So, for better or for worse, there are no artificial flavors. They are flavored with 100 percent natural lemon and lime juice, not from a bottle or dropper. It was challenging, but they have some opacity to them, some haze. The seltzers, on the other hand, needed a very different approach. With a tropical fruit-forward cider, we believe it complements the beer well and dovetails nicely into our portfolio. Q: How will you bring the spirit of Craft Beer’s ingenuity and experimentation into your new product and how does the new product align or deviate from your craft beer model?Ī: We have a traditional straight apple cider, as well as a tropical cider that we took a cue from a tropical beer we did last year. We just installed a 70 bbl, five vessel brewhouse last year, and now it’s time to get the cellar caught up to what the brewhouse can produce. We have a dedicated space for the outdoor cellar, and now it’s just time to pull the trigger. We are out in the country, so we have a lot of space, so growing doesn’t present the same challenge for us that some might have in a dedicated warehouse space in the middle of the city. We need de-aerated water capability, blending capability, as well as more fermentation space. Q: Did you need to increase the capacity to take on the new product and could you utilize existing equipment?Ī: We are maxed out with inside capacity and are now looking outside, we have (2) 300 bbl outdoor fermenters on the way that we will need this summer. I have a degree in brewing and winemaking cider isn’t that different from making wine, so brewing cider wasn’t a big leap either. Our customers wanted it, so we went for it. We drank a lot of them before we started making them, we thought we could do it differently in a way that we could be proud of. A lot of our competitors struggled with “should we make a seltzer, are we still craft brewers?” I don’t care about any of that. Q: With continued growth and success, what prompted the discussion about adding/diversifying product in your lineup?Ī: Our core mission is being consumer-focused. Q&A with Burt Boyce About Brewing Cider & Hard Seltzer The brewhouse is still at capacity, and their package sales have covered the gap from on-premise sales.īruce Boyce, the brewmaster at Santa Fe Brewing Co., talks with MARKS about their decision in diversifying into brewing cider and hard seltzer Doing a double-digit growth in this climate is impressive. This year, they are on track to make 37,000 bbls of beer. Even with the COVID-19 crisis, their 12 pack sales have gone through the roof. They are not beer snobs and are always looking for the next opportunity to position themselves to be the “every person’s beer.” SFBC takes a market-focused approach to brand development, product release, and portfolio management, which has helped their company over the years to continue to grow. Santa Fe Brewing Company was established in 1988, making it the oldest and largest brewery in the state of New Mexico. Learn why they decided to diversify and started brewing cider and hard seltzer to add to their beer catalog. Is it possible for an established brewery to successfully introduce cider and hard seltzer to their portfolio and follow the market trends? Definitely! At Santa Fe Brewing Co., they did just that. Consumers today are looking for gluten-free alternatives to beers but still want something that tastes amazing. Started Brewing Cider & Hard SeltzerĬider and hard seltzer drinks are projected to continue growing in the market as popularity for these types of drinks build. Below you can find some extra information about this recipe.Case Study: How Santa Fe Brewing Co. Our favorite flavors were cherry & banana. This ratio will vary by flavor as some are stronger than others. 5ml - 1ml of flavoring to 100ml of seltzer, so the seltzer to flavoring ratio is about 200:1. We tried the following flavor extracts from Olive Nation. Our seltzer turned out extremely clear and flavorless, exactly how we wanted it.
Add 3 grams of Calcium Chloride and 3 grams of Gypsum.Add 5 gallons of RO or distilled water to your kettle.1 pack of Lutra Kveik Yeast from Omega (OYL-071).1 pack of Propper Seltzer yeast nutrient.5 gallons of reverse osmosis or distilled water.
Watch us use it in the full recipe video below. This recipe is tailored for our 10 gallon 120 volt brewing system.