These are the days when a brewery has to make more than beer to get by. Or so they tell us. And the latest thing is these hard seltzers. Fortified waters. Or Hard Water Brewed Seltzer, as Fair State calls theirs. Fulton, too, has gotten in the act, and I actually have some of Lift Bridge's.
The only hard seltzer I've had recently was a sample of Smirnoff's pineapple version. It was exactly what I thought it would be. Can't remember if I've ever tried a White Claw. Enough of this blather, let's try them out. They're all 5 % ABV, and 120 calories. 12 ounce cans. And gluten free.We'll start with St. Croix Berries. Naturally flavored. Blackberry, raspberry & strawberry. It's sparkling. Highly carbonated. And the berries are there. Light bodied. It's fruity, then it's water, and it's also booze. Okay, then.
We move on next to Voyageurs Citrus. Refreshing lemon, lime, grapefruit, & orange. Just like a can of Sprite, with a little extra citrus flavor, little more orange, etc.
Thirdly and lastly, Northwoods Juice Box. Crisp cranberry and juicy apple. And it's more apple than cranberry, and not especially juicy. But, the flavor is there, in some supply.
I pondered long and hard and stroked my chin til the whiskers fell out trying to understand this new popular drink trend. See people buying cases of it at the stores. What's the deal? Calorie conscious partiers who'd really like a vodka soda but can't be bothered to get up and fix one. And those people need to have their needs met.
Last night, I ran out of beers in the fridge that I hadn't yet reviewed. But wait: because I tell the beer reps that I'll try anything, I had more hard seltzers awaiting their trial, 2 from Truly and a White Claw Black Cherry. And I drank all three, and they got me drunk without worrying about taste or complexity or nuance, or nothing. And it did the trick.
But, I'll never choose one on purpose.
Unless Fair State or Fulton send me samples. Then, it's time for close examinations again. Close as I can get, anyway.
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