Make Hard Seltzer Easy

As homebrewers, we do not need to worry about the same legalities a brewery, distillery, or bar would need to consider. We can do what we want.

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Why Does it Matter?

Breweries must produce the alcohol they sell in-house. This means they must create a sugary liquid for yeast to ferment into the alcoholic content of their seltzer.

As a result, a brewery cannot take an alcohol solution produced elsewhere, carbonate it, add flavor, and sell it as hard seltzer.

But We Can

As homebrewers, we have a lot more legal leeway, since we are not selling what we produce. The main benefit of this situation, especially as it pertains to making hard seltzer is that if we have a kegging system (affiliate link), we do not have to produce the alcohol used to make hard seltzer.

Even a tight squeeze lets you use the kegs to their best function.

We can take any neutral-flavored spirit, dilute it to the ABV we want, and force carbonate it like any other keg we put in our kegerator. Primarily, this means we can take vodka at 40% ABV (80 proof) and dilute it down to whatever strength we want. There are also other spirits available, like Everclear 190 Proof (95% ABV), that require less volume to produce the desired strength.

Unfortunately, Everclear 190 Proof is not sold in many states in the USA. Because of its high alcohol content, the 190 proof version can be hard to find, but they do have a lower-ABV versions at 60%, 75.5%, and 189% ABV. However, the 120 Proof version is the most available. Even this will reduce the quantity of spirit needed to make your seltzer by half.

How Much do I Use?

There are formulas available that will walk you through the process of hand-calculating the volume of spirit and the volume of water you will need to produce the seltzer at the desired strength you desire.

But I found a handy calculator that greatly simplifies the calculation for you. Given that most seltzers clock in at 5% ABV, and I have a 2.5 gallon keg, I was curious what it would take to make 2.5 gallons of seltzer using Everclear 120.

The calculation is based on liters, so I put in 9.5 liters as the target volume after dilution, 60% as the actual before dilution, and 5% as the target after dilution.

This handy tool spits out the handy instructions that I need to combine 0.79 liters of spirit at 60% ABV with 8.71 liters of water to produce 9.5 liters of seltzer.

The Simple Version

There you go. Fill that small keg, force carbonate, and you’re all set. You have delicious, unflavored hard seltzer.

Oh, wait, you wanted flavor? Well, you could treat it like my keg of carbonated water and keep an array of Italian soda syrups, fruit juices, and mixers on hand so you can mix up whatever tickles your fancy.

The nice thing about this is that it allows you tailor your beverage to your tastes at the moment you want a drink. Not sweet enough? Just add more of your flavoring.

The Committed Version

If you have a flavor you know you want, there is another option. And if you have 5 gallon kegs rather than 2.5s, there is a simple option just a few clicks away. You just re-run the dilution calculation above so you have a target volume of 19 liters (5 gallons).

This gives you a needed volume of 1.58 liters of spirits at 60% ABV, combined with 17.42 liters of water to produce 19 liters of beverage.

The link above takes you to list of fruit wine base concentrates. They come in 1 gallon jugs and are intended to be diluted to make 5 gallons of wine. One gallon equals 3.79 liters, so you could make 5 gallons of the flavor you desire by combining:

1.58 liters of spirits at 60%
3.79 liters (1 gallon) fruit wine base
13.63 liters of water

And you’re off to seltzer town! This ratio would produce a fairly sweet sweet seltzer, with a similar flavor profile to fruit juice. You may need to play around to find the right combination of what you enjoy.

#BrewUpAnAdventure

The Magic of Community

Waaaay back in 2015, I was asked to present at the inaugural Midwest Craft Brewers’ Conference at UW Stout. At the time, I was president of the local homebrew club in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Since I didn’t have commercial brewing experience, I chose to talk about Clarke’s law, which states:

‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ – Arthur C. Clarke

Brewing was Magic

When brewing was developed, the process wasn’t fully understood. Early humans knew that under certain circumstances, grain that was soaked in water produced bubbles and eventually that liquid made them feel nice.

There are some historians who argue that this discovery is what actually encouraged our hunter-gatherer ancestors to settle down and develop agriculture. This theory is met with some skepticism, but as a beer lover, I enjoy the thought that beer was important enough it changed the course of history.

But Magic is Unreliable

Magic, by its nature, is poorly understood at best. There are mysteries, and doing similar things can produce wildly different results. Even wizards in stories, who were the most familiar with the practice of magic always had a degree of uncertainty with the outcome of their magic use.

The people who changed the course of history couldn’t have been happy with inconsistent, unpredictable results.

The Opposite of Magic

I think that technology is the opposite of magic. It can be incredibly complex, and not fully understood by the average person. But to people who use the technology, it is reliable and functions within a certain set of rules.

So I think our early ancestors who became brewers worked to take brewing out of the realm of magic and turn it into technology. Farmers developed better types of grains and better practices for growing them.

Maltsters started to understand how to take those better grains and better prepare them for use in making this magical liquid.

And the brewers started to understand how to take those properly-prepared malts and produce better and more delicious beverages.

