Best Practices - Hard Seltzer

Hard seltzer production presents unique challenges compared to beer fermentation, due to the lack of nutrients and buffering capacity in sugar-based fermentation media. At Escarpment Labs, we've worked with breweries to refine a streamlined, effective process that produces clean, fast, and consistent seltzer results. This guide outlines our best practices to help professional brewers succeed.

1. The Seltzer Challenge

Most hard seltzer recipes start with a simple base of sugar and water. While this is ideal for a low-calorie, gluten-free beverage, it is not an ideal environment for yeast health:

• No Free Amino Nitrogen (FAN)
• Limited micronutrients
• No natural pH buffering
• Risk of sulfur off-flavours
• Sluggish fermentation and low yeast viability

To counteract these challenges, a purpose-built nutrient like Seltzer Lightning is essential.

2. Recommended Hard Seltzer Process

A. Prepare the Fermentation Base

• Choose your desired starting gravity based on target ABV:
  • 10 °Brix → ~5% ABV
  • 15 °Brix → ~7.5% ABV
  • 20 °Brix → ~10% ABV
• Use white sugar, dextrose, or a neutral sugar source. Invert sugar can help with faster fermentation.

B. Add Nutrients Properly

Use Seltzer Lightning as your all-in-one nutrient solution. It simplifies the process and reduces sulfur off-flavours.

How to add:

1. Pre-mix Seltzer Lightning with 10x its weight of warm water (30–40 °C).
2. Stir/agitate until fully dissolved (5–10 minutes).
3. Add to the fermenter before pitching the yeast. Yeast can be directly pitched without rehydration in most seltzer bases.

Note: contact us first if planning to ferment a seltzer base higher than 20 °Brix.

3. Hard Seltzer Yeast Selection

Use a clean, flocculent ale yeast such as House Ale or KRISPY for best results. These strains:

• Are compatible with Seltzer Lightning
• Flocculate well for easier clarification
• Can be repitched when viability is confirmed

Avoid using high-ester distilling strains or turbo yeasts unless intentionally targeting flavourful profiles. Wine yeasts, while affordable, will typically require extra effort in fining and filtration, and may produce stronger wine-like flavours.

4. Hard Seltzer Fermentation Tips

• Ferment at 20–22 °C for optimal speed and cleanliness.
• Expect full attenuation in 4–7 days with a healthy pitch and proper nutrients.
• Monitor pH and target a final pH of 3.6-4.2 for a crisp and shelf-stable product.
• Check viability before repitching if harvesting yeast.

5. Hard Seltzer Clarification & Filtration

You can achieve near-clear results without filtration if using a flocculent yeast and Seltzer Lightning. For crystal clarity, consider:

• Cold crashing
• Fining agents
• Filtration (e.g., plate and frame or cartridge filters)

6. Enhancing Flavour and Colour in Hard Seltzer

Once the base is clean and dry, you can add flavour:

• Use natural fruit concentrates, extracts, or botanicals.
• Acidify if needed to balance flavour (citric, malic, or tartaric acid).
• Target a flavour dosage of 3–5% w/v, but start with a trial for your system.
• Consider adding colour via fruit or teas. In our experience, consumers gravitate toward red or rose seltzers. This can be achieved using raspberry, strawberry, pomegranate, cherry, hibiscus, and/or rosehips.

7. Hard Seltzer Packaging & Shelf Stability

• Carbonate to 2.5–3.0 volumes of CO₂.
• Pasteurize or sterile filter if packaging in cans for extended shelf life.
• Ensure all flavour additives are stable and non-fermentable.

8. Troubleshooting Common Issues with Hard Seltzer Fermentation

9. Additional Uses for Seltzer Lightning

• Cider or Mead: Use as described above, reduce dose by 30% (140g/hL total).
• Low-FAN Beer Styles: Seltzer Lightning can be used to support fermentation and help buffer the pH (useful if your low-FAN or low gravity beer styles drop too low).
• Wine-Beer, Cider-Beer (graf), Mead-Beer (braggot), hybrid fermentations: Can be used to supplement nutrients. Typically works well at a dosage of 80-100g/hL.

10. Customer Feedback

“Our seltzers always took weeks to finish out and came out with a strong sulfur smell. We tried multiple nutrients and temperatures. Seltzer Lightning fixed all of the issues… The brew day was simplified, and the seltzer fermented out quickly, cleanly, and for great value.”

— Shaun Lill, Broken Clock Brewing Collective