Summer Seltzers
Contributing Writer
We are in the midst of a pretty hot summer overall and activities of all sorts probably require you to replenish your fluids. Warmer temps and bigs beers may lead to lethargic conditions. No one wants to waste valuable summer playtime hours on trying to keep a clearer head without being too full of carbs and calories. Well, there are refreshing thirst quenchers aplenty waiting for you to enjoy in the name of sparkling seltzers.
The seltzer craze is in full swing and since writing my first article last summer on seltzers, more offerings have hit the shelves. A variety of flavors, intensities and discovering the most important angle of the craze; low sugar, low carbs. If a provider can deliver bigger taste with low sugar/carb numbers, they will be very successful. Many of these producers of hard seltzer arrive at their numbers by using natural stevia leaf sweetener instead of cane sugar. This idea seems to be the leading cause of their popularity with diet-conscience imbibers.
One of the hottest contenders for sales is from the well-know Corona brand, making a zero carbs, zero sugar and only 90 calorie spiked seltzer water. Flavors included in the variety 12 pack are Tropical Lime, Mango, Cherry and Blackberry Lime. As with any of these seltzers, they are crystal clear and fizzy. Being gluten-free and 4.5% ABV makes them a big contender in the spiked seltzer marketplace.
Our next participant in the seltzer wars has a different twist in that it uses real vodka along with real juices to capture fans. High Noon Sun Sips offer Watermelon, Black Cherry, Grapefruit and Pineapple flavors with only 100 calories and no added sugars. Gluten free like many of these seltzers, High Noon is terrifically popular and the 4.5% ABV fits in with summer activities.
Vizzy Hard Seltzer takes a slightly different advertising method. The words ‘Antioxidant’ and ‘Vitamin C’ are catch words to get the buyer’s attention. Flavors of Black Cherry Lime, Pineapple Mango, Blueberry Pomegranate and Strawberry Kiwi come from Acerola Superfruit and are 100 calories per can at 5% ABV. These seltzers are naturally delicious, light and great for between activities this summer.
One of my favorites out of this group examined today is from Truly Hard Seltzers. They combine lemonade and seltzer with full delicious flavors of Black Cherry, Mango, Strawberry and Original Lemonade producing only 100 calories at 5% ABV and 1 gram of sugar. My personal favorite was the Mango since it was the most rich and flavorful. Truly does make lighter flavor regular seltzers but I love the lemonade aspect.
There are many other makers of hard seltzers, soda waters, etc. The many diverse varieties is wide and deep. Go and search for yourself but know that the ones selected here for this week are among the best.
You can find all of these products and so much more at Case-n-Keg in Meredith as well as other fine providers. You might be surprised at how good they taste without the calories and carbs to bog you down!