{"id":108465,"date":"2020-02-25T05:44:46","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T12:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/?p=108465"},"modified":"2020-03-06T07:05:53","modified_gmt":"2020-03-06T14:05:53","slug":"craft-brewers-explore-philosophical-debate-around-hard-seltzers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.craftbeer.com\/craft-beer-muses\/craft-brewers-explore-philosophical-debate-around-hard-seltzers","title":{"rendered":"Craft Brewers Explore Philosophical Debate Around Hard Seltzers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today\u2019s veteran brewers are used to seeing style trends come and go. In the past decade, everything from fruited sours to pastry stouts to IPA substyles have risen to the forefront, then waned.<\/p>\n

But something about the hard seltzer trend seems different, perhaps even risky to ignore. This is a whole new animal, a marked departure from what brewers are accustomed to. Faced with a tsunami of growing demand<\/a> and more competition than ever before<\/a>, many craft brewers are forced to operate outside their comfort zone–to adapt and evolve to meet the rising tide of requests for this bubbly, flavor-kissed craze.<\/p>\n

Of course, with any new trend, there are naysayers, those who scoff at the notion of hard seltzer. After all, it contains no grain or (in most cases) hops\u2013though brewing methods can vary, essentially the process involves dissolving sugar into boiling water, fermenting the sugar into alcohol, and infusing flavoring and carbonation after the fact. Seltzers are also gluten-free and relatively low in calories\u2013two factors driving beer lovers\u2019 changing tastes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Big Divergence<\/h2>\n

For most hard seltzer doubters in the industry, the qualms are philosophical.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeltzer just feels like a big divergence from some of the principles that made craft beer special in the first place,\u201d says Chris Winn, co-owner and \u201cchief high five officer\u201d at Tradesman Brewing in Charleston, South Carolina. \u201cIt\u2019s almost like we\u2019re forgetting some of the lessons we had to learn 30 years ago, about pivoting and doing something different and unique instead of chasing trends. Craft as an industry did not get to where we are by copying the big brewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Winn suggests brewers may be better off to \u201cfocus on the things you do really well and make you stand out.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Bill Eye, co-founder and brewer at Bierstadt Lagerhaus in Denver, that means only crafting and serving Old World-style lager, styles that take a significant amount of time and attention to detail.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople coming to Bierstadt, they know we believe in a very traditional approach: lager, in a beautiful glass, made by people who have tried to bring the German beer experience to the U.S.,\u201d Eye says. \u201cWe were flabbergasted by the amount of care and respect beer gets over there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever it is you put your name on, that has to do with what you as a person or company believe in. And I don\u2019t believe in taking sugar and dissolving it in water and calling it brewing. I don\u2019t believe in handing something like that to a customer with the same enthusiasm as a well-crafted helles.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Early Hard Seltzer Adopters<\/h2>\n

\"spiked<\/a>
Upslope Brewing introduced its Spiked Snowmelt lineup of hard seltzers in May 2019. (Upslope Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

But for some small and independent craft brewers embracing the hard seltzer trend, the transition was much more natural.<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in 2008, we started making nonalcoholic sparkling water just for ourselves \u2013 we called it \u2018skaqua,\u2019\u201d says Dave Thibodeau, president and co-founder of Ska Brewing in Durango, Colorado. \u201cAfter 12 years, we just love having something with bubbles in our hand most of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late last year, Ska took this a step further, introducing canned hard seltzers in a mixed 12-pack throughout their distribution network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As a self-proclaimed \u201cbeer guy first,\u201d Thibodeau admits he had \u201csome trepidation\u201d venturing into hard seltzers, but realized he had to \u201clook outside my own selfish interests, and not just be a purist and brew only what I want but what our customers were asking and looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

“These are customers we might not otherwise have, and now they\u2019re sharing the experience of our taproom and our community.” – Dave Thibodeau<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And for Thibodeau, seltzer is no further removed from beer than other recent trends.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen some brewers are going to Walmart and filling their cart with Fruity Pebbles for their next IPA, I don\u2019t see how you can dis on seltzer,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Tackling controversial styles is nothing new for Upslope Brewing Company, based in Boulder, Colorado. When the brewery debuted its flagship Craft Lager in 2011, few in craft beer were focusing on anything like that\u2013yet. Then in May 2019, Upslope introduced its Spiked Snowmelt lineup of hard seltzers. The two brands are now the craft brewery\u2019s top products, with each commanding relatively equal production volume.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a way worse response when we put out Craft Lager than when we did seltzer,\u201d says Henry Wood, the brewery\u2019s vice president of sales and marketing. \u201cWe heard, \u2018Congrats, you made Budweiser,\u2019 as if there was this disappointment we made a lager.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut thank goodness we did, because that was one of the last unexplored spaces for craft beer when ABV was growing and IBU was going through the roof,\u201d Wood says, referring to the past trend of ever-stronger IPAs. \u201cWe said, \u2018What happens if we go another way?\u2019, and everyone in this company has benefitted from that.\u201d<\/p>\n

