The Summer of Seltzers

Last summer, hard seltzers surged in popularity throughout the nation. It was nearly impossible to get on social media, walk down a grocery aisle, or enter a bar without seeing the black and white waves of the White Claw logo. The segment became so popular that its sales are standing tall against craft beer’s number one style: IPA. Sales for off-premise IPAs in 2019 hit $1.5 billion, while hard seltzer off-premise sales hit $1.3 billion.

The appeal of hard seltzers isn’t surprising; they are refreshing, light, and new compared to the centuries old techniques of fermenting beer and wine. However, the primary reason this category has sparked consumers’ interests is that hard seltzers are considerably healthier than other alcoholic beverages on the market. They contain fewer calories, sugars, and carbs than most beer, which appeals to the health-conscious consumer. Not to mention, the lighter sugar content helps prevent those pesky hangovers the next morning.

As of December, White Claw and Truly dominated the hard seltzer category, making up 85% of the sales. This year, however, more brands are coming up with their own hard seltzer variations, and we are excited to be carrying some of these new creations. Below are the brands that are being added to our portfolio for the new season.

The time-honored classic Corona has come out with Corona Hard Seltzer Spiked Sparkling Water, which comes in four flavors: Blackberry Lime, Cherry, Tropical Lime, and Mango. With the refreshing splash of crisp fruit flavors and a taste of blue skies in every can, it’s another way to find your beach. Each 12 OZ can has 90 calories, 0g sugar, 0g carb, just 90 calories, is 4.5% ABV, and gluten-free.

Molson Coors has a large investment in its new Vizzy Hard Seltzer brand. Vizzy is the only hard seltzer made with antioxidant Vitamin C from superfruit, acerola cherry. Known for its antioxidant levels, acerola cherry is a superfruit with 30x more Vitamin C per cup than an orange. The four natural flavors are Pineapple Mango, Black Cherry Lime, Blueberry Pomegranate, and Strawberry Kiwi. Each 12 OZ can has 100 calories, 1g sugar, 2g carbs, is 5% ABV, and gluten-free.

These tropical fruit flavors will whisk you off to your own private paradise. Where the ocean is turquoise and the sunset is a Caribbean dream. Every delicious sip comes with the sound of crashing waves and the melody of steel drums that’ll make your tastebuds dance. The variety pack offers Coconut Pineapple, Coconut Raspberry, Coconut Mango, and Coconut Lime. Each 11.5 OZ can contains 80 calories, 0g sugar, 0g carbs, is 4% ABV, and gluten-free.

Squeezed to please. Each flavor is made with real lemon juice, fresh fruit flavors, and a splash of sunshine, making them perfectly tart, tangy, and tasty. The variety pack comes in Classic Lemonade, Raspberry Lemonade, Blueberry Lemonade, and Watermelon Lemonade. Each 11.5 OZ can contains 80 calories, 0g sugar, 0g carbs, is 4% ABV, and gluten-free.

Crook & Marker is bringing you spiked tea sweeter than a southern grandma’s recipe but without the sugar. This variety pack comes in Lemon Tea, Peach Tea, Sweet Tea, and Raspberry tea, each crafted with real brewed tea for that home-feel flavor. Each 11.5 OZ can contains 80 calories, 0g sugar, 0g carbs, is 4% ABV, and gluten-free.

An elixir of pure Oregon water, natural flavors, and about 20 million bubbles. Pacific Sparkling Fizzy variety pack is made by hand, not by machine. It’s brewed in small batches from scratch, a slow process but worth it for the end result. The fizzy pack comes in four unique flavors: Tangy Key Lime, Marionberry Lemon Twist, Sun-Kissed Grapefruit, and Crisp Cucumber Mint. Every 12 OZ can contains 100 calories, 1.27g sugar, 1.27g carbs, and is 5% ABV.

Wine lovers, this one’s for you! Barefoot Wine has come out with the first-ever nationally distributed hard seltzer made with real wine. This variety pack comes in four flavors: Cherry, Peach, Pineapple, and Strawberry. Each 250 ML can has 70 calories, 2g sugar, is 4% ABV, and is gluten-free.

The new Basic Hard Seltzer by Phusion Projects, who product Four Loko, is all about keeping it simple and getting back to the basics. Their variety pack comes in four flavors: Pamplemousse, Cranberry, Lemon, and Cucumber. Each 12 OZ can has 90 calories, 0g sugar, 1g carbs, 4.5% ABV, and is gluten-free.