Hard Seltzer

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Whilst not exactly beer, it does involve many of the same ingredients, yeast (also yeast nutrients) and sugar and same techniques.

Was watching yesterdays live stream of the "The Hoppy Hour" where the host (from Homebrew 4 life channel) and his guest, Martin from "The Homebrew Challenge" channel, discussed hard seltzer for a while and how to best make it. And then this morning I see that "The Bru Sho" channel dropped a peach cobbler hard seltzer to his YouTube channel.

Wanted to see if anyone else has tried to brew some hard seltzer in their Droid or even thought about it.

Once I finish with the Sabro Man, my plan is to definitely try this.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Got my Raspberry Hard Seltzer into the Droid just moments ago.

For anyone who would like to try this at home, the Ingredients and instructions are as follows:

Ingredients:
1.5 kg Dextrose
0.5 kg Frozen (thawed just before adding to water) Raspberries
5g Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)
5g Yeast Nutrient (non-DAP)
5g Gypsum
0.5 Whirlfloc tablet
10 litres RO Water
1 pkt Omega Lutra Kveik dried yeast

Method:
Heated half the RO water to boiling adding the dextrose whilst stirring just before boiling point.
The other half went into the fridge to cool down.
Allowed to boil for 10 minutes
With 1 minute remaining in went the DAP, yeast nutrient, gypsum and half whirlfloc tablet.
Cooled to 80°C and added the now thawed raspberries and let sit for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.
After 10 minutes, put pot into cold water and then added the cooled 5 litres of remaining RO water.
This reduced the overall temperature to 31°C.

I then poured the mixture into the droid, pitched the Lutra yeast and set the following custom program:
Propagate @ 30°C
Fermentation @ 28°C
Keg @ 4°C
Storage @ 4°C
No Dry Hop

As per Brewfather, OG should be around 1.054. I've taken a sample and just letting it cool to room temp before using my hydrometer to check and hoping it will be close. Will update the thread once I have the result.

Final Gravity is estimated to be 0.988 which will result in a (very) Hard Seltzer of 8.5%

As I poured the mixture into the Droid and drew off a sample for the hydrometer, I could see it had already taken on a lovely light red blush and I'm hoping that colour will stay in the Seltzer when it's finished fermenting.

 

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Just checked and the sample was sitting nicely at 20.2°C.

Original Gravity of 1.056, 2 points higher than what BrewFather predicted.

But that's okay as I'm sceptical that the final gravity will be 0.988 as predicted.

And to show that lovely blush I present...

[Sam Armstrong]

Wazza, not that it is on my to do list, but well done, that is pretty cool to show its versatility. Keen to hear how that turns out for you.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Hadn't posted how this turned out and I have to say...

Very bloody awesomely, thank you.

Dry with good clean raspberry flavour. Can't taste the 7.25% ABV.

And clear as clear can be which is exactly what you want in a hard seltzer.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Got another Hard Seltzer in the Droid yesterday. This time it's a Lychee and Passion Fruit (L&P) hard seltzer.

Really enjoyed the Raspberry version but the wife thinks it's a little bit too dry. From the FB group, it was suggested that using cane sugar, which is what most Hard Seltzer's use, will leave some residual sugar making it a bit more balanced. So rather than using CSL cane sugar granules, I decided to go with the cane sugar syrup which has about 600g of sucrose so almost half/half sucrose and dextrose.

Recipe for those interested:
525g Dextrose
700ml Bottle Monin Pure Can Sugar Syrup
2x 560g can of Lychees
1x 300g package Creative Gormet frozen passionfruit pulp
5g Diammonium Phosphate (DAP)
5g Yeast Nutrient (non-DAP)
5g Gypsum
0.5 Whirlfloc tablet
10 litres RO Water

Yeast: Omega OYL-071 Lutra Kveik dried yeast

Method:
Heated 4l RO water to 85°C
Added Yeast nutrients, Gypsum and Whirlfloc
Stired in and then added:
Dextrose, Cane Sugar Syrup and stirred in
Turned off heat and then added Lychees and Passion Fruit
Using steralised potatoe masher, macerated the lychees
At 45°C, poured all into Droid then filled with remaining 6 litres of chilled RO water
Pitched yeast and set Propigation and Fermentation at 28°
Will bump the temperature up to 30°C after 2 days

Took a sample but forgot to take a picture but it has a lovely light blue tinge to it. Original Gravity tested at 1.046.

