 5% ABV neutral base when diluted with 5.0 gal. (19 L) of de-aerated
water. Water can be de-aerated by boiling it vigorously, then cooling
quickly with as little agitation as possible.
© Getty/porosolka
9
SELTZER COCKTAILS ANYONE CAN MAKE

H ARD SELTZERS ARE MEANT TO be simple beverages. Hard

seltzer aficionados choose them as low-calorie, moderate-alcohol
beverages without pretense. Still, there may be occasions when you want to
do more than drink hard seltzer from a can or serve the beverage by itself in
a glass. If you are hosting a party, or you are the manager at a brewpub that
makes hard seltzer, finding ways to gussy up a plain-Jane hard seltzer may
generate some interest from your guests. Below are some cocktails that you
can mix up by using various ingredients to play with flavor and aroma. You
can additionally garnish a hard seltzer cocktail—or even just a hard seltzer
in a glass—with a slice of lime, a cherry, a sprig of mint, or any garnish that
makes sense.
There are a number of simple things you can do to spruce up a hard
seltzer. One of the most obvious is to make it sweeter. A typical hard seltzer
only has a few grams of carbohydrates per 12 fl. oz. serving and this is
reflected in their taste. Adding a bit of sugar can make the hard seltzer taste
better, or at least sweeter. Even a small bump in the amount of sweetness
can make a big difference. For example, taste a commercial hard seltzer that
has 110 calories and 5 g of sugar per serving and compare it to a typical
hard seltzer of the same alcohol content in the 90–100-calorie and 2 g of
sugar range.

SIMPLE SYRUP
The easiest way to add sweetness is to use simple syrup. You can add
granulated sugar to a hard seltzer, but this provides nucleation points for the
dissolved CO₂ to come out of solution, lowering the carbonation level of the
drink. Simple syrup is used by bartenders when making sweet cocktails. It
is a 1:1 mixture of sugar and water by volume. One US fluid ounce (30 mL)
of simple syrup contains 14 g of sugar and has 50 calories. A jigger, 1.5 fl.
oz. (44 mL), has 21 g of sugar and 74 calories. As such, a single, one-ounce
(30 mL) shot of simple syrup in a 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) serving of hard seltzer
yields almost the same number of calories as a typical soda, but with only
about a third of the sweetness from sugar. (The alcohol in the hard seltzer,
you recall, is the source of most of its calories.) There are also flavored
syrups used by bartenders and all of the popular fruit flavors can be found
in this form.

SIMPLE SLIMON For 1 serving

Calories: 140–150
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (lime flavor)
1.0 fl. oz. (30 mL) simple syrup

PROCEDURE
Stir 1.0 fl. oz. (30 mL, i.e., a shot) of simple syrup into a lime-flavored hard
seltzer. Garnish with a wedge of lime, if desired.

SWEET CHERRY FIZZ For 1 serving

Calories: 164–174
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (black cherry flavor)
1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL) cherry-flavored syrup

PROCEDURE
Stir one jigger (1.5 fl. oz., or 44 mL) of cherry-flavored syrup into a black
cherry–flavored hard seltzer. Garnish with a maraschino cherry and a wedge
of orange, if desired.

SOFT DRINKS
Another way to add sweetness, as well as some added flavor, is to blend
some soda into a hard seltzer. A typical soda (or soft drink) contains 150–
160 calories and 39–43 g of sugar per 12 fl. oz. serving. A single shot (1.0
fl. oz., or 30 mL) of soda contains 3.3–3.6 g of sugar and adds 12.5–13.3
calories; a jigger (1.5 fl. oz., or 44 mL) contains 4.9–5.4 g of sugar and adds
19–20 calories. This is about a quarter as much sugar per unit volume
compared to simple syrup. A shot of soda will move the sweetness of a
typical hard seltzer up a notch to roughly the level of sweetness that is
found in, for example, Press hard seltzer brands.
In addition to sweetness, soda will add a bit of flavor. You can match the
soft drink to the flavor of the hard seltzer or choose a flavor that blends well
with the existing flavor of the hard seltzer. For example, any lemon-lime
soda, such as 7-Up or Sprite, will work well in either a lime-flavored or
lemon-flavored hard seltzer. Other citrus options are grapefruit-flavored
sodas (most notably Squirt) and orange flavored sodas (including Sunkist,
Crush Orange Soda, Orange Fanta, and—despite its green color—Mt.
Dew). Cherry sodas include IBC Black Cherry, Crush Cherry Soda, and
numerous “artisanal” soft drink brands. There are also soft drinks with
cherry as one of the flavors, including Cherry Coke, Pepsi Wild Cherry, and
Dr. Pepper.
While some soft drinks will add color to your cocktail, most are not
cloudy and so the resulting mix will be clear. Overall, mixing a small
amount of a soft drink into a hard seltzer is an easy way to boost the
sweetness and flavor a bit, but still not end up with a soda-like sweetness.
In addition, a shot or jigger of soda in a 12 fl. oz. hard seltzer is not going to
greatly increase the caloric content. Blending a soft drink into hard seltzer
will also give a cocktail with more carbonation than one made using non-
carbonated liquids such as syrup or fruit juice.
OG GATOR For 1 serving
Calories: 103–113
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (grapefruit flavor)
1.0 fl. oz. (30 mL) grapefruit-flavored soft drink

PROCEDURE
Stir one shot (1.0 fl. oz., or 30 mL) of grapefruit-flavored soft drink into a
grapefruit-flavored hard seltzer. Garnish with an orange or grapefruit slice,
if desired.

CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON For 1 serving

Calories: 109–119
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (black cherry flavor)
1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL) black cherry–flavored soft drink

PROCEDURE
Stir one shot (1.0 fl. oz., or 30 mL) of black cherry–flavored soft drink into
a black cherry–flavored hard seltzer. Garnish with a maraschino cherry, if
desired.

C8 For 1 serving
Calories: 116–126
ABV: slightly less than 4%–5%
INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (lime, lemon, or lemonade flavor)
2.0 fl. oz. (60 mL) lemon-lime–flavored soft drink

PROCEDURE
Stir two shots (2.0 fl. oz., or 60 mL) of lemon-lime–flavored soft drink into
a hard seltzer. Garnish with a wedge of lime, lemon, or both, if desired.

FRUIT JUICE
Another candidate for blending with hard seltzer is fruit juice. Fruit juices
generally have a sugar content on par with soft drinks, although juices vary
more in this regard. Incorporating fruit juice into hard seltzer cocktails may
appeal to people who are attracted to natural, raw ingredients (but also hard
seltzers at the same time). With a fruit juicer, squeezing lemons, limes, or
oranges is an easier option. In most cases, the flavor of an actual fruit juice
will round out the flavor profile from the artificial fruit flavor in the hard
seltzer. However, sometimes the artificial flavor still dominates.
Orange juice can be paired with orange-flavored hard seltzer or, indeed,
any citrus fruit–flavored hard seltzer. The same applies to grapefruit juice.
Cherry juice obviously goes with cherry-flavored hard seltzer but also
blends well with lime. Cranberry juice is strongly flavored and works well
in a cranberry hard seltzer, but will also work well with lime. Finally, apple
juice and grape juice are popular juices, but these flavors do not seem to be
used in commercial hard seltzers, probably due to makers wanting to avoid
possible confusion with ciders and wines. However, apple or grape juice
will blend well with either citrus flavors or selected other fruits.
Fruit juices will, of course, add color to your hard seltzer cocktail and
may diminish its clarity. This is unlikely to offend anyone. Added fruit juice
will also reduce the level of carbonation. In the case of small additions of
fruit juice—a shot or jigger in 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) of hard seltzer—this
effect will be minimal. In mixes with a higher juice to seltzer ratio, the
beverage will be noticeably less fizzy.
When making hard seltzer and fruit juice cocktails, you can head in one
of two directions. As with soft drink mixes, you can add a little to nudge the
sweetness and flavor up a notch while still basically ending up with a hard
seltzer. Alternatively, you can use closer to a half-and-half mixture and
make a “healthy,” low-alcohol concoction. Hard seltzers are already low in
alcohol and perceived as a healthy alternative to beer, wine, or mixed
drinks. Viewed in this light, there may be people interested in taking it a
step further with a more “natural” and lower-alcohol, though somewhat
higher in calories, beverage.

CAPE SCROD For 1 serving

Calories: 109–119
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (cranberry flavor)
1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL) cranberry juice

PROCEDURE
Stir one jigger (1.5 fl. oz., or 44 mL) of cranberry juice into a hard seltzer.
Garnish with a wedge of lime or orange, if desired.

