Hard seltzers bubble up as next big thing
If there’s a drink that exists, someone will make it boozy. Consider it a given in the beverage industry. Boozy root beer. Boozy Capri Sun. Boozy kombucha.
So, given the recent mega-popularity of seltzer, a boozy version of the pleasantly neutral drink was hot on its heels. And now with spring approaching, it’s poised to become even bigger, as more companies introduce new brands and flavors of the fizzy malted drink. In 2018, alcohol-infused seltzer sales grew about 169 percent, to nearly $487.8 million, while volumes increased 181 percent, according to a January Nielsen report.
Many major beer brands already have a hard seltzer: MillerCoors has Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water; Boston Beer Co., of Sam Adams fame, shares a parent company with Truly; Mark Anthony Co., the parent company behind the Mike’s Hard brand, has White Claw; and Anheuser-Busch has the brand formerly known as SpikedSeltzer, which recently rebranded as Bon & Viv, with a splashy Super Bowl commercial.
Now more brands are getting in the game: Corona announced this week that its Refresca brand of spiked seltzers would hit stores in May. The sparkling water brand Polar is teaming up with Harpoon Brewery to launch a hard seltzer line called Arctic Summer, debuting at the end of April. And smaller craft breweries such as Kentucky’s Braxton Brewing Co. and Colorado’s Oskar Blues are jumping on the trend too.
We tried four of the most popular brands of spiked seltzer — one of the mixerworthy citrus flavors for each, to make them easier to compare. Here’s how they stack up:
BON & VIV
Flavors: Clementine hibiscus, grapefruit, cranberry, pear elderflower, black cherry rosemary, lemon lime, prickly pear Calories: 90
ABV: 4.5 percent Clementine hibiscus has a sort of all-purpose cleaning solution smell, but you can definitely taste the hibiscus. Despite its lower alcohol content, the alcohol flavor is more pronounced in this one, sort of like a Smirnoff Ice.
HENRY’S
Flavors: Passion fruit, lemon lime, strawberry kiwi, blueberry lemon, pineapple, peach mango Calories: 88
ABV: 4.2 percent The lightest in calories and in ABV, but, like Bon & Viv, has a slightly stronger alcohol flavor.
WHITE CLAW
Flavors: Raspberry, lime, grapefruit, black cherry, mango
Calories: 100
ABV: 5 percent White Claw is lighter in fragrance but stronger in flavor, and it doesn’t taste very boozy. Basically, it’s La Croix that gets you drunk.
TRULY
Flavors: Colima lime, lemon and yuzu, grapefruit and pomelo, black cherry, blueberry and acai, passion fruit, pineapple, pomegranate, mango, wild berry, raspberry, orange, rosé Calories: 100
ABV: 5 percent Despite having the most flavors, and a strong scent, Truly is less flavorful than the other seltzers, and this is a good thing! Too much flavor and you might as well be drinking a soda. It’s as though an orange gave some seltzer water a fleeting but meaningful glance.