Stats are:
BrewFather Estimates
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 0.990
ABV: 7.2%

Thus Far:
Post-Boil Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity:
ABV: %

The raspberry version took 7 days to ferment out, so it will be interesting to see how long this one takes. I was surprised it took as long as it did last time as the BruShow and other BrewTubers who used this yeast to make a seltzer said it works fast like a typical Kveik yeast.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

And here it is, first pour served up to my wife for well deserved, Friday drinks... Lychee & Passionfruit Hard Seltzer.

At 6.2% ABV it hits the spot but not too heavy.

To hasten the first service after kegging yesterday, put it on CO2 at 30 psi for 12 hours prior to serving and then back to 12 psi just before the first pour.

Smells awesome, tastes great. Lots of lychee but not much passionfruit so a work on there.

Still, a very refrshing and satisfying drop.

Also, clear as, just a lot of chill haze on the glass from this typical humid wet Sydney arvo.

Cheers all!

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

On 17/08/2022 at 12:11 PM, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

Took a sample but forgot to take a picture but it has a lovely light blue tinge to it. Original Gravity tested at 1.046.

Stats are:
BrewFather Estimates
Original Gravity: 1.045
Final Gravity: 0.990
ABV: 7.2%

Thus Far:
Post-Boil Gravity: 1.046
Final Gravity: 1.000
ABV: 6%

 

Final Gravity was way off, ended up at 1.000 when Brewfather estimated 0.990 hence the final ABV is 6%

A bit disappointing to be so far off but the taste more than makes up for it.

Now to figure out why it finished so much higher than estimated...

[Hambone]

I've never done a hard seltzer but my daughter has requested a sweet seltzer for her hens night in October. I'd like it to be not too heavy in ABV but i"m not sure about the sweetness. She asked for a raspberry one but they can end up pretty dry and tart. I'm thinking blueberries and some not fermentable sugars to sweeten.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

44 minutes ago, Hambone said:

I've never done a hard seltzer but my daughter has requested a sweet seltzer for her hens night in October. I'd like it to be not too heavy in ABV but i"m not sure about the sweetness. She asked for a raspberry one but they can end up pretty dry and tart. I'm thinking blueberries and some not fermentable sugars to sweeten.

Any thoughts?

Cheers

To get a "sweeter" seltzer like the famous Whiteclaw versions, I'd definitely say to stay away from Dextrose and go with 100% cane sugar. That could be table sugar or another form. Dextrose is fully fermentable as a simple sugar and finishes very dry where as table sugar is more complex and leaves some residual sugars.

I found using the Monin Pure Can Sugar Syrup added to the sweetness and probably better mouth feel. It also finished sweeter given the Final Gravity was 1.000 when Brewfather calculated a FG of 0.990.

One of the key things when figuring out the ABV is to include the sugar/carbohydrate in the fruit, whether frozen or in a can like I used.

If going with non-fermentable sugar such as lactose, I'd be very very careful and use a very light touch as I've never seen a seltzer recipe include that. And to be honest, Hard Seltzers are not meant to be too sweet and if too sweat wouldn't be enjoyable or refreshing. Again, being honest, I wouldn't try lactose as I find even at minimal levels it leaves a distinctive taste.

Another thing to consider is using an extract for flavouring rather than fruit like I have. The extract goes into your keg post fermentation. Olive Nation make many good ones and even consider those used for soda streams.

Definitely use whirlfloc or some other clarifier as you want the finished product to be as clear as possible and the Omega OYL-071 Lutra Kveik is a must. And don't forget the yeast nutrient as the sugar water has very few of the nutrients that wort contains.

I'm going to try LalBrew Voss Kveik next time but that's only because I have some packets that expire soon and want to use them up.