PLANET P For 1 serving

Calories: 103–113
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (orange or clementine flavor)
1.0 fl. oz. (30 mL) pomegranate juice

PROCEDURE
Stir one shot (1.0 fl. oz., or 30 mL) of pomegranate juice into a hard seltzer.
Garnish with a wedge of orange, if desired.
BEER
Most hard seltzers are brewed beverages. Beer is a brewed beverage. Why
not combine the two, if you like? Arguably, the most famous beer cocktail
is the shandy or radler, a beer mixed with a citrus beverage such as
lemonade or limeade. The mix is usually half and half to produce a
refreshing, low-alcohol cocktail. Mixing beer with a citrus-flavored hard
seltzer will give a similar, though much less sweet, result.
Another famous beer cocktail is the michelada, a beer with tomato juice,
lime juice, and chili peppers. Some versions contain Worcestershire sauce,
soy sauce, or other flavorings. The salty, lightly sour drink is popular in
Mexico, Latin America, and the US states along the Mexico–US border. By
substituting a few ounces of lime hard seltzer for the small amount of lime
juice in the recipe, and cutting back on the tomato juice a bit, you can make
a “lean” michelada (i.e., one with fewer calories and less sweetness).
Berliner weiss—a very light, dry, sour wheat beer—is sometimes served
with woodruff syrup or raspberry syrup. This gives the beer both some
sweetness and flavor. A hard seltzer, of course, has almost no sweetness,
but blending it with a sour beer can cut down on the tartness of the latter, if
that is desired, and lend a little flavor. Additionally, adding sugar can result
in an interesting hard seltzer and beer cocktail.
You can also just explore various mixes knowing that, in most cases, a
1:1 mix is going to produce a thinner, lower-calorie drink compared to the
beer. Most average strength (~5% ABV) beers fall in the general ballpark of
150–190 calories per 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) serving. Light beers, of course, are
less caloric, falling within a wide range of calorie counts—down to the 50s
for some ultra-low-calorie beers.

VELODROME For 2 servings

Calories per serving: 125
ABV: roughly 5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) Pilsner beer
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (lemonade, lime, or lemon flavor)
PROCEDURE
Mix the beer and hard seltzer together.

MICHIGANA For 3 servings

Calories per serving: 130
ABV: roughly 5%

INGREDIENTS
two 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) Mexican lagers (Mexican-style lagers also work)
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (lime flavored)
3 fl. oz. (90 mL) tomato juice
¼ fl. oz. (7 mL) Worcestershire sauce
½ fl. oz. (14 mL) hot sauce (e.g., Cholula Hot Sauce)

PROCEDURES
Mix the beer and hard seltzer together. Stir in the tomato juice,
Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Garnish with a lime and coat the rim
of the glass with a 2:1 mixture of salt and chili powder, if desired.

WINE
Two well-known wine cocktails are the mimosa and sangria. Mimosa is
champagne mixed with orange juice, whereas sangria is a blend of red wine
and fruit. (Sangria is probably better described as a wine-based drink than a
wine cocktail.) Either of these can be adapted to make a hard seltzer
cocktail, and other possibilities exist as well.
Wine is higher in both calories and alcohol content. One fluid ounce (30
mL) of wine generally has around 25 calories, so a mixture of 6.0 fl. oz.
(180 mL) wine and 6.0 fl. oz. hard seltzer will have roughly 200 calories
and be 8%–9% ABV (this assumes the wine is 11%–14% ABV and the
hard seltzer is 5% ABV.)
LOBIN REACH For 2 servings
Calories per serving: roughly 200
ABV: roughly 7.5% (exact value depends on the wine)

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (orange or clementine flavor)
12 fl. oz. (355 mL) sparkling wine

PROCEDURE
Mix the sparkling wine and hard seltzer together.

COZUMEL SUNSET For 4 servings

Calories per serving: roughly 212
ABV: roughly 7.5% (exact value depends on the wine)

INGREDIENTS
two 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzers (one orange-flavored and one cherry-
flavored)
one 750 mL bottle fruity red wine (9%–10% ABV)
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
sliced fruit (can include orange, lime, strawberries, cherries, apples, etc.)

PROCEDURES
Mix the hard seltzers and wine together. Stir in sugar, if you are using it.
Add sliced fruit. Adding a jigger (1.5 fl. oz., or 44 mL) of brandy will make
this closer to a traditional sangria.

HERBS AND FLOWERS

If you are making your own single-serving hard seltzers, you can also
incorporate herbs or flowers into your mixture. If you bruise mint leaves,
basil leaves, hibiscus flowers, or the like and add them, they will infuse the
drink with their flavor and also add some visual flare. This might be
appealing if you are entertaining.

BOG BLOOD For 1 serving

Calories: 109–119
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (cranberry flavor)
1.5 fl. oz. (44 mL) cranberry juice
½ oz. (14 g) dried hibiscus flowers

PROCEDURE
Combine the seltzer and the juice. Chop the flower petals and sprinkle into
hard seltzer. Stir.

LIME MINT FIZZ For 1 serving

Calories: 90–100
ABV: 4%–5%

INGREDIENTS
one 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) hard seltzer (lime flavor)
½ oz. (14 g) fresh mint

PROCEDURE
Bruise the mint leaves and sprinkle into hard seltzer. Stir.

SPICES
You can also add spices, although the best way to do this requires you to
prepare ahead of time and make a tincture. To do this, put the spice in a
small glass jar with a lid. Cover the spice in vodka and let sit in a cool
location for at least a few days. For best results, the vodka should cover the
spice and leave at least a finger’s depth of vodka above. After a week or so,
the tincture should be strong enough to use. Use part or all of the spiced
vodka for your shot or jigger of alcohol, depending on how strongly the
tincture is flavored. This is something you will have to find out for yourself
through trial and error.

SPIRITS
Usually, when people think of cocktails they think of a drink made with
distilled spirits. Most distilled spirits contain 40% ABV and are labeled 80
proof. These contain 96 calories per fluid ounce (30 mL) or 144 calories per
jigger (1.5 fl. oz., or 44 mL) from the alcohol. Other ingredients, if present,
may add further calories. Adding one shot (1 fl. oz., or 30 mL) to a standard
can (12 fl. oz., 355 mL) of hard seltzer at 5% ABV adds about 3.3% ABV
to the beverage, for a total of 8.3% ABV; it also basically doubles the
calorie count. Adding a jigger of 80 proof alcohol to a standard can of hard
seltzer takes the ABV from 5% to very close to 10%. Such a beverage
contains 244 calories—more by volume than a sugary soft drink or most
beers, and over twice the calories of the hard seltzer. Of course, you could
add less than a shot for a slightly more alcoholic drink, just not one that is
8–10% ABV.
Hard seltzers are not strongly flavored. As such, vodka is a good choice
as a mixer in any flavor of hard seltzer because it is not strongly flavored.
Some vodka and hard seltzer cocktails may benefit from something to
sweeten them. For example, a cranberry hard seltzer mixed with a splash of
grapefruit soda and a shot of vodka makes a drink similar to a Sea Breeze.
Spirits with strong flavors may work in some mixes, however. For example,
gin and lime seltzer go together well. You can also make some sweetish
drinks, such as combining orange juice, a peach hard seltzer, and triple sec
(an orange liqueur) for a pseudo Fuzzy Navel. You can mix sloe gin with a
lemon or lime hard seltzer and a splash of lemon-lime soda for something
approximating a Sloe Gin Fizz.
FIZZINESS
If you mix your own hard seltzer, any stirring or agitation that accompanies
the mixing will speed the loss of carbon dioxide bubbles. If you are making
a single drink, this is not a big deal. However, if you make a larger volume
of hard seltzer to serve, perhaps for a party, be aware that it will slowly lose
its fizz. The colder you keep the mix, and the less it is agitated, the longer it
will retain some spritz. Also, the presence of solids, such as pieces of fresh
fruit, will increase the rate of carbonation loss because the solids will serve
as nucleation points for CO₂.
Homemade Spiked Seltzers
You can pour seltzer water, flavored or unflavored, into a glass, add a
shot of vodka, and voilà—a glass of hard seltzer. If you wanted to be
more elaborate, you can combine unflavored seltzer with a shot of vodka
and a small amount of flavoring. The flavoring could be fruit juice, soda,
or flavor extract. A generic recipe for a hard seltzer might be a jigger of
vodka, a splash of juice or soda, and seltzer water, perhaps with a small
amount of sugar added.
Before I go on, here is a short chemistry tangent. If 1.0 fl. oz. of 80
proof (40% ABV) vodka was added to seltzer and the total volume of the
mixture was 12 fl. oz., the alcohol content would be 3.3% ABV. One
jigger (1.5 fl. oz.) of vodka in a total of 12 fl. oz. of seltzer drink would
make a 5.0% ABV cocktail. You can also use Everclear (190 proof, 95%
ABV) as the liquor. If 1 fl. oz. of 190 proof alcohol is added to seltzer
and the total volume of the mixture totals 12 fl. oz. that would be a 7.9%
ABV cocktail. In these three examples calculating alcohol by volume, I
specified the total volume of the mixture is 12 fl. oz. for a reason. If you
poured exactly 11 fl. oz. of seltzer water and exactly 1.0 fl. oz. of vodka
into a glass, the volume would be slightly less than 12 fl. oz. In fact, if
you mixed 1,000 mL of ethanol with 1,000 mL of water, the total
combined volume would only be 1,960 mL, 40 mL less than the 2,000
mL you might expect. If you weighed the water and ethanol separately
and then combined them, the mixture would—of course—weigh the
same as their combined weights. No part of either liquid has disappeared.
The two are just occupying a smaller volume than they did as individual
solutions. Some of the total volume “disappears” because some of the
ethanol molecules slip into the tiny spaces between water molecules. In
the case of mixing a single serving of hard seltzer this phenomenon is
barely noticeable. But as the volumes used become larger, the difference
adds up.
Mixing your own hard seltzers using seltzer water, spirits, and
flavoring can be more economical than buying commercially brewed
hard seltzers, which, in the United States at time of writing, generally
cost in the neighborhood of $1.20 per 12 fl. oz. serving. A liter of
flavored seltzer water generally costs around $0.80, making the price of
12 fl. oz. about $0.30. The price of a liter of vodka—which would yield
33 one-ounce shots or 22 jiggers—varies depending on the brand and
local taxes, but would have to exceed $30 per liter (or $22.50 per 750
mL) to make homemade hard seltzer more expensive. If you bought a
liter bottle of vodka for $20, which is far from the cheapest available,
and you used one shot for every hard seltzer you mixed, your total cost
would be $0.90 per 12 fl. oz serving.
Another reason to blend hard seltzer from seltzer water and vodka is
that you can use flavorings different from those found in typical hard
seltzers. In particular, you can use real fruit juices or fresh-squeezed
citrus fruits. This should taste better than the flavorings used in the
commercial beverages—and it will also increase the number of different
types of flavorings above what is added to commercial hard seltzers. You
can also add a bit more and have the beverage more flavorful. This
would, however, probably come at the expense of having more sugars in
the mix and hence more calories. Of course, the biggest benefit of
making your own is that you can make exactly the drink you want.
Mango hibiscus lemon limeade? Sure, why not?
APPENDIX A
MAKING HARD SELTZER AT HOME – A
PRIMER FOR FIRST TIME
FERMENTATIONISTS

