Hard Seltzer Fail

[Davida]

My first attempt at brewing a hard seltzer and I have issues.
After two weeks of primary fermenting the SG appears stable but very weak. OG was 1.035. SG is stable at 1.014 and the batch smells very yeasty. Also appears cloudy so I think there is still yeast in suspension.
Any suggestions on how to save the batch?

 

[Vlad_Drunkula]

Can you roughly explain your recipe and did you use nutrients?

 

[Davida]

Kit came from NB. 4 Lbs of corn sugar. Lavlin EC-1118 Dry Yeast. Added yeast nutrient supplied with the kit in three batches @ 24, 48 & 72 hrs. Fermentation was noticeable after 48 hrs but not very vigorous.

 

[Vlad_Drunkula]

Ok, recipe seems fine. But 20 points in two weeks is nothing..... Especially the EC-1118 is a beast. Did you monitor the temperatures at pitching and fermentation?

If it tastes good, apart from the sweet taste, I would add another packet of yeast and a few nutrients.

 

[Davida]

Thanks Vlad.
Yes. Temp at pitching was ~75 and it stayed in that range the entire time.
I have some Safale S-05 on hand. Can I use that or should I get more EC-1118?

 

[bc-roush]

I’d pitch the us-05 on it. It’s seltzer not beer so shouldn’t be a huge problem. Ideally you’d use the same stain but that’s up to your pocket. 05! Ferments clean. With that said I haven’t used that yeast for a seltzer. However I’ve done a three batches now two with omega’s nutrient and dry lutra and one with mangrove jacks seltzer yeast/nutrient combo. First off just skip the mangrove Jack’s. It never finished. I did a repitch with no success. I think their nutrient isn’t up to par possibly. The omega on the other hand gets it done in about 7-10 days depending on temp. Even quicker if you hold it above 90. The mangroves had a of smell from the start and omega didn’t. The omega is a huge hit with the wife and everyone who’s tried it. We brew it for sitting out by the lake so we hit at 5-5.5% with it

 

[cubalz]

I made hard seltzer once using EC-1118 and it gave less than stellar results. Try using Kveik yeast with Propper Seltzer starter and wrap the fermenter with a Ferm Wrap set at 80-85f. Done in less than a week to a gravity of around 1.000. Also use Super Kleer after terminal gravity is reached and it is crystal clear and delicious. My wife and I actually drink it plain on hot days

 

[Davida]

Thanks for the input folks. I did find some EC-1118 so I am going to re-pitch with nutrients and see where it leads. Next time I'll try the Kveik and Propper.

 

[Davida]

Update. After re-pitching the EC-1118 with nutrients the fermentation took off again and after 5 days the SG was down around 1.000. I then pitched in some Super Kleer. Still a bit yeasty smelling but tastes pretty clean. Going to force carbonate it tonight. For beer, I usually set the regulator to 2A and shake the keg for 15 minutes to get the CO2 into suspension. I let it sit at 2A for 12 hrs then purge and reduce the pressure to 10-12 PSI for serving.

Can I follow the same process for the seltzer?

 

[day_trippr]

2A = 30 psi which I believe is appropriate for seltzers, but you need to maintain that pressure through the life of the keg. If you were to dispense at 10-12 psi the seltzer will constantly outgas CO2 until it reaches equilibrium at that much lower pressure, hence losing half the carbonation or more over time, and wreaking havoc at the faucet.

So, plan on dispensing at 30 psi, make sure your lines are up to that pressure: if you were dispensing beer or something else through the lines at 10-12 psi they will be far too short to keep the seltzer at 30 psi in the glass...

Cheers!