Seltzers - Here to Last, Or Just the Next 20-Year Repeating “Fruity-Flavored-Cyclic” Fad? and Will (Craft) Brewers Learn a Lesson from Them This Time Around?
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Seltzers - Here to last, or just the next 20-year repeating “fruity-flavored-cyclic” fad? And will (craft) brewers learn a lesson from them this time around? Gary Spedding - for BDAS, LLC Are beer styles taking second place for pure sugar consumption rather than grain brewers these days, or are seltzers just that causes the pain and bloating typically another fad? Several marketing magazine- associated with wheat and grain (gluten articles and on-line beverage dialogue diets) needs to be better understood. Those sites have covered the topic and this very moving to seltzers thinking they are safe from question within the last year or so (see indigestion concerns compared to drinking references). I also know our lab has been beer may need to think again. So, then we inundated with product examples lately, move to the impact of new flavors or the lack either those already on the market or headed of beer flavor profiles as to a reason for the that way following final testing and label growing choice of the young consumer of approval. They are certainly keeping us busy these new refreshing carbonated beverages during this otherwise quiet time for alcohol - another repeating generational trend as we beverage testing laboratories. We have, will see. in fact, researched and implemented the best methods to derive the nutritional data One also wonders if the almighty oppressive now being requested of all current seltzer regime of “it’s gotta be an even more hoppy producers. IPA or the highway” destroyed beer for the millennial consumer appetite. For a The seltzer movement seems to have started while most brewers made the hoppiest its main phase to launch and acceptance in beers that they could, while pushing the 2019. Text-wise we look to the Oct-Nov 2019 limits on international bitterness units. issue of BEVERAGE MASTER and to an article Only seasoned drinkers would enjoy the entitled “Hard Seltzer Making a BIG Splash”. hoppiest/bitter, and quite heavily alcohol- Hard seltzers are ready-to-drink (RTD) laden/high caloric IPA brews. Likely it was cocktails made quite simply with carbonated not for those consumers approaching craft water, fermented malt or sugar bases (for beers for the first time. Much to the delight the alcohol), and fruit or fruit flavorings. of the majors playing with relatively bland The BEVERAGE MASTER article illustrated tasting lagers. Then came a species of IPA the growing popularity of seltzers during that was cloudy/hazy and that had more the period of June, July, and August of 2019 fruitiness associated with them. Though still via their quote “it was the summer of hard an acquired taste. Interestingly, maybe also seltzers.” a clue missed earlier on by craft brewers as to heading to the production of something Furthermore, that issue of the BEVERAGE fruity and refreshing rather than satiating. MASTER goes more into the history of spiked, Only a handful of more than 100 recognized or hard seltzers and describes the factors beer styles - with a reasonably decent- behind the definite formula for their success. sized audience for them, would likely sit Unlike beer, most of the sugar used in seltzer alongside the IPAs and double IPAs in most formulas is converted to neutral alcohol (no craft establishments. Until recently little was congeners) and therefore also contribute available on the lighter (flavor-wise) styles less calories than similar alcohol-content to introduce the new “craft beer” drinker beer. They are also naturally gluten-free. to. Lighter, though tasty styles appreciated Though recently the issue as to whether it is by the Mexican drinker being a recent 1 exception to the plethora of IPA’s on the regards to the introduction of low-alcohol market and maybe a few fruit flavored beers. alternative-to-beer products. In fact, every This is not to mention that very few craft generation seems to have had its alternative brewers could in fact produce a flavorful, yet beverage introduction for young entry- faultless lighter-style beer. One whose faults level drinkers not yet accustomed to the could not be masked by overly-aggressive taste of beer, wine, or spirits. Pre-1990 it hopping for example! was wine coolers. In the early 1990s and the early 2000s we saw the introduction of So, on to seltzers and a growing spectrum novel coolers and malternative beverages. of fruity flavored products. Whiteclaw is the However, following a short burst of high brand that led the way, then the Boston Beer consumer interest and appeal many largely Company got in on the act, and now as of disappeared or are now only produced December 2019/Early 2020 all the major in smaller