A Tale of Two Seltzers
[article originally appeared in North Penn Now]
Two sets of men found themselves on the same quest. The first set consisting of two brothers who wanted to depart their corporate jobs in search of meaningful entrepreneurial ventures. In doing so, they attempted to reshape the newly minted hard seltzer marketplace by crafting a non-cloying, non-back-sweetened crisp and rewarding seltzer line. The other two men driven by new health issues found a path to develop a solution for their woes. Inspired by the first set, these men began to build a hard seltzer brand up from the bottom.
Vivek and Vikram Nayar didn’t particularly dream of owning a hard seltzer shop. However, in their quest to identify a better tasting, low calorie alternative to the alcoholic options on the market, they rolled the dice on an industry they believed had significant upside. Working the forums of Pro Brewer, they connected with folks around the industry to assist in the formulation of a tasty, non-cloying alternative beverage.
Before too long, the idea of Two Robbers as a Hard Seltzer brand went from being a dining room project to an executable business. When the brothers shopped around, looking for a brewery to contract with, they were turned down due to confusion and misunderstanding of a legal regulation only permitting breweries to brew products derived from malted barley. Unbeknown to many in the industry, this quietly changed, allowing breweries from all ends to enter into the game. They subsequently determined that their company would be called “Two Robbers” after their Center City apartment was robbed twice.
The innovative labeling of Two Robbers Hard Seltzer was exactly what enticed Scott Rudich, founder of Round Guys Brewing Company, to try some cans. Rudich, recently confronted with his own health issues surrounding glucose, and Ken Orner, Round Guys Brewing Company brewer at the time, began weighing choices associated with a life diagnosed with Celiac Disease. The two focused their attention on making a product line that they both would find acceptable and eagerly look forward to drinking.
Rudich intuitively began to fuse both the beer and seltzer worlds by making batches of dry hopped seltzers. Using hops such as galaxy, Columbus, and more. This infusion created a surprisingly fruity and funk character in the seltzer, making it an instant go-to at the Round Guys Brewing Company pub in Lansdale.
This new seltzer, named Gimme Seltzer, derived from the diligent efforts of Rudich and Orner to test the formulas over and over again until developing a crisp, delicately flavored hard seltzer line. Being that seltzers hide no flavors, brewing the perfect batch wasn’t trivial. Gimme Seltzer couldn’t impart any noticeable flaws or alcohol heat.
Hear the full episode of the Round Guys Radio Network’s Inside the Brewery: a Tale of Two Seltzers by subscribing wherever you find your podcasts (Apple, Google Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc). Or swing over to GimmeSeltzer.com and also sign up for a one-use discount on your first four pack of Gimme Seltzer.