How to Make a Hard Seltzer easy Like a Pro!

How to Make a Hard Seltzer easy Like a Pro!

Dermott Dowling

Hard Seltzer is the NEW! Old Craze, and its capturing the minds, hearts and throats of a new generation of drinkers.  Many “new things” are simply “old things” that have been tweaked, repackaged, and given a new name. In the case of hard seltzers, the new thing has more to do with process and taxation than it does with the liquid itself. Strip away the peripherals, and what is left is a simple cocktail very similar to something like a vodka tonic with natural flavours added.

Hard Seltzer is a refreshing light beverage often lower in alcohol and calories (the only calories are from the alcohol), gluten free, vegan friendly, sold in a skinny can, easy to pour, store and takeaway in a variety of flavours.  Hard-ly surprising that Hard Seltzer is a popular choice in Spring and Summer when the Sun's out and people are out and about in parks, at concerts, at BBQs or simply want a controlled measure of alcohol with some refreshment inside.

So, how do Craft Brewers and Distillers get in on this NEW! Trend and Make a Hard Seltzer the Easy Way???

Choose your Sugar Source:

You are ultimately looking for a low cost and clean fermentable to make an alcoholic fizzy neutral flavour water (Seltzer is Sparkling Water | Hard Seltzer is Sparkling Alcoholic Water).  In Australia we grow a lot of high quality Sugar Cane so Manufacturers White Sugar or Invert Sugar is a great place to start.  

Some of our customers have found that using 51% Rice Malt Syrup gives a great flavour and ticks one of the boxes to enable you to classify your Hard Seltzer as a beer for ATO Excise Tax purposes [is the product of the yeast fermentation of an aqueous extract of predominantly malted or unmalted cereals, but may also contain other sources of carbohydrates].  Please Note: we are not here to provide legal or tax advice and you need to check with your lawyer and professional advisors and the ATO before you classify your Hard Seltzer as a beer for tax purposes.

Fermentables:

Fermentation:

Yeast: Choose Your Yeast Wisely

Fermentation is all about a clean and fast and healthy fermentation and to get off to a great start you need a great Yeast.  Not all Yeast are happy to munch their way through high sucrose, fructose and glucose liquid washes.  Typically we find distillers and wine yeasts are most suitable for the job or a specific Kveik Yeast.  Some popular options with our customers are below.  Be sure to check the manufacturer pitch rates which are up on our website under the appropriate product pages.

Nutrients: Hydrate and Feed Your Yeast | Staggered Nutrient Additions (SNA)

A happy yeast is a healthy yeast and happy healthy yeast will ferment your Seltzer Base faster and give off less sulphur and off flavours.  If you're smelling lots of rotten egg smells and tasting off flavours in your finished seltzers it is probably due to stressed and unhealthy yeast.  We recommend you first hydrate your Yeast with a Yeast Protectant like Lallemand Go-Ferm Protect Evolution™ during active dry yeast rehydration for stressful fermentation conditions.  Dosage rate of 30g/hL.

We also recommend a complete Yeast Nutrient and Buffering Solution like N1 Seltzer Pure Nutrient which is specifically formulated for fermentation with pure sugar. Seltzer Pure Yeast Nutrient and Buffering Solution N1 is a complete nutritional support for your yeast made from Diammonium Phosphate, Mineral Salts, Vitamins, Citric Acid to aid healthy fermentation of pure sugar based Hard Seltzers.

Alternatively, you could use a complex Yeast Nutrition like Lallemand Fermaid AT administered in a staggered Yeast Nutrition Rate like ⅓ on Day 1 ⅓ on Day 2 and ⅓ on Day 3.  Given your raw material is nutrient deficient compared to a grain fermentation you will need to use a complete Yeast Nutrition program to maintain a healthy and robust fermentation.  If you experience any stalling in fermentation you may need to give the wash an active rousing and potentially dose with some DAP (Diammonium Phosphate).  Use DAP wisely and judiciously, and note that it is already present in a complete Yeast Nutrition like Lallemand Fermaid AT.  DAP is like a turbo-charger for yeast but can easily be overdosed.  DAP (Diammonium Phosphate) is a major source of nitrogen for low-malt or sugar-rich mashes and washes. Recommended to add the dose in stages during the first half of fermentation. DAP stimulates fermentation rate, so if too much is added at once, the yeast may ferment too fast and too hot.

  • Lallemand Go Ferm Protect Evolution available in 500g,  1Kg, and 10Kg sizes with a Dosage rate of 30g/hL.
  • N1 Seltzer Pure Nutrient 4.5 Kg Bag Dosage: 1 x 4.5kg pack per 1,000 Litres (4.5g/L) for 16% V/V ABV Pure Sugar Seltzer Base.
  • Lallemand Fermaid AT 500g,  1Kg, and  10Kg Dosage: 35-40 g/hL
  • DAP  500g, 15Kg Use at the rate of 1 gram per 5 litres of must or wash to aid yeast and help reduce later problems with hydrogen sulphide.