Edited September 6, 2022 by Wazza_wantsbeer

[Hambone]

1 hour ago, Wazza_wantsbeer said:

To get a "sweeter" seltzer like the famous Whiteclaw versions, I'd definitely say to stay away from Dextrose and go with 100% cane sugar. That could be table sugar or another form. Dextrose is fully fermentable as a simple sugar and finishes very dry where as table sugar is more complex and leaves some residual sugars.

I found using the Monin Pure Can Sugar Syrup added to the sweetness and probably better mouth feel. It also finished sweeter given the Final Gravity was 1.000 when Brewfather calculated a FG of 0.990.

One of the key things when figuring out the ABV is to include the sugar/carbohydrate in the fruit, whether frozen or in a can like I used.

If going with non-fermentable sugar such as lactose, I'd be very very careful and use a very light touch as I've never seen a seltzer recipe include that. And to be honest, Hard Seltzers are not meant to be too sweet and if too sweat wouldn't be enjoyable or refreshing. Again, being honest, I wouldn't try lactose as I find even at minimal levels it leaves a distinctive taste.

Another thing to consider is using an extract for flavouring rather than fruit like I have. The extract goes into your keg post fermentation. Olive Nation make many good ones and even consider those used for soda streams.

Definitely use whirlfloc or some other clarifier as you want the finished product to be as clear as possible and the Omega OYL-071 Lutra Kveik is a must. And don't forget the yeast nutrient as the sugar water has very few of the nutrients that wort contains.

I'm going to try LalBrew Voss Kveik next time but that's only because I have some packets that expire soon and want to use them up.

Fantastic thanks Wazza, yeah I knew lactose would be out. I was thinking something like a plant based sweetener. Anyway, all this is great info.

Cheers

 

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

As you guys would know, my wife loves 'em and so do I.

The most recent Hard Seltzers out of the Droid...

A Guava and Papaya at 7.5%

 

And the most recent, a Mango Hard Seltzer which a mate challenged me to make "proper hard" after he had a 8.5% Apple Cider recently. Well this is 10% Mango Hard Seltzer.

Used more than 2 kg of fresh, frozen and canned mango. Also doubled up on the yeast for this one, a whole packet each of LelBrew Voss Kveik and Omega Lutra Kveik. Finished in 7 days including a 3 day cold crash so that everything would settle. Amazing result, best Seltzer so far.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

And here is the latest beverage from my Droid, Lychee and Guava Hard Seltzer.

3/4 pour, topped up with sparkling water and garnished with a slice of lime and 2 pitted lychees... perfect!

Oh yeah, 12% and you can't taste it.

So refreshing and perfect on a hot humid Sydney day.

Bloody awesome!

[Thagomizer]

@Wazza_wantsbeer,

You seem to have hard seltzer pretty well figured out.  Could you give us some more details on how to do this in the droid?  I.e., what yeast, what brewing temperature, how much fruit, etc.?

Apparently, you just ferment dextrose (or sucrose) for a targeted ABV and then add the flavoring at kegging/bottling time.

I gather that you are using fresh processed fruit for the flavoring.  I would like to know how.  The Captain once posted a procedure for sterilizing fresh fruit for beer enhancements.  Is your procedure similar?

I have seen powdered fruit flavorings to add at kegging/bottling time.  I doubt that these would retain the true essence of the fruit.

Thanks for the information you have already provided.

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

On 26/07/2023 at 8:44 AM, Thagomizer said:

@Wazza_wantsbeer,

You seem to have hard seltzer pretty well figured out.  Could you give us some more details on how to do this in the droid?  I.e., what yeast, what brewing temperature, how much fruit, etc.?

Apparently, you just ferment dextrose (or sucrose) for a targeted ABV and then add the flavoring at kegging/bottling time.

I gather that you are using fresh processed fruit for the flavoring.  I would like to know how.  The Captain once posted a procedure for sterilizing fresh fruit for beer enhancements.  Is your procedure similar?