Communities: the Best Magic

Over time, these groups of people harnessed a variety of magical concepts to improve the process of making beer and getting it to those who enjoyed it.

In my opinion, the most important magics are friendship and collaboration, where we get to gather together as brewers and talk about ideas for making better beer and better worlds. And as a community of brewing friends, we get to harness the magic of experimentation to learn from each other and bring people together.

Breweries and homebrew clubs have the opportunity to work together to expand everyone’s knowledge of brewing, and of beer. We can work together to make better beer and help others enjoy it.

Homebrewing Economics

I’ve been involved in many discussions about how to economically justify homebrewing. I don’t agree with the need for this; I consider homebrewing to be a hobby, thus something people do for the enjoyment of the process and end result. However, I think those who try to justify the economics of it are using the wrong argument.

Homebrewing is a hobby, and I don’t think the point of it should be to save money.

My Assumptions

For the purpose of this article, I’m going to assume we’re talking about making a 5 gallon batch of beer, which will produce 2 cases of 12 ounce bottles. I know that is not the “exactly correct” number, but I’ve never gotten the exact same number of bottles out of every batch. So, 2 cases seems like a good goal.

Also, I’m not going to break down full recipes, I’m just looking at total costs. I will post both the extract and all-grain numbers.

These prices are based on prices at online homebrew shops as of December 2020, and the commercial comparisons are based on prices I was able to find locally or talking to friends who live where the commercial example is more readily available. These are not aftermarket prices, but the actual retail price available to friends or I, without worrying about sale pricing.

Also, I am not going to get into the cost of equipment. I am only focusing on ingredient cost, since we’re just talking about going to the store to get beer versus making the beer ourselves. Startup costs for homebrewing vary and are limited only by your imagination and budget.

I will only include the cost for what is used, even though some of the ingredients must be purchased so you will have extra for a later batch. Your order price may be higher than the total amount for a batch.

The Common Argument

When I’ve been involved in these discussions, usually people talk about the making the cheapest possible batch of beer. For this example, I used the Munich Helles recipe from Brewing Classic Styles (affiliate link) and am comparing it to Pabst Blue Ribbon. This seemed like a decent comparison, since I know there are less expensive commercial beers out there, and we can brew a lower-alcohol, less expensive batch of homebrew. But I want a beer I actually want to drink.

PBR is 4.7% ABV, while the Helles recipe produces a beer about 5% ABV. Again, looking at the bigger picture.

The Price of PBR

At my local store, Pabst Blue Ribbon is available for $18.49 per 30-pack. If you buy 2 so you have approximately 5 gallons, PBR will set you back $36.98.

Price per 12 ounces: $0.62

The Road to Helles

Extract Version

7.6 pounds of Pilsner liquid malt extract – sold in 3.3 pound containers for $11.99 ($3.63 per pound) Affiliate Link to Briess Pilsen Light LME
1. Cost of Pilsen light LME used in this recipe: $27.58
0.5 pounds Munich liquid malt extract – sold in 3.3 pound containers for $11.99 ($3.63 per pound) (Affiliate link to Briess Munich LME)
1. Cost of Munich LME for this recipe: $1.82
0.25 pounds Melanoidin Malt (Affiliate Link) $1.86 per pound
1. Cost of melanoidin malt for this recipe: $0.47
1.1 ounce Hallertau hops – $2.19 per ounce
1. Cost of hops for this recipe: $2.41
Saflager S-23 (affiliate link) – $5.49

Total Cost: $37.77

Price per 12 ounce: $0.79

All-Grain Helles version

10 pounds Czech Pilsen Malt (affiliate link) $1.75 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $17.50
0.75 pounds Munich malt (affiliate link) $2.19 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.64
0.25 pounds Melanoidin Malt (Affiliate Link) $1.86 per poundCost of melanoidin malt for this recipe: $0.47
1.1 ounce Hallertau hops – $2.19 per ounce
1. Cost of hops for this recipe: $2.41
Saflager S-23 (affiliate link) – $5.49

Total Cost: $27.51

Price per 12 ounces: $0.57

Settling the Common Argument

Looking at the numbers, where the commercial beer costs $0.62 per 12 ounces, it’s not worth the extra cost of making the extract beer, but you can save a nickel per 12 ounces by brewing an all-grain batch. If you look at 48 cans of PBR rather than a 60-pack, you save $2.25 per 5 gallons.

The Better Argument

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (recipe link at Brew Your Own Magazine) is pretty much the gold standard of craft beer. It’s now commonly available nationwide and was one of the first beers in the modern craft beer movement.

This beer is a crazy one for me. When I started homebrewing, I thought it was too bitter for my taste, but now I just really enjoy it. Our tastes do change over time.

The Price of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

Locally, I can get a 12-pack of SN Pale Ale for $19.49 in either cans or bottles, both 12 ounces. This means for 48 cans, the total price is $77.96.

