Beer of the Week: Red Velvet Cake Project

From the Beer Writer: Two-and-a-half years into San Diego Beer News’ existence and we find ourselves with a rare first. This is the first week this feature has spotlighted a beverage that is seltzer-related. I say related, because this is not a straight hard seltzer. If it were, we’d have a real problem with that whole Beer of the Week title, after all. What we have here is a beer-seltzer hybrid concocted by the headman at Kearny Mesa’s Quantum Brewing. An experiment wherein yeast produce alcohol by processing glucose along with sugars derived from malt (as is the case in the beer-making process), it’s called the Red Velvet Cake Project, and was originally conceived during the yuletide season to satisfy customers’ sweet tooths. (Sweet teeth? Apologies to the grammar sticklers on that one). It did the trick and has been a hit since transitioning from Quantum’s R&D lab to its taproom, thanks to a defined flavor profile that’s remarkably similar to the dessert being emulated.

From the Brewer: “Our Red Velvet Cake Project was designed to be our seasonal holiday beer. Since our patrons can’t wait for the next holiday season, we are now keeping it on tap on a regular basis. It’s a hybrid seltzer made of malt (beer) and glucose (seltzer), in which we infuse a red velvet cake extract. The rich creamy flavors of red velvet cake are accentuated by the light malt base. It has a stronger ABV (alcohol-by-volume) than a commercial seltzer, yet is lighter in calories compared to average beers.”—Martin Beaulieu, Owner & Brewmaster, Quantum Brewing