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We don’t think so, but the truth is it’s complicated.
In spite of how different they taste, from overall mouthfeel to the profound difference in their many colors, if you look at how they’re both made, one can argue that hard seltzer is a beer of some kind, if only definitionally.
Founders Brewing, who are renowned for their beers but also make hard seltzers, explained their differences and similarities aptly in Beer Versus Seltzer: The Process…
Both beer and seltzer use a distinct type of sugar that, when combined with yeast, turns to alcohol. The true difference between the two beverages comes down to what is being fermented.
With beer, malted grains are mashed in to make wort (pulling out sugars in the process). The wort is boiled then cooled (hops are also traditionally added during the boil) and yeast is added and the entire mix turns into the tasty beer you know and love.
As far as hard seltzer is concerned, sugar is fermented in water (with Founders Más Agave Premium Hard Seltzer, the alcohol comes from fermented cane sugar and agave). The result? Clear alcohol that’s carbonated post-fermentation (this is the point where real fruit juice is added, giving Más Agave Premium Hard Seltzer its distinct color).
With beer and hard seltzer, yeast chomps up a form of sugar to create alcohol. Hard seltzer starts out clear, using nothing but sugar and water gives us carte blanche to add whatever fruit juice and flavors we want! It also allows us to control carbs and maintain a lower calorie count.
Beer receives its color from the grains, notably absent from the hard seltzer process. Both liquids are treated to the same high-quality brewing process you’d expect from our brewery. So there you have it!
(Courtesy Corona)
Bottom line: beer and hard seltzer a processed the same way, it’s more about how it is fermented.
As Adam Teeter at VinePair explains…
“Both are brewed and fermented, using a sugar source to create a sweet liquid that, with yeast, will turn into alcohol.
“The key difference is what is fermented.”
“In beer’s case, malted grains are mashed in hot water in order to extract the sugars from the grains to make a wort. The wort is then boiled and cooled — hops are also added in these stages — and when the wort is cooled and yeast is added, it turns the sugary mixture into alcohol.”
And while grains can be used to make hard seltzer, brewers usually go straight to fermenting straight-up sugar or cane sugar in water resulting in a clear liquid that delicately melds with fruit juices and couldn’t be less beer-like as far we’re concerned.
But then we’re not brewers…