S OME FANS OF HARD SELTZER might want to try making their own
at home. The best approach, I think, is to learn basic home beer
brewing and move from there into brewing hard seltzers. The skills you
learn brewing beer at home are transferrable to making seltzers. And
making beer at home has a higher probability of success than making hard
seltzers with no previous experience. If this is the approach you would like
to take, see Appendix B for a crash course on homebrewing.
However, some hard seltzer fans may not have any interest in beer. With
this in mind, here is one way to make small, 1.0-gallon (3.8 L) batches of
hard seltzer at home, using a minimal amount of specialized equipment.
(See table A.1 for a list of equipment you do need.)
As you will gather if you read the rest of this book, the basic process of
making a hard seltzer involves fermenting a sugar solution, adding flavors
to it, and carbonating the beverage. The first part—fermenting the sugar
solution—is the most difficult.
Without specialized equipment, especially an activated carbon filter, you
will not be able to make a crystal clear, colorless hard seltzer at home. With
some attention to detail, however, you will be able to make a generally clear
beverage with just a little color. And if you use natural flavoring, you can
call any haze a feature, not a bug.

Table A.1 Basic equipment needed for making hard seltzer

 ❑ 2.0 gal. (7.6 L) pot

❑ large spoon, to stir sugar solution

❑ 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) glass jug with cap

❑ funnel that fits the jug’s opening

❑ balloon (and pin or needle)

❑ 11× 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) beer bottles

or

❑ 5× 25 fl. oz. (750 mL) wine bottles

To begin with, you need to make a sugar solution to ferment. This sugar
solution is your sugar wash. Your best bet is to use ordinary table sugar
(also called cane sugar or sucrose) mixed with a small amount of malt
extract. For a 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) batch, 9.0 oz. (260 g) of sugar and 2.0 oz. (57
g) of light or extra light dried malt extract will work well. Malt extract is a
product used in home beer brewing. Although malt extract will add a small
amount of color to your hard seltzer, it will also contribute nutrients that
will help the yeast ferment the mixture efficiently. It is better if your malt
extract is the type sold at homebrewing stores, but malt extract for baking
can also be used. Dried malt extract will store longer, but liquid malt extract
may have a lighter color, providing it is fresh. If you do not have malt
extract, 11 oz. (310 g) of sugar will work. This all-sucrose solution will
yield a clearer beverage but may take longer to ferment.
This sugar mixture in 1.0 gal. of water will yield 4% alcohol by volume
(ABV) when fermented. If you add more sugar the hard seltzer will be
higher in alcohol. However, the more sugar you add the more likely your
fermentation is to fail. You can try for a 5% ABV beverage, but the odds of
failure go up. See table A.2 for possible sugar blends to make hard seltzers
between 3.5% and 5.5% ABV.

Table A.2 Percent alcohol by weight (ABV) by weight of sugar

added per 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) of solution

ABV Weight of sugar

3.5% 10.00 oz. (280 g)

4.0% 11.00 oz. (310 g)

4.5% 12.50 oz. (350 g)

5.0% 14.00 oz. (400 g)

5.5% 15.25 oz. (430 g)

Notes: Sugar addition can be a mixture of roughly 80% table sugar and 20% dried malt extract or
100% sugar.

You should mix the sugar solution in a 2.0-gallon (~8 L) or larger pot.
Before adding the water to your sugar, squeeze half a lime into your pot and
add 4.0–6.0 fl. oz. (120–180 mL) of fruit juice to flavor the beverage.
(Flavors are not added until later in commercial herd seltzer production, but
adding the fruit juice now increases your odds of having a successful
fermentation.) If using a strongly flavored juice you should add the smaller
amount; obviously, for less strongly flavored juice you should add the
higher amount. If possible, use a juice that does not contain preservatives.
You can squeeze your own if you cannot find a juice of the type of fruit you
like.
Add enough water to make a little over 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) of sugar wash and
heat it to a boil. (You will lose some water to evaporation.) Once boiling,
add 1.5–2.0 tsp. of dried yeast. This can be baker’s yeast, even expired
baker’s yeast. It will serve as nutrients for the active yeast that will be
added later. You can also use the type of yeast nutrient sold for home beer
brewing and add 1.0–1.5 tsp. per gallon (3.8 L). If you are brewing with just
sugar, add 20% more dried yeast or yeast nutrient.
Boil the mixture for 15 minutes. At the end of the boil, turn off the heat,
place the lid on the pot, and cool it in a sink of cold water. After 5 minutes,
drain the sink and refill it with more cold water. This time, though, add a
pound or two of ice. When the outside of the pot is cool to the touch,
transfer the solution to a 1.0 gal. (~4 L) jug that has a sealable cap and that
has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. The jug can be sanitized by
filling it with water and adding 1 tablespoon of bleach. Let it sit for 5
minutes, then empty the bleach solution and rinse the jug three times with
water. A funnel will help you pour the solution from the pot to the jug.
Put the cap (which should also be sanitized) on the gallon jug and shake
it for 2–3 minutes. This will introduce air into the sugar solution, which will
help the yeast. Make sure the jug is dry as it is easy to lose your grip on wet
glass.
Open the jug again and add yeast. This can be 2 tsp. of (fresh) active
dried baker’s yeast or, better yet, half a 5 g sachet of wine yeast such as
Lalvin’s EC-1118 or D-47. Fermentis also makes a dried beer yeast called
SafAle US-05 that will work well. Use approximately 2.5 g of either wine
or beer yeast. (Wine and beer yeasts come in either 5 g or 11 g packets, and
you can just eyeball it. Adding slightly more yeast than is needed will not
harm your hard seltzer.)
Take an uninflated balloon and make a pinhole in it. Stretch the neck of
the balloon over the opening of the jug. Store the jug, away from light,
somewhere at room temperature (or better yet, slightly below). In about a
day the yeast will start fermenting the sugar wash and the ballon will
inflate. After a week or so, the balloon will deflate, and this will mean the
fermentation is almost over. Leave it, with the balloon still in place, for
another three days. Instead of a balloon you can also use a drilled stopper
and an airlock, which are available at homebrewing shops.
Once fermentation is finished, pour the uncarbonated hard seltzer into a
clean, sanitized 2.0 gal. (~4 L) pot. You can sanitize with bleach again. Be
sure to rinse the pot thoroughly, though. Add ¼ cup (50 g) of sugar to a
smaller pot and dissolve in as little water as you can manage. Heat the
solution as you start adding water and it will dissolve faster and into less
liquid. Simmer this sugar solution lightly for 5 minutes. Try not to boil so
hard that the solution turns yellow. Stir the sugar solution thoroughly into
the hard seltzer and transfer it to sealable bottles. Screw-top beer bottles or
screw-top wine bottles from beer or wine you have drunk will work. The
bottles should be cleaned and sanitized before you fill them. Check to see
that the screw tops can be re-secured. Leave a little headspace in each
bottle, as much as you would normally see in a commercially produced beer
or wine. When transferring the hard seltzer to bottles, try to minimize the
amount of splashing. To bottle 1.0 gal. (3.8 L) of hard seltzer, you will need
eleven 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) beer bottles or five 25 fl. oz. (750 mL) wine
bottles.
Set the bottles somewhere at room temperature or slightly higher. It is
best to place them in a box and put the box inside a large (unused) garbage
bag in case one of them ruptures. Although rupturing is not very likely, it
can happen with thin bottles.
After two weeks, place one bottle in the fridge and let it chill for three
days. Then open it and try it. If the hard seltzer is carbonated (and it most
likely will be), place the other bottles in the fridge. If not, wait another three
days and try it with another bottle.
Homemade hard seltzer will not age and become better. Drink your
creation within a month or so of bottling it and start another batch as soon
as possible.
The keys to success in making hard seltzer at home are as follows. Clean
all your equipment thoroughly. Any surface or object that will contact the
sugar wash after it has been cooled should be sanitized. Yeast is a living
organism. To ferment the sugar wash adequately, yeast needs nutrients, a
little bit of oxygen (dissolved into the sugar wash), and to be held in the
proper temperature range. Be sure the sugar wash is cooled to around room
temperature before adding the yeast and hold the fermentation at room
temperature or slightly below.
APPENDIX B
HOMEBREWING BEER FOR THE FIRST
TIME FERMENTATIONIST

