Hard seltzer, adult seltzer, mature seltzer, spiked seltzer and hard sparkling alcohol water is a type of highball drink containing seltzer (carbonated water), alcohol, and often fruit flavorings. [1] In the US the alcohol is usually made by fermenting cane sugar or malted barley. [1] Hard seltzer products outside of the US have been found to use either neutral spirit, [2] or fermentation of fruit. [3] The alcohol by volume is around 5% [4] and the calorie-content is relatively low. [5] [6]
The concept of flavored malt beverages has been popular since the 1990s. [7] The first widely available commercial example of the style was Two Dogs, which was brewed in Australia in 1993 and was claimed to be the "world’s first brewed alcoholic lemonade" (falsely, because of the pre-existence of traditional drinks like sima, a fermented Finnish drink). Two Dogs paved the way for similar commercial products such as Hooper's Hooch and Mike's Hard Lemonade. These alcoholic alternatives were commonly known as alcopops in the United Kingdom and malternatives in America. The more modern renditions of hard seltzers started with Nick Shields developing the 'Spiked Seltzer' branding style, in Westport, Connecticut, brewing the first commercial batches in November 2013. [8] The hard seltzers that we are familiar with now did not rise to popularity until almost 3 decades later in 2018. [9] Sales of the most popular hard seltzer brand, White Claw, grew 85% in just one year, making over $4 billion in 2020 alone. [10] Analysts attribute the success of White Claw and the appeal of hard seltzer in general to increased demand from health-conscious consumers. [11]
Across all hard seltzer brands, there is a median of 100 calories, 2g of carbs, 0-2g of sugar while still maintaining 5% alcohol. Additionally, most hard seltzers are gluten free. Seltzer marketing has claimed that these beverages offer a healthier alternative to drinking more calorically heavy alcoholic beverages. [12] Companies use these facts to their advantage, often stating the nutrition facts in easy-to-read and obvious places. The social media presence of hard seltzer companies is massive and often depict healthy people drinking and having fun, further perpetuating the notion that hard seltzers are a healthy alcoholic alternative. [13] However, although it may be ‘healthier’ in many ways, nutritionists have warned that this is not a healthy beverage. Many hard seltzers have added flavoring and are mixed with sugary soda waters to add sweetness. [14]
In addition to advertising hard seltzers as the 'healthy alternative', the marketing of hard seltzers has often relied on their trendiness. In 2019, YouTuber Trevor Wallace posted a video title “Summer of White Claw”. This video went viral and was watched over 6 million times. The aftermath of this video made sales of White Claw (as well as other hard seltzer brands) skyrocket. After this video was released, White Claws were so popular that the surplus of sales led to a shortage within the company. [15]
Many critics have pointed out that alcoholic beverage ads are often targeted to certain genders. For example, many beer companies advertise their drinks as being ‘manly’. However, seltzer companies have made a point to have gender-neutral advertising in order to reach the most people possible. This genderless way of advertising is also accountable for the drink's surge in popularity. [16] The demographics of hard seltzer drinkers are Caucasians who are 21 to 44 years of age. [15]
The rise of hard seltzers in the beer category may also be seen as a reflection of the broader surge in popularity of non-alcoholic flavored seltzers evidenced by the sudden and massive popularity of brands like LaCroix and Spindrift. [17] On the back of this popularity, hard seltzer brands have launched in numerous countries outside of the U.S., including in Canada, [18] Australia, [19] Finland [20] and the UK. [21] In February 2020, White Claw launched in Canada [22] and subsequently Australia and the UK. [23]
Similarly to beer, fermentation is needed to make these drinks alcoholic. However, instead of yeast converting to glucose, [24] the fermentation process of Hard Seltzers consists of directly fermenting a sugar base. This fermentation process yields a discoloration in the product so effective filtration practices of these colors and odors is necessary. A common filtration process consists of a carbon treatment which uses CARBOFIL RW, RHC or CA filter sheets. [25] This creates a plain alcohol base where flavor can be added afterwards.
| Brand | Percentage of Market Share |
|---|---|
| White Claw | 50% |
| Truly | 24.9% |
| High Noon Spirits | 10.4% |
| Bud Light Seltzer | 10% |
| Bon & Viv | 1.28 % |
| Other Brands | 15.92% |
An alcopop is any of certain mixed alcoholic beverages with relatively low alcohol content, including:
Kvass is a fermented cereal-based low-alcohol beverage with a slightly cloudy appearance, light-brown colour, and sweet-sour taste.
