From Beer to Hard Seltzer: A Cultural Pivot Finds a New Market

Ha, nah, not this weekend.

Unless you start swerving and go over the line. Then they make figure that’s not coffee in your mug.

 

I'm sure they're fine. I'm also noticing even more shelf space that was for craft beer disappearing since they showed up. So, between seltzers and the fact that it seems like at least half of the beers on shelves are IPAs/PAs, my options at grocery stores are dwindling fast. As mentioned above, that's the thing that sucks for craft drinkers.

 

Alternative hypothesis: The majority of consumers in the past and present [and foreseeable future] generally prefer mildly flavored beverages, which is reflected in overall beer trends and purchases.


Never forget that craft beer drinkers are still a minority of the overall beer market, and those enthusiastic enough about craft beer to talk about it in an online forum are a niche within that minority. What we talk about and think here typically has little to do with the larger beer or alcoholic beverage markets in general.

 

I actually like hard seltzer. I've bought White Claw quite a few times and have tried some other brands. However, I don't buy them very often for the same reason I don't buy cider very often--nine times out of ten, when I want a drink, I want beer.
However, I do think they have staying power. They're fizzy and fruity but lo-cal. They're probably going to last a longer than Zima because they're far more fleshed out as a concept, mass marketed, with a wide range of appeal.

 

Sorry, I’ve been drinking beer so long that I’m not interested in alternatives. However, I’m old, so there’s that. To each his/her own, I suppose. Beer will probably outlast civilization.

 

The seltzers are just chemicals in a can. Yes, there are beers like that too, but at least I can find myself an all natural craft brew that tastes delicious and wasn't forged in a laboratory.

 

Ummm... people still buy bottled water. That's only ONE ingredient!

 

I'm not even gonna lie I drink mostly bottled water. My pipes are like 60 years old I don't trust them all that much as far as cleanliness goes.When I was a kid I used to drink out of the hose all the time.


Palate fatigue!?!?!

Seriously though I go through a lot of bottled water.

 

Just a heads up, the vast majority of bottled water is just regional municipal water. You're way better off paying for a filter since the bottled water that is actually something other than your tap water being sold to you at a mark up is spendy (and even the high dollar water is often nothing special!).

 

Seltzer, vodka, fruit, three ingredients.

 

I was talking about water in response to your comment "Are people just too lazy to mix two or three ingredients?"

 

There’s still sugar in hard seltzers. It’s a far cry from lacroix.

 

My wife drinks Truly hard seltzer. There's only one gram of added sugar. I was surprised at how little sweetness there was. I wouldn't call that a far cry from LaCroix at all. Do other hard seltzers have more sugar in them?

 

According to their web site, most varieties of White Claw have 2 to 3 g of sugar, depending on the can size.

 

Most I’ve seen is 4-5g of sugar. Press and Mighty Swell are on the higher end of sugar content. As I haven’t really had a soda/pop since I was probably like 12, I guess I prefer the dryer stuff. And I love lacroix, but the sugar is what makes the world of difference IMO, even if it is only 1-5g. I also think most sparkling water producers use different methods of extracting the oils from fruit than most of these seltzers.

 

A typical packet of sugar contains 2 - 4 grams of sugar.

Ever add a packet or two of sugar to your coffee to make it sweeter?

1-5 grams in a seltzer can make a huge difference.

 

We choose to drink in this decade and have seltzer, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.

 

Fixed that for you.

 

A couple breweries in South FL have their own seltzers now, MIA Beer Co has been doing it for awhile, Funky Buddha I believe just started doing it. Never tried. Only have had a couple White Claw flavors and thought they were awful.

 

Okay, I'm a Boomer, but that's the most level-headed assessment of the new seltzers that I've read yet. The interesting thing to me is how brands will shake out over time. There's lots of money in this market. We shall see.