M OST OF THE PROCEDURES INVOLVED in making a hard

seltzer will seem familiar to homebrewers and home winemakers.
However, if you have never brewed beer or made wine at home, you may
have trouble understanding the rationale behind some of the steps. So, here
is a review of how beer is made at home. Understanding these procedures
will allow you to see that making a hard seltzer can be thought of as just a
twist on making beer. And, as a bonus, you will be able to make beer at
home too.
Brewing beer and making hard seltzer share some similarities. In both,
the maker produces a sugary solution that is then fermented by yeast. In the
case of beer, the sugary solution is called wort and it is made from malted
grains. In both cases, the yeast consumes the sugars and produces alcohol
(ethanol), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and heat. The amount of alcohol produced
depends on the amount of sugar in solution and the ability of the yeast to
consume it. The more sugar you start with, and the closer the yeast comes
to completely consuming it, the more alcohol. In the case of beer, the
finished product is a beverage with a relatively low amount of sugar and a
(relatively) high amount of ethanol because the yeast has consumed most,
but not all, of the sugar. Beer gets its primary flavors from the malted grains
and the hops. Some beers may acquire additional flavors through barrel
aging, souring, or other processes.
As with beer brewing, hard seltzer production begins by boiling a sugary
substance, known as the wash, or sugar wash. However, no ingredients that
add color or flavor are added during the boil. If fact, throughout the stages
of heating and fermenting the wash, the hard seltzer brewer initially
attempts to make the beverage as free of color, flavor, and aroma as is
possible. The flavor of a hard seltzer is added at the very end of the process.

EQUIPMENT FOR HOMEBREWING

You can begin making beer at home with a relatively small amount of
specialized equipment. See table B.1 for a listing of the recommended
minimum equipment set required to brew beer. Most home beer brewing
and winemaking shops will sell kits that contain all the needed equipment.
Many also have “advanced” kits that contain additional useful tools.
Homebrewing shops will also sell the necessary ingredients. An equipment
kit designed for brewing beer at home will also allow you to make hard
seltzers.
Food-grade buckets and glass (or plastic) carboys are often used by
beginning homebrewers as vessels for fermenting. Intermediate or advanced
homebrewers may invest in stainless steel fermentors.
One aspect important to brewing is cleanliness. Wort can support the
growth of many different types of microorganisms, whether yeasts, molds,
or bacteria. However, the only “bug” that brewers want growing in their
fermentors is yeast. As such, brewers need spotlessly clean and sanitized
equipment.

Table B.1 Homebrewing Equipment

Here is a list of equipment that will allow you to brew both hard seltzers
and malt extract-based beers in 5.0-gallon (19 L) batches at home. Most
homebrew shops sell everything you need as a set. Sometimes the brewpot
is sold separately. You may also have many of these items at home or items
that can be repurposed for these uses.

Preferably stainless steel and with a volume of at least

Brewpot
5.0 gallons (19 L). A spigot is a nice option

Nylon (or A large bag capable of loosely containing up to 4.0 lb.

muslin) (1.8 kg) of crushed grains and a smaller bag capable of
steeping bags holding up to 4.0 oz. (110 g) of pellet hops will allow
you to brew almost any homebrew recipe

Long-
Preferably stainless steel, but plastic or wood will work.
handled
For stirring the wort as it boils
spoon

A simple immersion chiller—made from a coil of copper

Wort chiller tubing—is all you need. More complex chillers, such as
counterflow or plate chillers are also available

Preferably two; a 7.0-gallon (27 L) food-grade bucket

for primary fermentation and a 5.0-gallon (19 L) glass or
Fermentor plastic carboy for conditioning make a nice combo. A
spigot on the bucket (and the plastic fermentor) is a nice
option

Airlock and The stoppers should be drilled to accept the airlocks and
stoppers sized to fit the bucket and the carboy.

Depending on whether your vessels have spigots or not,

these will include Tygon tubing, a racking cane, an auto-
siphon, or some combination of these. Spigoted vessels
Transfer aids
can be emptied with tubing that fits the spigot. Vessels
without a spigot will require a racking cane or auto-
siphon.

Hydrometers come in multiple ranges; the most common

Hydrometer type covers the whole range needed for homebrewing.
and test jar Smaller range hydrometers can be nice for taking the
specific gravity of finished beers.

Thermometer It helps if it is waterproof

 Bottles, caps, You will need enough bottles to contain 5.0 gallons (19
and a capper L) of beer. This is 53× 12 fl. oz. (355 mL) bottles or 29×
22 fl. oz. (650 mL) bottles

Campden For treating municipal water sources that contain

tablets chlorine compounds

pH meter Can come in handy, especially for advanced

(optional) homebrewers

HOMEBREWING BEER: THE BASICS

The simplest way to brew beer is to make wort from malt extract. This is
also the brewing method that is most similar to brewing hard seltzers.

MALT EXTRACT IS CONDENSED WORT

Malt extract is a form of condensed wort. Wort is the sugary solution
mentioned earlier—it can be thought of as unfermented beer—and it is
typically made from barley malt and hops. Sometimes other unmalted
grains, especially corn or rice, are used. Malted barley is barley seed that
has been sprouted, dried, and kilned (or sometimes roasted) in an oven.
Sprouting and drying takes the hard seed and makes it soft. Kilning “toasts”
the husk of the grain a bit and makes it flavorful. Other grains, most notably
wheat, may be malted and used in brewing.
Wort contains a lot of sugar, especially the sugar maltose. It also contains
a small amount of protein. And, of course, these solids are dissolved in
water, which is the most abundant component of wort by weight. Molecules
called alpha acids, which are derived from hops, give wort its bitterness,
but are only present in small quantities.

MALT EXTRACT-BASED BEER

Malt extract-based beer is typically made by dissolving malt extract in
water to reconstitute the wort. The wort is typically flavored with steeped
specialty grains, which add color as well as flavor. The wort is then boiled.
Hops are added during the boil and this imparts bitterness to the beer. The
bitterness is intended to balance any sweetness in the beer. After the boil,
the wort is cooled and transferred to a fermentor. Air is introduced into the
wort and the brewer adds (“pitches”) his or her yeast. The yeast consumes
the sugars in the wort, transforming the wort into beer. Homebrewed beer is
usually packaged in bottles or kegs. For an ale, the whole process takes
about two weeks. It takes a few hours to boil and cool the wort, transfer it to
a fermentor, and pitch the yeast. It takes only an hour or two to bottle a
homebrew-scale batch of beer, and less to keg it.
A typical brewing session for a beer made with malt extract proceeds as
explained in the next section. For the nitty gritty details, see the example
recipe at the end after reading the general description of the process.

