With its limitless array of flavors, hard seltzer has become a force in the market and a go-to drink for calorie-counting drinkers, celiacs, and those who simply enjoy its light, refreshing palate. It’s also become a regular plaything for brewers who embrace the technical challenge of making that clean, sparkling base—and who view that clean base as a launching pad for all sorts of creative twists.

Hard seltzer is easy enough to brew—it’s fermented sugar-water, right?—but brewing a great one worth drinking is a special challenge. In this 37-minute video course, Chris Colby breaks down the vocabulary, the science, and the tricks of brewing a spotless hard seltzer base at home—including refining, clarifying, and flavoring. 

Colby wrote the book on hard seltzer—literally. After authoring Methods of Modern Homebrewing and The Homebrew Recipe Bible, Colby turned his attention to How to Make Hard Seltzer for Brewers Publications, published last year. In this video, he shares much of what he learned in researching that book, explaining it in a way that will appeal to the novice brewer as well as the more experienced ones ready for a new technical challenge.