By Chris Colby

Author Chris Colby has a formal education in biology and chemistry and has spent the past 20 years writing about beer and brewing. An active homebrewer, Colby combines his knowledge of science with the art of brewing. He is the author of Methods of Modern Homebrewing and The Homebrew Recipe Bible and writes for Brew Your Own and The Beer and Wine Journal. Colby lives in Bastrop, Texas with his wife and an undisclosed number of cats.

Hard seltzer is a booming category in the world of lifestyle beverages and many craft brewers are lending their artisanal skills to this refreshing beverage. Simple to make and with a wide range of creative flavor additions, hard seltzer is a sparkling alternative for beer lovers looking to give their palate a different experience. Learn about the development of the current market and delve into the intricacies of sugars used in making seltzer. Understand the different regulations for this beverage based on how you make it so you can be in legal compliance.

Explore recipes, serving suggestions, and even mocktails for using hard seltzer. In this guide, some of the country' s best hard seltzer producers provide recipes and advice for making seltzer for both commercial and home enjoyment.

How to Make Hard Seltzer: Refreshing Recipes for Sparkling Libations

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

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 CO??
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