HOMEBREWING BEER WITH MALT EXTRACT: STEP BY

STEP
The most important part of brewing is the least glamorous. In order for beer
to be free of unpleasant aromas or flavors, all the equipment used in the
brewing process must be spotlessly clean. Anything that touches the wort
must additionally be sanitized. (Note that cleaning and sanitizing are two
different things.) Most homebrew stores sell special cleaners for homebrew
equipment. These clean without leaving a residue of detergent on the
surfaces they touch. Liquid sanitizers are used to sanitize clean surfaces.
Homebrewers typically use either iodine-based sanitizers or acid-based
sanitizers. Bleach may be used, but equipment sanitized in bleach must be
rinsed thoroughly.
To begin the brew day, the brewer adds water to his or her brewpot. Most
homebrewed beer in the US is made in 5.0-gallon (19 L) batches. In this
case, the brewer typically adds between 2.5 and 3.5 gallons (9.5–13 L) of
water to their 5–7-gallon (19–27 L) brewpot. For an extract-based beer,
water with few dissolved minerals works the best. The malt extract will
contain any required minerals in the brewing process or during
fermentation. It is possible to use distilled water. However, almost any
municipal water will also work. For the best results, municipal water should
be either filtered through activated carbon or treated by adding one
Campden tablet per 20 gallons (76 L), or less, of water. Either method will
remove chlorine compounds from the water.
The water in the brewpot is heated and some or all of the malt extract is
dissolved in the hot water. Withholding a portion of the malt extract until
the very end of the boil (the next step) allows for lighter-colored beers to be
made. Before the malt extract is dissolved, specialty grains—typically
contained in a nylon or muslin bag—are steeped in the hot water. Specialty
grains add color and flavor to the wort and subsequent beer. The grains
should be crushed and often this is done at the homebrew shop. The
steeping bag containing the crushed grains is immersed in the water long
enough to extract the colors and flavors required, usually 15–60 minutes.
The temperature the specialty grains are steeped at is frequently 150–170°F
(66–77°C), although almost any temperature short of boiling will work.
After this steeping period, the bag is removed and set aside.
In some cases, the brewer may actually be performing a mash when
steeping his or her grains. In these cases, the temperature needs to be held
between 150°F and 162°F (66–72°C). When mashing, the amount of water
used should be just enough to make the consistency of a thin porridge of the
crushed grains. (The recipe should specify how to handle the grains.)
Next, after the malt extract has been added to the "grain tea" produced by
steeping the grains, the wort is usually boiled for 60 minutes, although
times can vary. Near the beginning of the boil, some hops are added. These
are called the bittering hops and they confer a level of bitterness to the wort.
The heat of the boiling wort serves to extract alpha acids from the hops. It
also isomerizes—changes the molecular conformation of—these alpha
acids into iso-alpha acids, which are intensely bitter compounds. Most of
the bitterness in beer comes from iso-alpha acids. The amount of bitterness
the hops confer depends on how long they are boiled and their “strength,”
given as the percentage of alpha acids in the hops by dried weight. Longer
boils and higher alpha acid levels in the hops create more bitter beers. Less
bitter beers are usually made by boiling low-alpha acid hops, not by boiling
the hops for a shorter period of time. Hops may also be added at other times
during the boil. Hops added near to or at the end of the boil impart the
aroma of hops to the beer. The aromatic compounds, which are hop oils,
responsible for hop aroma are mostly boiled away from the early hop
additions.
 Near the end of the boil, a fining agent called Irish moss (or a preparation
of it called Whirlfloc) may be added. This fining agent will settle out and
remove some potential haze-causing molecules from the wort. Yeast
nutrients may also be added near the end of the boil, although they are not
needed for every beer. And of course, if any of the malt extract was
withheld earlier, it is added at the very end of the boil.
Boiling sanitizes the wort and is required to extract bittering compounds
from the hops. During the boil, solids, called hot break, form. The particles
of hot break in hot wort look a bit like snowflakes. After boiling, the wort
must be cooled to a temperature that will allow the yeast to survive and
ferment the solution. Wort chilling can be done by placing the brewpot
(with its cover on) in a cold water bath. A sink or bathtub will do for this.
Alternatively, a piece of equipment called a wort chiller may be employed.
The simplest wort chillers are coils of copper tubing. These are submerged
in the wort near the end of the boil to sanitize them. After the boil, cool
water is run through the coil to bring down the temperature of the wort.
More elaborate chillers move the hot wort through a tube (or through a
series of chambers) while cool water moves past it in the opposite direction.
These types of wort chiller—either counterflow chillers or plate chillers—
additionally transfer the wort to the fermentor.
When the wort is cooled with an immersion chiller, some solid material,
called cold break, forms and falls to the bottom of the brewpot. When the
wort is transferred to the fermentor this cold break is left behind along with
the hot break and hop debris. When a counterflow or plate chiller is used,
the cold break forms inside the chiller and ends up in the fermentor while
the hot break is left behind in the brewpot. The brewer may rack (transfer)
the beer away from the cold break material before fermentation starts.
After the wort is chilled it must be transferred to the fermentor. (In the
case of a counterflow-type chiller, of course, cooling and moving the wort
to the fermentor occurs in a single step.) This can be done with a food-grade
pump, but most homebrewers simply start a siphon and rely on gravity to
move the liquid. The brewpot must be positioned above the fermentor for
this to work. Siphoning the liquid can be relatively easy with a piece of
equipment called a racking cane, which is a rigid tube attached to some
flexible vinyl tubing. The tube goes to the bottom of the brewpot and the
tubing leads to the fermentor. The siphon can be “suck started,” or the
racking cane may be filled with water. Placing the tip of the rigid tube
below the surface of the wort and lowering the end of the vinyl tubing will
get the siphon started. Alternatively, some brewpots have a spigot near the
bottom. Brewers can attach some vinyl tubing to the spigot and start
transferring wort simply by opening the spigot valve.
Once in the fermentor, the wort must be aerated. The yeast will perform
much better if there is dissolved oxygen in the wort. Aeration can be
performed by simply shaking the fermentor vigorously, or you can “whip”
the wort with a large whisk. However, you need to keep this up for about 5
minutes to be effective. Many homebrewers use a sintered aeration stone to
inject air or oxygen into their wort. The aeration stone is connected, via
nylon tubing, to either an aquarium pump or a small oxygen tank. The gas
flows through a HEPA filter on its way to the stone. (Homebrew shops sell
the kits for this. Little oxygen tanks are available in the welding section of
hardware stores. Medical supply stores may have larger tanks.) Some
homebrewers place their aeration stone at the outlet of a counterflow or
plate chiller so chilled wort is aerated as it flows into the fermentor.
At this point, it is worthwhile to remember that any surface that touches
wort—and especially chilled wort—needs to be sanitized. The heat of the
boil will sanitize the brewpot. However, wort chillers need to be sanitized.
In the case of an immersion chiller, the (cleaned) chiller is typically placed
in the brewpot for the final 5 minutes of boil to allow the heat of the boil to
sanitize the chiller. A counterflow-type chiller may be sanitized by running
sanitizing solution through it. It must be clean inside for this to work. To
clean a counterflow-type chiller, hot cleaning solution may be recirculated
though it. The racking cane, if used, must be sanitized also, and do not
forget that the inside of the fermentor additionally needs to be sanitized.
This is often done by adding some sanitizing solution to the (clean) vessel
and swirling it around until the solution wets all of the interior surface.
Some sanitizing solutions do not need to be rinsed. In that case, they are
simply drained from the vessel before the chilled wort is transferred to
them.
Once the wort is boiled, chilled, and aerated, the yeast is added (pitched).
In many cases, brewers will make a yeast starter one to three days before
brewing their main batch. A yeast starter is a small batch of low-sugar wort
intended to raise the proper amount of yeast for the main batch. (The
specific gravity is a measure of how much sugar is in a wort, with a higher
gravity meaning more sugar.) The larger the batch of the beer and the more
sugar that is in it, the more yeast is required. Shortly after the yeast is
added, fermentation begins.
After the yeast is pitched, the fermentor should be placed somewhere at
or slightly below the recommended fermentation temperature, often 60–
72°F (16–22°C) for ales and 50–55°F (10–13°C) for lagers. The fermentor
is then sealed except for an airlock, or fermentation lock, which allows
gases to escape the vessel. Fermentation can take a few days to a few
weeks, depending on the fermentation temperature and the amount and type
of yeast pitched. A low-gravity ale, such as a mild ale or bitter, may ferment
in just three days. A medium or high-gravity lager, such as a bockbier, will
often take a couple of weeks or more. Strong beers—high-gravity beers
with a lot of sugar in their wort—can take up to a couple of months to
finish. During fermentation, the CO₂ produced by the yeast will cause the
airlock to bubble. The amount of bubbles produced is a rough gauge to the
vigor of the fermentation, provided the fermentor is otherwise sealed.
After fermentation finishes, ales will typically clear in a few days when
held at their fermentation temperature. A layer of yeast and other materials,
collectively called trub, will cover the bottom of the fermentor. In some
cases, an ale may be cold-conditioned for a few days. Lagers require a
conditioning period after primary fermentation. The conditioning process is
called lagering and allows any yeast still in suspension to clean up the
“green beer” flavors. Generally, the temperature of the beer is dropped to
near freezing and held for a while until sampling indicates the beer is
“clean.” In particular, a clean beer should be free of a buttery or
butterscotch-like flavor due to the presence of a yeast by-product called
diacetyl.
Most of the time, properly brewed beer will fall clear on its own. This is
especially true if the beer is stored cold for few days before serving.
Commercial brewers filter their beer to obtain crystal clarity. Most
homebrewers will either enjoy their reasonably clear beer, or use fining to
further clarify it. Gelatin or isinglass (a preparation made from the swim
bladders of fish) work well to clear any residual yeast in solution. The Irish
moss added in the boil should have removed at least most of the proteins
present in the wort that are responsible for haze in the final beer.
Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) is often used to remove tannins, which
also contribute to beer haze. Fining agents work by stirring a thick solution
of the fining agent into the beer and letting it settle out. The beer can then
be racked away from the sediment containing the fining agent and the
material it has removed.
Once the beer is fermented, conditioned, and clarified, it is ready to be
packaged. Homebrewed beer is usually either bottled or kegged. Canning
requires equipment that is prohibitively expensive at the individual
homebrew scale.
For bottling, the beer can be transferred away from the trub to a bottling
bucket. The brewer adds a small amount of sugar and the beer is transferred
again, this time into bottles. Unfiltered beer, even clear beer, has some yeast
cells remaining in suspension. In the bottle, the yeast will ferment the added
sugar, producing ethanol and CO₂. The amount of ethanol produced is
slight, but the amount of CO₂ produced is enough to give the beer its
required fizz in a sealed bottle.
Homebrewed beer can also be kegged and stored under CO₂ pressure.
The CO₂ will, over the course of several days, dissolve into the beer and
carbonate it. Cornelius kegs, the type that used to be used for dispensing
soda pop, are the most widely used type of keg in homebrewing.