quantities and languish on the brewing companies, and also many craft store shelves amid 100’s of other beverage brewers are also producing seltzers. Again, choices. First to hit the shelves, in 1993, was unlike for beer, a blank base of carbonated Zima Clearmalt - a clear, lightly carbonated water allows for much experimentation with alcoholic beverage made via the filtering of fruits, extracts, and other flavorings for these a light lager through charcoal which stripped potentially refreshing beverages. Market away color and taste, with the brewer then research has shown that the consumer adding citrusy flavorings for taste and wants more fruit flavor to show through in palatability. It was marketed as an alternative such products. While I hope we don’t lose to beer and an example of what we now many of our breweries after this current refer to as a (non-wine) cooler (4.7–5.4% virus pandemic, it may in fact be quite an ABV) by the Coors Brewing Company. Zima easy entry back into the market for more debuted in the midst of a “clear craze” of brewers to produce seltzers and then the early 1990s, when products ranging broaden the styles of beer offered going from soft drinks (Crystal Pepsi) to clean forward. At least a tactic that the big players deodorants (Crystal Clean) and other like Anheuser Busch, Miller and Coors etc., cleaning agents, dish-washing liquids etc., are always tackling – more so than ever as sought to take advantage of a vogue for quite they have been losing a little ground to the literal transparency or purity and “natural craft, locavore movement. We might also wholesomeness”. Zima was flavored with see a return to reason and getting away citrus-notes, but it had the sensory impact or from higher than 6-8+% ABV beers. Session impression to many imbibers of a strange drinks need to be less alcohol heavy. Health almost plastic-medicinal twang to it which, consciousness and lower calorie products following an initial tasting experience, led leading the way with the younger crowd – the to its rapid decline in consumer acceptance. next generation consumer for all brewers That and its lack of appeal to the beer and alcohol beverage makers! drinking male. Fun to try but not to buy (again) for many. Now it is of interest to note that there appears to be a 20-25-year cycle at play here with Miller Brewing Company then mastered the 2 technique of creating a clear beer which flavorings and brand logos for the new also failed miserably. The clear brews may product. Despite my beliefs and the comment have been beer-based but they lacked any that AB tried to keep themselves and others hop qualities, disappointing to many true out of messing about with this beverage beer aficionados, there was no foamy head, category, we see their need to draw in new and the taste was soda-like rather than alcohol beverage consumers to keep them malty. However, a side note – the Miller team in the fold of loyal AB drinkers. “The beauty state that they learned an awful lot about of a product like Bacardi Silver,” according to making traditional beer via their clear beer the new products leader then at AB, was “that experiments. Also, as an aside the wine it brings in new drinkers, people who really industry also played with producing clear don’t like the taste of beer.” Finally, for now, I wine at one point. note the appearance of Bacardi Breezer also called a ‘refresher’ on the label - a tropical Smirnoff Ice, self-marketed as “everyone’s lime blend with a bitter lemon drink color favorite malt liquor soda” was created in and taste – again with the citrusy flavors – not 1999. It is a blend of Smirnoff Red vodka much variety in these clearer malt or alcohol with the “classic taste of lemon” and was “fortified” beverages back in those days! likely the basic start to what became known as “malternative” beverages rather than Interesting then that seltzers are similar in coolers. Smirnoff ice was designed to have overall formulation to previous alternative a sweetish yet crisp and citrusy fruity taste beverage styles be it coolers, malternatives to it. Unlike the artificial citrus zing of Zima, and spritzers etc. Though less sugar and a the citrus note in Smirnoff Ice was a little greater variety of fruit flavors is seen today more natural in taste and flavor, but was, including seemingly evermore popular even though loaded with sugar, reminiscent berry flavors. Considered a little healthier of a soft drink known as Bitter Lemon in with lower or no sugar, low caloric content the UK. As for most examples of this style (less than 90-100 Calories/12 fl. oz. serving) of beverage the alcohol was deceptively and 4.5-5.0% ABV. BEVERAGE MASTER masked. Other examples of clear malt concluded their article that there was only beverages include Bacardi Silver (5% ABV) one way for seltzers to go – upwards.