(MORE: Is 2020 the Year of the Low-Cal IPA?<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brewing Hard Seltzers: Simple Ingredients, Hard Process<\/h2>\n

\"Diebolt<\/a>
Jack Diebolt at Diebolt Brewing Co. calls his first attempt at brewing hard seltzer \u201cuncharted territory.” (Diebolt Brewing)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

While the ingredient list for hard seltzers may be straightforward, some brewers have found making one still presents significant challenges. A thin window for fermentation and a relative lack of flavors to mask flaws behind translates to many a test batch going down the drain.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was easily the hardest fermentation process since our first original beer batches,\u201d says Jack Diebolt, co-founder and head brewer at Diebolt Brewing Company in Denver. His first attempt at brewing hard seltzer \u201cwas uncharted territory, and it simply wasn\u2019t fermenting out. We couldn\u2019t tie up a tank with something that wasn\u2019t fermenting, so we had to dump it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cManaging fermentation and yeast health is one of the greatest challenges with beer, and seltzer\u2019s ingredients don\u2019t provide any nutrients for yeast,\u201d says Mitch Steele, brewmaster and chief operating officer at New Realm Brewing in Atlanta, which he co-founded in 2017 after nearly 30 years in the industry.<\/p>\n

(More: Craft Brewery\u2019s Fight Against Human Trafficking Gets Boost from Delta Air Lines<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

New Realm offers draft variations on its house-made hard seltzer in its two restaurants–the second location is in Virginia Beach, Virginia.<\/p>\n

\u201cFinding the fermentation protocol that works so your yeast stays healthy and gives you the results you want is a challenge,\u201d Steele said.<\/p>\n

Widening the Aperture<\/h2>\n

While many craft brewers making hard seltzer acknowledge it may not be their own first choice of beverage, they see the need to cater to its growing demographic, both from a business and community perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about widening the aperture of your customer,\u201d Wood says. \u201cNow people can come into the Upslope taproom who are gluten-free or don\u2019t drink beer, when they used to go to a bar or restaurant for their office happy hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Steele admits that offering a seltzer remains \u201ca very philosophical debate\u201d for his team, he still acknowledges its necessity.<\/p>\n

\"brewer<\/a>
Mitch Steele acknowledges offering a hard seltzer is still \u201ca very philosophical debate\u201d for his team at New Realm Brewing in Atlanta. (New Realm)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

\u201cI know a lot of brewers have flat out said they won\u2019t make a seltzer, and good for them\u2013I respect that,\u201d he says. \u201cBut from the point of view of our restaurants, we have customers who want a drink that\u2019s not beer, and Georgia state law does not allow us to offer outside products.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for Diebolt, it\u2019s simply a matter of ensuring that alternative is a product of your own making.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the first time in our brewery\u2019s history that we\u2019ve been able to offer anything dramatically different from beer that we make in house,\u201d Diebolt says. \u201cPeople come here to taste our creativity, so I\u2019d prefer to offer them something we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ska\u2019s Thibodeau has seen firsthand the draw of seltzer for new customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the tasting room [the other] night, about three-quarters of the people drinking seltzer I didn\u2019t recognize \u2013 and I know our regulars,\u201d he says. \u201cThese are customers we might not otherwise have, and now they\u2019re sharing the experience of our taproom and our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

(More: Don\u2019t Drink Another Beer Before Reading This<\/a>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whether they choose to make a hard seltzer or not, most craft brewers concede that each brewery must decide for themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cAre people freaking out when you go to bar and one person gets wine, one gets beer and another a vodka soda?\u201d Thibodeau asks. \u201cThere\u2019s not much difference, as long as they\u2019re all sitting at a table having a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even Eye agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not here to tell people not to drink or make seltzer,\u201d he says. \u201cDrink what you like, it\u2019s not a moral judgement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best expression of what we do is people drinking our beer without having to think about what went into it. At the end of the day, the most important question the customer should have to face is, \u2018Do you want another?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With no indication the popularity of hard seltzers will fizzle soon, craft brewers are left to decide if they\u2019ll brew a hard seltzer. The decision isn\u2019t always easy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7183,"featured_media":108747,"sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sticky_collection":"","_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4296],"class_list":["post-108465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-craft-beer-muses","tag-breweries"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCraft Brewers Explore Philosophical Debate Around Hard Seltzers<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With no indication the popularity of hard seltzers will fizzle soon, craft brewers are left to decide if they\u2019ll brew a hard seltzer. 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