Homebrewing is an interesting hobby and also teaches many of the skills

needed for mead making and winemaking. And, of course, brewing beer at
home is very similar to producing hard seltzers at home. The biggest key to
success with homebrewing is keeping your equipment spotlessly clean and
sanitizing any surface that will contact chilled wort or beer. The second
biggest key to success is running an ordered fermentation. This involves
pitching an adequate amount of yeast, ensuring proper yeast nutrition
(mostly through proper aeration), and holding the fermentation at a steady
temperature in the correct temperature range for the yeast.
Homebrewing need not be daunting. Now you are armed with knowledge
of the basics, you can try your hand at brewing the American pale ale recipe
below. Good luck and happy brewing!

MALT EXTRACT HOMEBREW RECIPE

PATRICK HENRY PALE ALE To make 5.0 gal. (19 L)
American-style Pale Ale
Original (starting) gravity: 1.052
Final gravity: 1.011
ABV: 5.3%
Bitterness: 40 IBU (international bittering units)
Color: 11 SRM (corresponds to a pale-to-medium amber)

INGREDIENTS

Malt extract and specialty grains

4.25 lb. (1.93 kg) light dried malt extract
1.3 lb. (590 g) US 2-row pale malt
8.0 oz. (230 g) crystal malt (40°L)
3.0 oz. (85 g) crystal malt (60°L)

Hops
0.38 oz. (11 g) Simcoe (13% alpha acids, or AA), boiled for 60 minutes (13
IBU)
0.50 oz. (14 g) Centennial (10% AA), boiled for 30 minutes (14 IBU)
0.63 oz. (18 g) Cascade (7% AA), boiled for 15 minutes (9 IBU)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Amarillo (8% AA), boiled for 15 minutes (4 IBU)
0.63 oz. (18 g) Cascade (7% AA), boiled for 0 minutes (0 IBUs)
0.25 oz. (7 g) Amarillo (8% AA), boiled for 0 minutes (0 IBUs)
0.75 oz. (21 g) Cascade dry hops, added in secondary fermentor
0.50 oz. (14 g) Amarillo dry hops, added in secondary fermentor

Other additions
1 tsp. Irish moss, boiled for 15 minutes
¼ tsp. yeast nutrients, boiled for 15 minutes

Yeast
Wyeast 1056 American Ale (liquid yeast), White Labs WLP001 California
Ale (liquid yeast), or Fermentis US-05 (dried yeast)
Use a 1.5 qt. (1.4 L) yeast starter for liquid yeasts

Additions at bottling
5.0 oz. (140 g) corn sugar, to prime bottles for 2.6 volumes of CO₂

PROCEDURE
Crush the grains (either at the homebrew shop or your home, if you have a
grain mill). Place the crushed grains in a steeping bag. In your brewpot,
steep the crushed grains in 3.0 qt. (2.8 L) of water at 152°F (67°C) for 45
minutes. Remove grains and add water to the pot to make 3.5 gal. (13 L) of
wort. Add roughly half of the malt extract and bring the wort to a boil.
Boil the wort for 60 minutes, adding hops, Irish moss, and yeast nutrients
at times indicated. Stir in remaining malt extract during final 10 minutes of
the boil. Chill the wort to 68 °F (20 °C) and transfer to your fermentor,
leaving any sediment behind. Top up to 5.0 gal. (19 L) with cool water.
(This volume does not account for the small amount of beer that will be lost
in the fermentor due to sediment.)
Pitch the yeast after topping off to 5 gal. Ferment at 68°F (20°C). After
fermentation stops, let beer settle for two to three days, then rack to
secondary fermentor—leaving any trub behind—and add the dry hops
(preferably bagged in a nylon bag). For best results, dry hop in a carboy
with as little headspace as possible. Dry hop for five to six days, then rack
to keg or bottling bucket, for a yield of 5.0 gal. (19 L) minus any losses
from leaving the trub and wet hops behind. Dissolve priming sugar and then
add to the bottling bucket. Transfer to bottles and store warm for two weeks
to allow beer to carbonate to 2.6 volumes of CO₂.
 INDEX

cai, 18
cidity, 1, 21, 22-23, 24, 29, 39, 40, 41, 60, 95, 111
cids, 40-41, 42, 55, 101, 108; abundant, 23 (table); adding, 41, 109; alpha, 37, 148, 150; amino, 38;
carbonic, 22, 41, 42; citric, 22, 23, 40, 87, 104; flavors and, 23, 108; fruit and, 23 (table); lactic, 47,
98; malic, 22, 23, 40, 104; phosphoric, 47; tartaric, 23
eration, 49, 56, 94, 98, 101, 103, 151, 153
gave, 18, 35, 96
irlocks, 92, 99, 100, 101, 142, 147, 152
Alaskan Brewing Company, 24
lcohol, 13, 30, 104, 132; content, 16; producing, 145; sweetness and, 20-21
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), 2, 11, 12, 16, 36, 37, 39, 47, 60, 81, 82, 83, 86;
formula approval by, 84, 85; label approval by, 84; regulations by, 27
lcoholic strength, 22 (table), 59, 60, 61
lcopops, 11
les, 7, 15, 37, 48, 50, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 82, 93, 108
lewife, term, 6
lkalinity, 29
American Sugarbeet Growers Association (ASGA), 32, 33
mmonia, 28, 38
myloglucosidase, 47
Anheuser-Busch, 11, 12
Anheuser-Busch Natural Light, 24
pples, 23, 129; acidity and, 22
pricot, 23
romas, 13, 20, 35, 102; hop, 150; unwanted, 39, 52, 149
ASGA. See American Sugarbeet Growers Association
Assize of Bread and Ale, 7
ATF. See Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
Atkins diet, 16
utomatic temperature compensation (ATC), 47

