Written by Chris Bernardo
Aug 5, 2022
When I was first brought onto this job, I fully intended to put out nice sessionable beers meant to refresh our staff during the hot summer months. I told myself I’d be reasonable and thoughtful with my creations. But then I saw on our experimental brew list the fated words, “Pastry Seltzer.” As any rational person would do, I sat down, researched how to brew a seltzer, did some rigorous note taking, and treated myself to a good night’s rest. The following morning, I threw out my notes and put together a recipe with double everything: double the dextrose, double Propper Seltzer Nutrient, and effectively doubled the calories.
Thai Iced Tea Seltzer
Vital Statistics
- Batch size 5 gallons
- Boil time 15 minutes
- IBUs 0
- SRM 15
- OG 18.2°P (1.082)
- FG 3.8°P (1.015)
- ABV 7.8%
Raw Materials
- Dextrose
7lb - Lactose
1lb - Propper Seltzer Nutrient
2 packs (1oz/28g each) - Thai tea
1lb - Yeast
Lutra Kveik (OYL-071)
Process
- Bring water to a boil.
- Add dextrose, lactose, and Propper Seltzer Nutrient and boil for 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, steep Thai tea for 5 minutes in boil kettle.
- Knockout quickly and pitch yeast as directed.
Hard seltzers were intended to be tasty, low-calorie, moderately alcoholic beverages. This is not that. If you’re looking for a low calorie beverage, look somewhere else. This finished at 7.8% ABV and is loaded with lactose for some extra sweetness. At the heart and soul of this pastry seltzer is Thai Tea. The result turned out to be a bright orange beverage that I felt was still missing something to truly make it social media worthy… and what is Thai iced tea without boba?
I was truly surprised at how well this recipe worked out. The combination of lactose and Thai tea was reminiscent of the Thai tea you’d get at a restaurant. The sweetness was intense, but the tannic astringency of the tea helped balance that out. Admittedly it was a bit too sweet for me, but the experiment was “Pastry Seltzer” and that’s exactly what this is. To help curb the sweetness in the future, I would consider reducing the lactose by half.