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

Discussion in 'Beer News' started by CervezaNY, May 20, 2020.

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  1. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    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.
     
  2. johnnybgood1999

    johnnybgood1999 Initiate (0) Oct 31, 2008 Virginia

    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.
     
  3. Ranbot

    Ranbot Pooh-Bah (2,339) Nov 27, 2006 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    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.
    [​IMG]

    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.
     
    Tripel_Threat, dripa8, bmugan and 9 others like this.
  4. HorseheadsHophead

    HorseheadsHophead Grand Pooh-Bah (3,633) Sep 15, 2014 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah

    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.
     
    ESHBG, AlcahueteJ and ChicagoJ like this.
  5. Dandrewjohn

    Dandrewjohn Zealot (575) Apr 13, 2013 Texas

    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.
     
  6. 1009

    1009 Pundit (918) Jan 20, 2019 Massachusetts
    Trader

    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.
     
    Singlefinpin likes this.
  7. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

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

    traction Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2010 Georgia
    Trader

    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.
     
    HorseheadsHophead likes this.
  9. unlikelyspiderperson

    unlikelyspiderperson Grand Pooh-Bah (3,800) Mar 12, 2013 California
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    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!).
     
  10. Singlefinpin

    Singlefinpin Pooh-Bah (2,350) Jul 17, 2018 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Seltzer, vodka, fruit, three ingredients.
     
  11. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    I was talking about water in response to your comment "Are people just too lazy to mix two or three ingredients?"
     
  12. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

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

    grantcty Pundit (830) Feb 17, 2008 Minnesota
    Trader

    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?
     
  14. MNAle

    MNAle Initiate (0) Sep 6, 2011 Minnesota

    According to their web site, most varieties of White Claw have 2 to 3 g of sugar, depending on the can size.
     
  15. deleted_user_1007501

    deleted_user_1007501 Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2015

    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.
     
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  16. AlcahueteJ

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    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.
     
    deleted_user_1007501 likes this.
  17. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,569) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

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

    AlcahueteJ Grand Pooh-Bah (3,088) Dec 4, 2004 Massachusetts
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Fixed that for you.
     
  19. Jarnet87

    Jarnet87 Initiate (0) Jul 30, 2014 Florida

    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.
     
    HorseheadsHophead likes this.
  20. rgordon

    rgordon Pooh-Bah (2,627) Apr 26, 2012 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah

    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.
     
    HorseheadsHophead likes this.
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