Bacardi Breezer, 10
acteria, 146
ananas, 32
arley, 6, 9, 30, 31, 83; brewing with, 8; malted, 27, 36
 arleywine, 7
asil, 17, 18, 33
eer: defining, 82, 85; hard seltzer and, 130-31; high-alcohol, 7; high-gravity, 35; malt beverages
versus, 82, 83-84; malt extract-based, 148; Pilsner, 16; purity, 8; very dry, 108, 153
eetroot, 33
Belgium, beer culture in, 9-10
Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima, 33
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris, 32, 33
everages: alcoholic strength of, 22 (table); flavored, 11, 40, 83; malt, 11, 16, 40, 47, 48, 82, 83-84, 87;
malternative, 10, 11, 15, 16, 108
icarbonate, 29, 41, 42
ittering agents, 6, 150
itterness, 48, 148, 150; hop, 37, 97, 105
lack cherry, 17, 18
lackberry, 17, 18
lending, 62, 128, 129, 131; final, 55
lood turnip, 33
lueberry, 18, 23, 40
ockbier, 152
Bog Blood, recipe for, 133
oiling, 48, 53, 95, 96, 112, 141, 146, 149, 150
Bon & Viv, 17, 18
orscht, 33
rands, hard seltzer, 15
Brewers Association, 81
Brewers Crystals, 96
Brewers Notice, 84, 85
rewing: enterprises/female, 7; spread of, 6, 7; springtime for, 5-6; summertime for, 6-7
rewpots, 147, 149, 150, 151
Brut IPA, 108, 153
Bud Light Hard Seltzers, 12
Bud Select 55, 16
Budweiser, 1
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), 81, 85
Butkus, Dick, 110
utterscotch, 152

alcium, 29, 30, 47

alcium chloride, 30
alcium sulfate, 30
alories, 13, 16 (table), 20-21, 60, 87; carbohydrates and, 16; low, 16, 24; sugar and, 16, 20
Campden tablets, 28, 95, 147, 149
Cape Scrod, recipe for, 130
arbohydrates, 13, 16 (table), 21, 36, 60, 87; calories and, 16; fermentable, 29, 30; low, 24
arbon, activated, 39, 52-53, 102, 103
arbon dioxide (CO₂), 20, 28, 30, 41-42, 53, 55, 61, 83, 100, 108, 135, 145, 152, 153; dissolved, 126;
fermentation and, 105; odor removal with, 103-4; production of, 107 (table); residual dissolved, 106
(table)
arbonate, 29, 42, 55, 65, 92, 93, 104, 105, 108, 153
arbonation, 20, 23, 42, 60, 61, 104-5, 108; levels, 20 (table), 105
arboys, 92, 146
C8, recipe for, 129
entrifugation, 51, 52
Certificate of Label Approval (COLA), 84, 85
harcoal, 28, 29
herry, 17, 18, 21, 23, 40, 127, 129
Cherry Coke, 127
hili peppers, 131
hillers, 92, 97, 147, 150, 151
hloramines, 28
hlorine, 28-29; compounds, 46, 95, 149
itrus, 17, 40, 60, 127, 130, 136; acid in, 22
larity, 52, 91, 129, 152
Coca-Cola, 20
ocktails, 134; hard seltzer, 125, 129, 132; wine, 132
COLA. See Certificate of Label Approval
old break, 150-51
olor, 52, 84, 102, 140; adding, 95, 129; removing, 52, 103; unwanted, 39
ompounds, volatile, 48, 97
oncentration, volume and, 61-63
onditioning, 152; bottle, 92, 105
onsumer appeal, creating, 12-13
ontamination, 93, 104
Coors Brewing Company, 10
orn, 31, 33-34
orn borers, 34
Cornelius kegs, 92, 153
COVID-19 pandemic, 1, 2
Cozumel Sunset, recipe for, 133
ranberry, 18, 129
Creature from the Black Lagoon, recipe for, 128
Crook and Marker, 24
Crush, 127
Crush Cherry Soda, 127
Crystal Pepsi, 10
Csonka, Larry, 110
ucumbers, 17, 18
ulture, 6; beer, 9, 10; drinking, 9; pub, 7

DAP. See diammonium phosphate

egrees Brix, 35, 36
egrees Plato, 36, 50, 93
Department of Justice, 81
Department of the Treasury, 81, 83
extrose, 31, 35, 87, 114
iacetyl, 50, 51, 101, 152
iammonium phosphate (DAP), 38, 39, 48, 97
ilution, 35, 53-56, 61, 95, 96, 111
isaccharides, 35
istillation, 32
Dr. Pepper, 20, 127
ragon fruit, 17
raught system, 20, 42, 55, 105
rupes, 17
Duvel, 9

% ABV Neutral Base, recipe for, 122

lderflower, 17, 18
England: beer culture in, 9; brewing in, 7
nzymes, 36, 47, 108
quipment: cleaning, 143, 146; homebrewing, 91, 92-93, 140 (table), 146, 147 (table), 149
thanol, 20, 33, 52, 60, 136, 145, 146, 153
Everclear, 135
Extra Low Calorie 3.5% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 71-72, 119-20

AA Act, 83
AN. See free amino nitrogen
DA. See Food and Drug Administration
ederal Alcohol Administration (FAA), 83
ermentation, 2, 21, 29, 32, 35, 42, 56, 83, 93, 98, 104, 108, 139, 140, 142, 143, 146, 149, 150, 151;
active, 100-101; batch, 51; carbon dioxide and, 105; carbon source for, 37; high-gravity, 48, 51, 60,
95; lock, 92, 152; mead, 49; ordered, 48-51, 109, 112, 153; wine, 37, 38, 99; yeast nutrients and, 50
ermentis, 142
ermentors, 37, 55, 56, 62, 63, 92, 93, 96, 99, 102, 103, 146, 147, 148, 152
ilters, 103, 152-53; carbon, 52, 91, 95, 140; HEPA, 98, 151
iltration, 50, 51, 52, 53, 91, 103
ining, 39, 50, 51, 102-3, 150, 153; activated carbon and, 53, 112; carbon, 104; ordinary, 52
izziness, 12, 20, 28, 42, 99, 108, 129, 135, 153
lavor ingredient data sheet (FIDS), 85
lavors, 1, 2, 13, 27, 28, 35, 39-40, 42, 55, 84, 101, 102, 113, 131, 134, 136, 146; acid and, 23, 108;
adding, 41, 95, 104-5, 109, 139-40; choosing, 60; citrus, 17, 22; combinations of, 18-19; common, 19
(table); extract, 59, 135; fruit, 24, 40, 108, 129; green beer, 152; natural, 140; removing, 52;
unpleasant, 39, 149; variety of, 17, 18
locculation, 94, 101
lowers, 17, 18, 34, 133
ood allergens, 86-87
ood and Drug Administration (FDA), 28, 39, 60, 83, 84; health claims and, 87; labeling, 85-87
orbes, 12
our Loko, 11
ree amino nitrogen (FAN), 37-38, 49
ructose, 20, 30, 33, 35, 37
ruit, 6; acid in, 23 (table); adding, 112; aggregate, 17; sweetness of, 21
ruit juices, 40, 135, 136, 141; blending with, 129-30; substituting, 112
uzzy Navel, 135

elatin, 153
enerally recognized as safe (GRAS), 84, 86, 87
German Beer Purity Law, 7
Germany: beer culture in, 9; brewing in, 7-9
in, 135
lucose, 35, 45, 46, 47, 82, 95, 96, 98; caramelizing, 48; sources of, 31; sweetness and, 30
luten, 11, 16, 24, 49, 87, 94
lyphospate herbicide, 33
GMO, 33, 34, 87
rains: cereal, 31; malted, 6, 146; specialty, 149
rape, 23, 93, 94, 129
rapefruit, 17, 22, 60, 127
GRAS. See generally recognized as safe

ard seltzer: beer and, 130-31; bottling, 142; drinking, 12, 13, 125-26; homemade, 135, 143; making, 3,
24, 45, 55, 64, 88, 93-95, 108, 109, 111, 129, 136, 139-40, 140 (table), 141, 145, 146; process for, 54
(fig.); sales of, 1, 12, 13; single-flavored, 17-18; sparkling, 15; types of, 59; variations in, 23-24
ard soda, 11
aze, 140, 150, 153
erbs, 17, 18, 133
ibiscus, 17, 18, 133
igh-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), 20, 30, 31, 33
omebrewing, 3, 91, 93, 139, 145, 148, 151, 153
ops, 8, 30, 42, 83, 87; adding, 6, 48; bitterness and, 97, 150; dried, 37; malted, 27; spent, 37
ot break, 150
 ydrogen sulfide (H2S), 53, 100, 101
ydrometers, 49, 96, 147
Hymn to Ninkasi, 6

