Hard Seltzer

When done thoughtfully, fruited sours, spiked sodas, and even hard seltzers can address many of the same drinker demands as RTD cocktails.

The fusion of hard seltzer and hop water is happening—and in a niche of the booming “fourth category,” there may be a thirst for it.

In hard seltzers and other FMBs, sulfur as an off-flavor can be an even smellier obstacle than it is in beer. Here’s how to avoid it.

Two Roads cofounder and brewmaster Phil Markowski has embraced hard seltzer as a beverage that has its time and place. Here, he discusses the development of their groundbreaking H2Roads hard seltzer.

The rising interest in hard seltzer and other not-so-beery beverages—including kombucha, wine, coffee, and more—has led to new looks at existing gear in the brewhouse—as well as investments in equipment or partnerships that could have wider benefits.

For Ninkasi Brewing in Eugene, Oregon, the benefits of developing hard seltzer expertise and its Pacific Sparkling brand far outweighed the product’s perceived lack of romance.

After initially underestimating the challenge of brewing hard seltzer as well as its sales potential, Evan Price and his team at Green Cheek are taking the Le Squawk brand in new and more flavorful directions.

Our latest in a series on small breweries going beyond beer: From a young brewery built to anticipate the latest trends, the Lulz brand of seltzers finds success by embracing big flavor while shedding all beery pretensions.

In Durango, Colorado, Ska Brewing’s path to hard seltzer and CBD-infused soda began by making flavored water for the team and giving it away to patrons. Scaling up to alcoholic seltzer worth drinking, however, proved to be a bigger challenge than expected.

A small Michigan brewpub created a monster with its increasingly popular smoothie seltzer, expanding its footprint and inspiring imitators.

Many German breweries produce more than beer, and Urban Chestnut’s Florian Kuplent got his start at just such a brewery. Here he explains a pragmatic approach to broadening a brewing business, walking us drink-by-drink through their beverage program.

Four highly respected breweries that have launched hard seltzers—DC Brau, Fonta Flora, SweetWater, and Oskar Blues—candidly discuss why they did it, what they learned along the way, and what advice they have for other breweries bound to enter the fray.

To brew a quality product and set it apart in an increasingly crowded market, there is a lot more to know than how to ferment sugary water. Here, we lay out some specific technical considerations for brewing better hard seltzer, properly and safely.

The programmer’s approach—test out a new thing, see if it works, then fine-tune and launch the update—has led Boston-area brewery Night Shift into a diverse portfolio of beverages and a flourishing distribution business.

In this excerpt from our Case Study on Night Shift Brewing—from our freshly published Brewing Industry Guide Winter issue—the Boston brewery’s cofounders explain the process behind their successful Hoot hard seltzer.

The Belgian brewmaster of the Midwestern craft pioneer discusses the new growth in core brands, the challenge of balancing the COVID-era desire for efficient purchases with the yen to explore, and the dramatic acceleration of hard seltzer.

Chris Colby's book digs into the methods, processes, and recipes that commercial brewers are using to grab a slice of the fastest-growing chunk of the drinks market.

New book on making hard seltzer is aimed at professional brewers as well as enthusiasts.

The sales numbers don’t lie: Many drinkers are looking for what they see as healthier ways to imbibe. To meet that demand, do you need new equipment? Can you use what you already have? Here are some specific techniques (and gear) to consider.

This inline system is designed to make hard seltzer out of the beer that brewers are already producing. As a bonus, it can facilitate low- or non-alcoholic beer without loss of taste or quality.