I have seen powdered fruit flavorings to add at kegging/bottling time.  I doubt that these would retain the true essence of the fruit.

Thanks for the information you have already provided.

Hi @Thagomizer my apologies, I've been a bit slack in my responses.

To answer your questions:

Generally when making a Hard Seltzer, I ferment different sugars: Dextrose, Sucrose and Fructose

I will normally add dextrose and then the sucrose comes from either the table sugar I add or more often, cane sugar which is supposed to be traditional for Hard Seltzer. Obviously, the Fructose obviously comes from the fruit I add.

I will note here that I also tried some of the fruit flavourings/essences and frankly, they are horrible and only provide that "fake fruit flavour".

So I stick with fresh, frozen or canned. I actually love using canned fruit as it has all that extra syrup that is already pre-flavoured by the fruit it is canned with. If using fresh, usually the riper the better and I try to mash rather than just leave in chunks or slices.

Recently, I've been using a lot of the Monin Syrups for both the Cane Sugar, they even have a straight cane sugar syrup which I use as the base for every Seltzer I make... https://www.liquorland.com.au/other/monin-pure-cane-sugar-syrup-700ml_3060891 as well as flavouring such as their Lime Rantcho ( https://www.amazon.com.au/MONIN-Lime-Rantcho-Syrup-700/dp/B07VDHZRNL/ref=asc_df_B07VDHZRNL/?tag=googleshopdsk-22&linkCode=df0&hvadid=341773517884&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8254693803002730424&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9112533&hvtargid=pla-834302129662&mcid=ab86a61894b7327aba204224af911256&th=1.)

My latest Seltzer is in fact a Margarita Seltzer using only Monin Syrups; Cane Sugar syrup, Margarita Syrup and Lime Rantcho Syrup. I also added 400g of Dextrose and boom, what a beverage!

In recent Seltzers, I've made some changes to the process including, stopped adding fruit to the Droid and I steep everything before it goes into the Droid.

My process is as follows:

Into a good size pot, I add maybe 2l of water plus.
I start warming that up and add maybe half the syrups and/or fruit juices at that time. The other half I put in the fridge well before using so that they can drop the temperature of the resulting wort in the Droid.

Once it hits around 50° I add any fruit component such as fresh (usually cut up or mashed depending on variety), frozen or canned. I'll sometimes use a hop bag (i.e. Bunnings paint strainer, large) if it isn't that much or straight in.

At 75-80°C, I add the yeast nutrients (both DAP and the other type which is basically a bunch of dead yeast), a 1/2 to 1 whole whirlfloc tablet and gypsum, let it rise to around 80°C and then hold it for about 15-20 minutes.

At that point, I use a ladle with holes that I let soak at the same temperature to sterilize (I often use StellarSan first) to remove as much of the fruit matter that I can.

Then I let it cool, using the sink filled with cold water

Once cooled down to say 50°C, I'll start pouring any of the cold syrups and/or juices into the Droid, I then pour the liquid from the pot, using a steralised strainer, into the Droid followed by any last cold syrup and/or juice and then top up to 11l or so with the cool/cold remaining water.

In terms of yeast, I only ever use one of two types of Kveik Yeasts; Lallemand Voss and Omega Lutra with the preference being the Lutra Kveik from Omega.

I then Propagate at 30°C, Ferment at 30°C, because it's a Kveik yeast and its faster the warmer it is and then Keg at 5°C and Storage at 3°C.

Once fermentation finishes, the Droid will move it to kegging temp but I move it to Storage mode and then let it sit for 2-4 days depending on how clear it is looking.

One piece of advice, don't skip on the yeast nutrients, I use about 10mg each of DAP and the other, to avoid any "Rhino Farts", that horrible sulfer smell and flavour. I had to pour out one Seltzer that was cursed with Rhino Farts as it was absolutely horrible.

[Rob Courtney]

Haven't read this thread before but it is really interesting. I must admit I haven't tried a hard seltzer before , might have to so I can get a gauge on what sort of taste it is. Will say though, the drinks themselves look great, the lychee and passionfruit looked amazing

[Thagomizer]

@Wazza_wantsbeer

Thanks for the detailed procedure.  I'm glad I saw this before trying seltzer with improper yeasts and temperatures.