BC Black Cherry, 127

ndia pale ale (IPA), 1, 16, 83
nternal Revenue Code (IRC), 82, 83, 87, 88
nternal Revenue Service, 82, 84
rish moss, 150

uices: apple, 40, 129; cherry, 129; cranberry, 129; fruit, 40, 112, 129-30, 135, 136, 141; grape, 23, 93,
94, 99, 129; grapefruit, 129; lime, 40, 131; orange, 129, 135; tomato, 131

egs, 61, 65, 92, 153

etogenic diets, 12-13, 16
ettles, 45, 47, 48, 65, 67, 70, 92, 96, 97

La Croix, 16
abel approval, 84, 85
agers, 100; high-gravity, 152
emon, 18, 22, 129
emon-lime flavor, 10, 18, 127, 135
emonade, 18
Letterman, David, 10
Lewis, Ashton, 16
me, 17, 18, 22, 40, 60, 129, 131, 135, 141
Lime Mint Fizz, recipe for, 134
Lobin Reach, recipe for, 132

magnesium, 29
maize, 31, 33-34
malt, 2, 6, 29, 42, 47, 48, 49, 82, 83, 87; chit, 36; Pilsner, 9, 36; substitute, 88
malt beverages, 16, 48, 87; beer versus, 82, 83-84; flavored, 11, 40, 83; mash for, 47
malt extract, 93, 140; dried, 94; homebrewing with, 148, 149-53; wort and, 148
malternative beverages, 10, 11, 15, 16, 108
maltose, 35, 148
malus, 23
mangelwurzel, 33
mango, 17, 18, 21, 136
mango hibiscus lemon limeade, 136
Mark Anthony Group, 11
mash, 29, 36, 45, 47, 149
material safety data sheet (MSDS), 46
mead, 49, 91, 153
melon, 18
michelada, 131
Michigana, recipe for, 132
microorganisms, 28, 38, 46, 97, 100, 104, 146
Mike’s Hard Lemonade, 11
Miller Brewing Company, 10, 11
Miller Clear Beer, 10
Miller Genuine Draft 64, 16
Miller Lite, 10
mimosa, 132
minerals, 29, 37, 46, 47, 64; dissolved, 30, 149
mint, 18, 133
Moderately Strong 7% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 74-75
mojito, 17
molasses, 30, 82
mold, 146
monochloramine, 28
monosaccharide, 35
Mountain Dew, 20, 127

eutral base, 52, 53, 59, 61, 62, 64, 95, 112; brewing, 3; filtering, 103; high-gravity, 51; malt, 51, 55;
recipes for, 77-78; strong, 60, 63
itrogen, 37; yeast and, 38
Not Your Father’s Root Beer, 11

ats, 31
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 46
dors, 53; removing, 52, 103-4
OG Gator, recipe for, 128
range, 18, 22, 127, 129, 135
Orange Fanta, 127
range liqueur, 135
Oskar Blues, 18
xygen, 53, 98-99; dissolved, 99

abst Brewing Company, 23

abst Izen Klar, 10
ackaging, 20, 50, 53, 55-56
ale ale, 153, 154-55
assion fruit, 18
asteurization, 27, 46, 55, 61, 96
atrick Henry Pale Ale, recipe for, 154-55
each, 18, 23, 40, 135
 ear, 23
epsi Wild Cherry, 127
ersonal exposure limit (PEL), 46
H, 41, 49, 55, 147; adjustment, 47, 64, 98; changing, 29, 98; drop in, 47; low, 55, 104
hosphoric acid, food-grade, 98
husion Projects, 11
ilsner, 9, 16, 20, 36, 102
iña colada, 17
ineapple, 17, 32
itching rate, 50, 55-56, 93, 109
lanet P, recipe for, 130
lum, 23
olyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP), 102, 103, 153
otassium, 23, 112
otassium bitartrate, 23
otassium metabisulfite, 28, 94, 95
otassium sorbate, 27, 55, 61, 104, 105, 108, 112
reservatives, 55, 141
rickly pear, 17
rinciple display panel (PDP), 86
rocessing aids, 27, 39, 42
umps: aquarium, 99, 151; food-grade, 151
VPP. See polyvinylpolypyrrolidone

acking, cane, 151-52

adler, 130
aspberry, 17, 18, 131; acidity and, 22
atoon crops, 32
ecipes, 1, 2, 59, 64, 108; neutral base, 77-78; scaling up/down, 112
efractometers, 96
Reinheitsgebot (1516), 7-9
everse osmosis (RO), 30, 46, 52
ice, 31, 32, 96; malted, 28, 36
osé beer, 23
osemary, 17, 18
Roundup Ready, 33, 34
ye, 31

accharum, 31
angria, 132
anitizers, 93, 103-4, 146, 149, 151, 152
ea Breeze, 135
-Up, 127
G. See specific gravity
handy, 130
imple Slimon, recipe for, 126
itka spruce, 24
lightly Stronger 6% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 72-74, 120-21
lightly Sweet 4% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 67-69, 116-17
lightly Sweet 5% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 69-70, 117-18
loe Gin Fizz, 135
mall Town Brewery, 11
mirnoff Ice, 10
mith, Bubba, 10
odium bicarbonate, 49
odium metabisulfate, 28
oft drinks, artisanal, 127
olids, 30, 55, 96, 135, 148, 150
orghum, 31, 32
our, 22, 23, 40
outh Beach diet, 16
oy sauce, 131
pecific gravity (SG), 50, 93, 94, 95, 96, 112, 152
pices, 6, 11, 134
pirits, 11, 15, 134-35, 136
pringfield Brewing Company, 16
prite, 127
quirt, 127
tandard 4% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 64-66, 113-14
tandard 5% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 66-67, 114-15
tarting gravity, 49, 50, 51, 56, 61, 96
teeping bags, 147, 149
tevia, 24
tone fruits, 17
touts, 82; dry, 108
trawberry, 17, 18
troh Clash, 10
trong 8% ABV Hard Seltzer, recipe for, 75-77
ucrose, 9, 30, 35, 45, 46, 47, 51, 94, 95, 98; caramelizing, 48; sources of, 31
ugar, 35-36, 82, 86, 93, 94, 98, 148, 152, 153; adding, 21, 50, 107 (table); brown, 30; calories and, 16,
20; candi, 96; cane, 87; confectioner’s, 30; corn, 87, 96; dissolving, 46, 113; domestically produced,
32; dust, 46; fermented, 27; granulated, 30; as malt substitute, 88; mixing, 109; powdered, 30;
priming, 93, 105; refined, 35; simple, 47; solubility of, 42; sources of, 30-34, 35; spilled, 46;
sweetness and, 20; table, 30, 94; water and, 42, 45-47, 93, 108; white, 30; yeast and, 27, 145, 146
 ugar beets, 30, 31, 32-33
ugar solution, 1, 36, 45, 46, 51, 98, 141, 142, 148; boiling, 48; fermenting, 50, 64, 139, 140; high-
gravity, 50
ugar wash, 92, 93, 98, 140, 146; fermenting, 95, 108, 142, 143; making, 95-97
ugarcane, 30, 31-32, 33
unkist, 127
weet Cherry Fizz, recipe for, 127
weeteners, artificial, 24
weetness, 1, 11, 16, 27, 42, 55, 59, 60, 61, 104, 105, 126, 131; calories and, 20-21; glucose and, 30;
soda-like, 127; sugars and, 20
yrup: agave, 35, 96; corn, 33; flavored, 126; high-fructose corn, 20, 30, 31, 33; raspberry, 131; rice, 96;
simple, 126, 127; woodruff, 131

aste testing, 2, 101-2

axes, 7, 10, 15, 23, 84, 88
emperature, 97, 109; fermentation, 49, 143, 152, 153; fermentor, 56; kettle, 96; pH, 47; yeast and, 94
0% ABV Neutral Base, recipe for, 77, 123
eosinte, 34
me-weighted average (TWA), 46
omato juice, 131
otal dissolved solids, 30
riple sec, 135
Triticum, 31
rub, 152
Truly, 17, 18
TTB. See Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
2% ABV Neutral Base, recipe for, 78

UBS, 12
Uecker, Bob, 10
USDA, 31, 32, 34

Vandervelde, Emile, 9
Vandervelde Act (1919), 9
egetables, 17
Velodrome, recipe for, 131
odka, 16, 134, 135, 136
olume: calculating, 61-63; concentration and, 61-63; starter, 95

Wallace, Trevor, 12
water, 8, 52, 95; carbonated, 28; dilution, 96; mineral, 30; pure, 98; seltzer, 88, 135, 136; sources of, 28,
29-30; sugar and, 45-47, 93, 108
watermelon, 18
weiss, 131
wheat, 6, 7, 8, 31, 33, 86, 148
White Claw, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 24
Whole 30 diet, 16
Wild Basin Boozy Spiked Seltzers, 18
wine, 91, 132; popularity of, 13; taxing, 23
wine diamonds, 23
winemaking, 19, 93, 103, 145, 153
Worcestershire sauce, 131
wort, 47, 48, 93, 146, 150; boiling, 152; chilled, 97; malt extract and, 148; transforming, 148, 151

east, 42, 60, 96, 108, 146, 148, 151, 152; activity, 38; adding, 142; aerating, 94; brewer’s, 35-36, 37,
41, 46, 49, 94; cells, 51, 93, 99; distiller’s, 2, 37, 39, 95, 99; dried, 93, 99, 141, 142; healthy, 100;
liquid, 93; nitrogen and, 38; nutrient, 141; pitching, 94, 99; residual, 153; role of, 8; starters, 94, 99,
152; strains, 37-39, 48, 56, 99, 100, 101; sugar and, 27, 145, 146; temperature and, 94; wine, 2, 37,
41, 94, 99
east assimilable nitrogen (YAN), 38
east nutrients, 37-39, 42, 49, 56, 94, 95, 97, 100, 101, 150; adding, 50, 112; fermentation and, 50

Zea, 31, 33, 34

Zima, 10, 11
Zima Clearmalt, 10
Zima Gold, 10
inc, 37, 38
inc sulphate heptahydrate, 38