Water Aids: Control the pH of Your Fermentation

Unlike a beer, wine or cider fermentation, sugar-based fermentations have almost zero buffering capacity. As a result, the CO2 produced by the fermenting yeast will react with water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) resulting in a rapid drop in pH in the absence of any buffer.

To maintain optimal yeast health during fermentation, the pH should be maintained above 3.5-4.0. This is best achieved by the addition of potassium bicarbonate (K2HCO3) as a buffer. The exact amount required will vary depending on the mineral and salt composition

of the water as well as the fermentation volume (larger fermenters have higher hydrostatic pressure in the fermenting liquid leading to higher CO2 and carbonic acid concentrations and therefore requiring more buffer). Generally, 10-15 g/hL of potassium bicarbonate is a good starting point.

Another popular pH buffer is Sodium Bicarbonate NaHCO₃. Sodium bicarbonate is a salt that breaks down to form sodium and bicarbonate in water. This makes a solution alkaline, meaning it's able to neutralise acid.  Sodium bicarbonate is also a pH buffer and can be used to adjust the pH in a high sugar (sucrose, fructose, molasses etc) distillers wash.  Raises Residual Alkalinity and mash pH.

pH Buffers / Water Aids for your Hard Seltzer Fermentation:

Fining, Filtration, Dilution and Flavouring:

Hard seltzer fermentations are typically fined for clarity (with MagiSol® 300 | Silica Sol or activated carbon, and/or polyvinylpolypyrrolidone or PVPP) then filtered e.g. carbon filters to remove yeast prior to adding fruit juice or flavouring. You may also have to do some odour removal with C02 or C02 Scrubbing as well to drive off any volatiles and/or residual sulphur.  If a highly neutral hard seltzer is required then carbon filtration may be employed to reduce the flavour of the seltzer base prior to dilution and flavouring. Hard seltzers that are back-sweetened with fermentable sugars may require pasteurisation or addition of stabilisers and preservatives such as potassium sorbate and Potassium Metabisulphite to increase product stability.

Hard Seltzers are not sour, but most have a level of acidity that gives the beverage some “zing” that compliments the fruit flavour. 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.  The most commonly added acids are Citric Acid, Malic Acid and/or Tartaric Acid.

Once you have your clean, clear and neutral base Hard Seltzer you're all set for flavour blending, final acidity balancing and off to the packaging lines.  Remember the golden rule when it comes to adding flavours or as we like to call them Blavours!  Less is More and you can always add more but you can not take it away once you have added your Blavours!  Do some control bench trials and taste panels until you're totally happy with your flavour profiles.  Your in house taproom may be a great consumer / drinker research panel.  Here is where you can be creative and have some fun!  Be careful, if your adding real fruit or fruit juice that you have adequate control steps like pasteurisation to prevent refermentation in the final package product.

Blavours | BeerCo Flavours

Available in 800g and 4Kg Bottles and 15Kg Canisters

  • Raspberry Tart, dark berry, fruity, and slightly rosy
  • Mango Green, flesh, juicy, sweet, fresh, fruity.
  • Pineapple Artificial, juicy, fruity, cooked pineapple.
  • Lemon Lime Confectionery, juicy, citrus, zesty
  • Lemon Myrtle Sweet, confectionery, green, fresh, zesty, herbaceous
  • Passionfruit Ripe, seedy
  • Wild Lime Waxy, slightly herbaceous, floral, peely
  • Ginger Earthy, mature, herbal, dry 
  • Hazelnut aroma and flavour of roasted, buttery hazelnuts
  • Maple Slightly bourbony, smokey, brown, syrupy, caramellic, creamy
  • Peanut Butter Adds Rich Nutty Flavor and Aroma  

Bextracts(™) | Supercritical C02 Extract Flavours

Please Note: we can get you samples of whatever Blavour(™) or Bextract(™) you want to develop. Simple drop us a line anytime to Service@BeerCo.com.au

Some Books / Videos, Further Reading & Knowledge materials for you to enjoy:

For more information, you can reach us via email at Service@BeerCo.com.au and visit us at www.beerco.com.au for all your brewing and distilling supplies. 

Cheers #SpringandSummerofSeltzer #EnjoyResponsibly

Please Note: we are not here to provide legal or tax advice and you need to check with your lawyer and professional advisors and the ATO before you classify your Hard Seltzer as a beer for tax purposes.