Review: Bud Light Platinum Seltzer
Bud Light Platinum Seltzer is one of four new hard seltzers released this week, just in time for Labor Day. We recently reviewed Coors Seltzer and Bud Light Seltzer Remix. The fourth has not made its way to our local market but we hope to be getting our hands on that one too. Bud Light Platinum Seltzer, like Bud Light Platinum Beer at 6% alcohol, is a higher proof beverage. Most Hard Seltzers weigh in with 4-5% alcohol and 80-110 calories. Bud Light Platinum Seltzer tips the scales at 8% alcohol with 170 calories. It is made with cold fermented cane sugar, natural flavors, agave, and malted rice. It is currently available in three flavors Wild Berry, Citrus, and Blood Orange. Bud Light Platinum Seltzer is sold in 3 flavor 6 can variety packs. Read more 
Review: Bud Light Seltzer Remix Variety Pack
Bud Light Seltzer Remix Variety Pack was just released. This 12 can pack includes three new flavors Pineapple, Cranberry, and Grapefruit. Bud Light Strawberry Seltzer completes the mix. I’m a little curious as to why Bud Light didn’t just come up with a fourth new flavor since Strawberry is already included in Bud Light Seltzer’s original 12 can variety pack. Bud Light is not the first hard seltzer to include the same flavor in two different variety packs, Smirnoff includes Raspberry Rose in both of their 12 can Spiked Sparkling Seltzer variety packs. Bud Light also introduced DJ Khaled as it’s spokesperson for the Remix Variety Pack. Bud Light launched their hard seltzer line January 2020 and they are already the third best selling brand with an estimated 9% market share. Bud Light Seltzers are made from a cane sugar alcohol base with malted rice and natural flavors. Bud Light beer is also made with malted rice. Bud Light Seltzers five-step filtration process ensures a clean finish. Each flavor weighs in with 100 calories, 5% alcohol, and 2 carbs. Read more
Review: Coors Seltzer
Coors Seltzer has been released just in time for the traditional end of summer, Labor Day. With each 12 pack of Coors Seltzer purchased, Molson Coors is committing to restore 500 gallons of clean water to Americas rivers. They are doing this by donating $1 per case to Change the Course and their river initiatives. They project in one year they will restore 1 billion gallons of river water. That is 192 times the size of the Mississippi River. Coors Seltzer is available in a four flavor variety pack including three cans each of Grapefruit, Mango, Lemon Lime, and Black Cherry. I’ll be honest, with most products I hate variety packs. There always seems to be at least one flavor I hate. With Hard Seltzer, count be as a big fan of the variety pack. I wish Bubly and Lacroix would also offer variety packs. Each slim 12 ounce can of Coors Seltzer weighs in with 90 calories, 4.5% alcohol and 2 Carbs. It is made from a traditional cane sugar alcohol base with natural flavors added. Read more
Review: Sparkle Glacier Spiked Hard Seltzer
Sparkle Glacier Spiked Hard Seltzer was released February 2020 by Avery Brewing Company. Avery Brewing Company was founded September 1993 by Adam Avery and his father Larry in Boulder Colorado. Avery is probably best known for their White Rascal Belgian Style White Ale but they have crafted dozens of beers including several IPA’s. Avery is now 70% owned by the Mahou-San Miguel Group. This is the same company that also owns 90% of Founders Brewing Company, another craft brewery out of Grand Rapids Michigan. Sparkle Hard Seltzer is made by fermenting brewing sugar (dextrose) into alcohol. They finish Sparkle as dry as possible so no sugars remain when fermentation is complete. The complete ingredients list on a can of Sparkle Cherry Lime reads Glacier- Spiked Sparkling Water, Dextrose, Morello Cherry and Key Lime. The water is sourced from the Arapaho Glacier. Over one year was spent developing Sparkle and over 60 flavors were created before selecting Cherry Lime, Grapefruit, and CranRaz. Each can weighs in at 100 calories 5% Alcohol and 1.5 Carbs. Read more
Review: Golden Road Fruit Cart Hard Seltzer
Golden Road Fruit Cart Hard Seltzer was launched July 2020. It is brewed with a beer base made with dextrose and 2-row malt, and nugget hops at Golden Road Brewing Company in Los Angeles California. Fruit juice and natural flavors are added. The four flavors currently available include, Mango, Watermelon, Cucumber Lime, and Strawberry Pineapple. This is not Golden Road Brewing Company’s first hard seltzer. They released Maha Organic Hard Seltzer April 2020, and Spiked Agua Fresca the summer of 2019. Golden Road Fruit Cart Hard Seltzer appears to be a re-branding of the Spiked Agua Fresca line as the four flavors are the same and Spiked Agua Fresca is no longer present on the Golden Road website. The recipe in some cases has been tweaked as the calorie and carb. count doesn’t exactly match up. Golden Road Brewing was co-founded in 2011 by Meg Gill and Tony Yanow. They started brewing with a 15 bbl brewhouse in the Atwater Village neighborhood. They grew and expanded quickly before Anheuser Busch acquired Golden Road September 2015. At that time Golden Road Brewing Company was the largest craft brewery in Los Angeles, selling 45,000 barrels that year. Each flavor of Gold Road Fruit Cart Hard Seltzer weighs in at 4% alcohol with a calorie count ranging from 98-113 per 12 ounce serving. Read more