Price per 12 ounces: $1.62

SN Pale Ale Extract Version

6.6 pounds light liquid malt extract (affiliate link) – $11.99 per 3.3 pounds
1. Cost for this recipe: $23.98
0.25 pounds light dry malt extract (affiliate link) – $5.49 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.37
1 pound crystal 60 malt (affiliate link) – $2.41 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $2.41
0.5 ounce Magnum hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.21
0.5 ounce Perle hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.21
4 ounces Cascade hops (affiliate link) – $9.22 per 4 ounces / $2.31 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $9.22
US-05 Dry Yeast (affiliate link) – $3.99

Total Cost for 5 gallons: $43.39

Price per 12 ounces: $0.90

SN Pale Ale All-Grain Version

10.25 pounds 2-row pale malt (affiliate link) – $2.30 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $23.58
1 pound crystal 60 malt (affiliate link) – $2.41 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $2.41
0.5 ounce Magnum hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.21
0.5 ounce Perle hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.21
4 ounces Cascade hops (affiliate link) – $9.22 per 4 ounces / $2.31 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $9.22
US-05 Dry Yeast (affiliate link) – $3.99

Total cost for 5 gallons: $41.61

Price per 12 ounces: $0.87

Winning the Better Argument

When we compare the cost for 5 gallons of SN Pale Ale ($77.96) vs Extract ($43.39) vs All-Grain ($41.61), we see this is a pretty good argument for the economics of homebrewing. By homebrewing, we can cut the cost of obtaining a delicious beer nearly in half.

The Best Argument

If you can find Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA (link to recipe on American Hombrewers’ Association site), it is undoubtedly a delicious beer that changed what people thought was possible for beer.

It’s good we established early in this article that we are only looking at the cost of ingredients. Because while this example is a great financial argument, it’s going to require some extra work and time to make it happen. This beer is a month-long commitment to dry-hopping and feeding extra fermentables to your batch.

The Price of Dogfish Head 120-Minute IPA

This beer is one many beer nerds still consider to be a white whale, in that it isn’t commonly available nationwide. It also is not produced constantly, which increases its rarity and desirability. I got to try it on draft a couple years ago, but haven’t seen the bottles for longer than that.

A friend who sees it where he lives said it was $40.00 for a 4-pack of twelve ounce bottles. If you have the wherewithal to pull it off, 2 cases worth of Dogfish 120 will devour $480.00.

Price per 12 ounces: $10.00

DFH 120-Minute Extract Version

11.5 pounds light Pilsen LME (affiliate link) – $11.99 per 3.3 pounds / $3.63 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $41.75
0.5 pound English amber malt (affiliate link) – $2.20 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.10
11 pounds Dextrose (affiliate link) – $17.99 for 12 pounds / $1.50 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $16.50
2.4 ounces Amarillo hops (affiliate link) – $4.39 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $10.54
2.4 ounces Simcoe hops (affiliate link) – $3.29 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $7.90
2.4 ounces Warrior hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $5.78
White Labs WLP001 (affiliate link) – $7.99 per PurePitch packet
1. Cost for this recipe: $7.99
White Labs Super High Gravity Yeast (affiliate link) – $7.99 per PurePitch packet
1. Cost for this recipe: $7.99

Total Cost for 5 gallons: $99.55

Price per 12 ounces: $2.07

DFH-120 Minute IPA All-Grain Version

16 pounds Czech Pilsner Malt (affiliate link) – $1.75 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $28.00
0.5 pound English amber malt (affiliate link) – $2.20 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $1.10
11 pounds Dextrose (affiliate link) – $17.99 for 12 pounds / $1.50 per pound
1. Cost for this recipe: $16.50
2.4 ounces Amarillo hops (affiliate link) – $4.39 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $10.54
2.4 ounces Simcoe hops (affiliate link) – $3.29 per ounce
1. 7.9+Cost for this recipe: $7.90
2.4 ounces Warrior hops (affiliate link) – $2.41 per ounce
1. Cost for this recipe: $5.78
White Labs WLP001 (affiliate link) – $7.99 per PurePitch packet
1. Cost for this recipe: $7.99
White Labs Super High Gravity Yeast (affiliate link) – $7.99 per PurePitch packet
1. Cost for this recipe: $7.99

Total cost for 5 gallons: $85.80

Price per 12 ounces: $1.79

Dominating the Best Argument

When you look at the cost of 5 gallons of DFH120 ($480.00) vs Extract ($99.55) vs All-Grain ($85.80), you can start making strong arguments about saving money by homebrewing. DFH 120 is an extreme example of the possibilities, which seems fitting given it was the founder of the “extreme beer” movement.

Even by brewing brewing the extract version of DFH 120, you save 79%, which is a strong argument for how you could save money by homebrewing. But investing $100.00 in a batch of beer is still pretty intimidating.

What Can We Learn?

I will go back to what I said at the beginning of this article: “Homebrewing is a hobby, and I don’t think the point of it should be to save money.”

As a homebrewer, I make a weird combination of beers similar to beers priced near SN Pale Ale to bigger or stranger beers that are more expensive. For me, the joy and challenge of homebrewing is the process and exploring flavors.

The biggest point, though, is that I can produce beers similar to hard-to-get offerings that may not be available in my area or aren’t made anymore. But mostly, I make the beers I like or allow me to explore flavors that intrigue me.

#BrewUpAnAdventure