Sorry I was out of touch for a while due to a back injury.  I am recovering nicely.

[Rob Courtney]

9 hours ago, Thagomizer said:

@Wazza_wantsbeer

Thanks for the detailed procedure.  I'm glad I saw this before trying seltzer with improper yeasts and temperatures.

Sorry I was out of touch for a while due to a back injury.  I am recovering nicely.

You OK?

Not doing things, hurting yourself and then going "Oh that's right, I'm old now"

[Steve Gyldenvand]

3 hours ago, Rob Courtney said:

You OK?

Not doing things, hurting yourself and then going "Oh that's right, I'm old now"

I have now gotten to the point that I can literally hurt myself not doing things, so...

[Thagomizer]

Yup.  My 82-year-old spine is more brittle than I thought.

A short fall broke my L1 vertebra.  I was in surgery for seven hours and now carry about 20 screws in my spine.  (There were other small cracks that were glued and secured.)  The fall and surgery happened over a month ago.  I now wear a brace when walking more than just around the house or on an excursion to medical appointments.  The brace comes off in February.  I also use a rollator on outside excursions.  At this point, pain is minor and occurs mostly when rising from a sitting position.  I am only allowed to lift about 10 lbs. (5 k) so my brewing activities are currently limited.  Fortunately, I have a good supply aging and ready to drink. 😉

I think my next brew to start will be a Lawn Mower Lager or maybe an English Pub Draft ....

[Rob Courtney]

14 hours ago, Thagomizer said:

Yup.  My 82-year-old spine is more brittle than I thought.

A short fall broke my L1 vertebra.  I was in surgery for seven hours and now carry about 20 screws in my spine.  (There were other small cracks that were glued and secured.)  The fall and surgery happened over a month ago.  I now wear a brace when walking more than just around the house or on an excursion to medical appointments.  The brace comes off in February.  I also use a rollator on outside excursions.  At this point, pain is minor and occurs mostly when rising from a sitting position.  I am only allowed to lift about 10 lbs. (5 k) so my brewing activities are currently limited.  Fortunately, I have a good supply aging and ready to drink. 😉

I think my next brew to start will be a Lawn Mower Lager or maybe an English Pub Draft ....

You need an apprentice

[Thagomizer]

On Wednesday, I will be getting a "CT Scan" to assure that none of those metal screws in my spine are slipping.  I doubt if this will be a problem since my surgeon said that I would probably be feeling some pain if that were the case.  So, the scan is to assure that I don't have any loose screws (in my spine, that is.)

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

19 hours ago, Thagomizer said:

On Wednesday, I will be getting a "CT Scan" to assure that none of those metal screws in my spine are slipping.  I doubt if this will be a problem since my surgeon said that I would probably be feeling some pain if that were the case.  So, the scan is to assure that I don't have any loose screws (in my spine, that is.)

Good luck, hope it all goes as well as it can

[Wazza_wantsbeer]

Put on another Selzter in preparation for Xmas day and the holidays. Looking thru the viewing port I wasn't seeing any of the normal activity so I opened the lid and saw this...

YUCK!

Pretty sure this is an infection as I've never seen a krausen that looks like this and those white parts look like a mold of some sort.

Was going to pour it out but thought I would check with the wise heads in this forum first.

Second ever infection, probably introduced by the (expensive) yuzu juice from Japan and now I'm kicking myself for pouring it straight in without pasteurizing it first which would by my normal method.

That will teach me for taking a short cut  😰

[Thagomizer]

On 11/12/2023 at 8:32 PM, Thagomizer said:

On Wednesday, I will be getting a "CT Scan" to assure that none of those metal screws in my spine are slipping.  I doubt if this will be a problem since my surgeon said that I would probably be feeling some pain if that were the case.  So, the scan is to assure that I don't have any loose screws (in my spine, that is.)

I've seen the images, and the screws look solid.  A few more weeks and brewing resumes.