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Malt liquor is a type of mass market beer with high alcohol content, most closely associated with North America. Legally, it often includes any alcoholic beverage with 5% or more alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common usage, it refers to beers containing a high alcohol content, generally above 6%, which are made with ingredients and processes resembling those for American-style lagers.
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Kilju is the Finnish word for home made alcoholic beverage typically made of sugar, yeast, and water.
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Bionade [ˌbi.(j)oˈnaːdə] is a German range of non-alcoholic, organic fermented and carbonated beverages. It is manufactured in the Bavarian town of Ostheim vor der Rhön by the Peter beer brewery. Sales started in 1995 and Bionade is now available in most European countries. Until 2018 Bionade GmbH was a subsidiary of Radeberger, a group of breweries which is a division of Dr. Oetker. Now Bionade is part of the Hassia Group.
Hooper's Hooch is an alcopop that was most popular during the mid-1990s. The name Hoopers refers to William Hooper, inventor of the hot water bottle and manufacturer of lemonade in the 1840s whose trademark was owned by Burton-on-Trent-based brewer Bass. Launched in Britain in 1995 by Bass as an alcoholic lemonade, it attained immediate popularity, leading to the development of orange- and blackcurrant-flavoured versions.
An alcoholic beverage is a drink that contains ethanol, a type of alcohol that acts as a drug and is produced by fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. The consumption of alcoholic drinks, often referred to as "drinking", plays an important social role in many cultures. Most countries have laws regulating the production, sale, and consumption of alcoholic beverages, and the temperance movement advocates against the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Regulations may require the labeling of the percentage alcohol content and the use of a warning label. Some countries ban such activities entirely, but alcoholic drinks are legal in most parts of the world. The global alcoholic drink industry exceeded $1.5 trillion in 2017.
Cider is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermented juice of apples. Cider is widely available in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. The UK has the world's highest per capita consumption, as well as the largest cider-producing companies. Ciders from the South West of England are generally higher in alcoholic content. Cider is also popular in many Commonwealth countries, such as India, South Africa, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As well as the UK and its former colonies, cider is popular in Portugal, France, Friuli, and northern Spain. Germany also has its own types of cider with Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse producing a particularly tart version known as Apfelwein. In the U.S. and Canada, varieties of alcoholic cider are often called hard cider to distinguish it from non-alcoholic apple cider or "sweet cider", also made from apples. In Canada, cider cannot contain less than 2.5% or over 13% absolute alcohol by volume.
Fentimans is a botanical brewery based in Hexham, Northumberland, England.
Anheuser-Busch, a wholly owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, is the largest brewing company in the United States, with a market share of 45 percent in 2016.
Hard soda, also referred to as flavored beer, adult soda, fermented soda, mature soda and alcohol soda, is a type of alcoholic beverage and craft beer that is manufactured in the style of a soft drink. It has gained recent prominence in the United States after the success of the Not Your Father's Root Beer brand manufactured by Small Town Brewery. As of late May 2016, at least 39 hard soda brands exist in the United States.
A malt drink is a fermented drink in which the primary ingredient is the grain, or seed, of the barley plant, which has been allowed to sprout slightly in a traditional way called "malting" before it is processed.
White Claw Hard Seltzer is an alcoholic seltzer water beverage manufactured by Mark Anthony Group. The beverage was introduced in 2016 and is sold in 12 various flavors.
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