Review: Fulton Hard Seltzer Mixed 12 Pack
Fulton Hard Seltzer is brewed with cane sugar and real fruit. The brand was launched May 2019. The Fulton Hard Seltzer Mixed 12 Pack includes three cans each of Grapefruit, Blood Orange, Berry, and Lemon Lime. They also produce Fulton Hopped, and Fulton Citrus Ginger Hard Seltzer. The Fulton Brewery was founded October 2009 by Peter Grande, Ryan Petz, Brian Hoffman, and Jim Diley. The Fulton name comes from the Fulton Minnesota neighborhood where they brewed 10 gallon batches of beer in Peters 2 car garage for family and friends until they moved the operation to Wisconsin where they contract brewed their beer at Sand Creek Brewery. Two years later they moved the operation back to Minnesota where they opened their own brewery in 2011. Today Fulton is the third largest Twin City brewery behind only Summit and Surly in barrels sold. Each variety of Fulton Hard Seltzer weighs in at 5% alcohol with 1 gram of sugar, and a calorie count between 111-113. Read more
Review: Arctic Chill Hard Seltzer The Weekender Mix
Arctic Summer Hard Seltzer was released April 2019. The name was changed to Arctic Chill August 31, 2020. It is created by Bay Brewing Company and Polar Seltzer. The alcohol base is made from 100% cane sugar at Harpoon Brewery’s facility in Boston and transported to Polar Seltzers facility in Worcester Massachusetts where it is carbonated and flavored with natural fruit flavors and essences. The Weekender mix is a 12 can variety pack with 3 cans each of their first four flavors, Raspberry Lime, Black Cherry, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and Pineapple Pomelo. April 2020 they added 5 new flavors. We hope to review those flavors in the near future. Arctic Chill is not the first collaboration between Harpoon and Polar. They previously got together to brew UFO wheat beer with the essence of Polar Blueberry Lemonade. Each 12 ounce slim can of Arctic Seltzer weighs in with 5% alcohol, 110 calories, 3 carbs and only 1 gram of sugar. Read more
Review: Seek Out Real Hard Seltzer
Seek Out Real Hard Seltzer was launched March 2019 by 2 Towns Ciderhouse . 2 Towns Ciderhouse has founded by Lee Larsen and Aaron Sarnoff-Wood and they have been crafted 2 Towns Hard Cider since 2010. Unlike most hard seltzers that are made from a sugar alcohol, or malt beverage, Seek Out is made from an apple wine base. Today we are reviewing the Seek Out Real Hard Seltzer 12 can variety pack. Currently the 12 pack consists of 3 cans each of Raspberry and Meyer Lemon, Key Lime and Mint, Pineapple and Passion Fruit, and Clementine and Grapefruit. A fifth flavor Cucumber and Juniper was originally part of this 12 can variety pack but it was replaced by their newest flavor Clementine and Grapefruit. Cucumber and Juniper is still available in it’s own individual flavor 6 pack. Each flavor consists of 5 ingredients. Water, apple wine, fruit juice flavors of each fruit ingredient, and fruit extract from one of the fruit flavors. Key Lime Mint has pure mint extract instead of the secondary juice the other hard seltzers have. Each flavor variety weighs in at 5% alcohol, with 100 calories and 2G of sugar from the fruit juice. Read more
Review: Mighty Swell Spiked Spritzer
Mighty Swell Spiked Spritzer is a hard seltzer we reviewed 18 months ago. At that time it was made from an orange wine base. It is now made from a cold-brewed sugar alcohol base. It is sweetened with 11% white grape fruit juice concentrate and natural flavors. Fruit and vegetable juice is added for color. The calorie content has been reduced from 120 to 110. Mighty Swell has also replaced their Mango flavor with Cherry Lime. Mighty Swell was launched May 2016 by Sean Cusack Co-Founder of Waterloo Water, David Barnes Co-Founder of Waterloo Water and Founder of Treaty Oak Distilling Company, and Clayton Christopher Founder of Sweet Leaf Tea and Co-Founder of Deep Eddy Vodka. The current flavor lineup includes Lets Play Peach, Goin For It Grapefruit, Way Chill Cherry Lime, and Head Over Heels Watermelon Mint. Each variety contains 4 grams of sugar and 5% alcohol. Read more
Review: Three Birds Hard Seltzer
Three Birds Hard Seltzer was just released. It is produced by Levecke Corporation in Mira Loma California and is sold exclusively at the over 200 Total Wine and More stores scattered throughout the US. Three Birds is currently available in four flavor varieties including Raspberry, Lime, Mango, and Cucumber. Three cans of each are included in their 12 can variety pack. Priced at $12.99, Three Birds is priced as a value brand. It is unclear if this is an introductory price or a marketing decision. Each flavor variety starts with a wine alcohol base. The wine is removed of all impurities, color, and flavor. Filtered carbonated water, juice concentrate and natural flavors are added. All four flavors weigh in at 110 calories with 2 carbs. While there is no added sugar each can contains 2 sugar grams from the added juice concentrate. Levecke does not detail how much natural juice is added but it does include the type of juice that is added. Mango concentrate in Mango. Apple concentrate in Raspberry. Apple concentrate in Cucumber. Lime concentrate in Lime.
Read more