White claw.. Is it really that good or marketing hype?

[SanPancho]

We sell a metric ****-ton of this stuff every month. Millennial hipster craze. Very strange.

Dunno about any shortage. Our orders always get filled.

 

[505-Brewer]

White Claw outsold every other brand of “beer” over 4th of July weekend. That speaks volumes.

Its mainly considerably lower carb and slightly lower calories than “beer”. Some of the light beers are very close in values so one could always have those instead. Of course those aint tooty fruity enough for some of you fellers.

Personally Id rather drink less high quality beer than more hard seltzer.

 

[Nate R]

White Claw outsold every other brand of “beer” over 4th of July weekend. That speaks volumes.

Its mainly considerably lower carb and slightly lower calories than “beer”. Some of the light beers are very close in values so one could always have those instead. Of course those aint tooty fruity enough for some of you fellers.

Personally I rather drink less high quality beer than more hard seltzer.

I'd rather just go sober than a fruity seltzer. I like to drink but not that much. I'll drive that night so the rest can party.
Next time we go to a brewerie/pub and you can drive!

 

[S-Met]

I'd rather drink a half-decent hard seltzer than a pisswater bmc. Though I'd probably be as satisfied if I were having a soft seltzer or water. At this point in life, I am not drinking to get drunk, I drink for the taste.

 

[505-Brewer]

I dont drink the stuff. I’ll have a few NA seltzers now and then but I’ll skip on the **** Juice thank you very much.

 

[matridium]

I was in the package store last night asked the clerk and he said we have tons of it and never had a problem getting it.

 

[verboten]

I prefer the pamplemousse, but my Mango seltzer, and to a slightly lesser extent the peach, have not lasted very long at the house. The neighbors drink it, the girls drink it. I drink it.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I drink a crapton of normal seltzer water (I *very* rarely drink soda). If I wanted to, add a shot of vodka to regular seltzer. Same damned thing, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

I'll keep my beer, thanks.

 

[S-Met]

I drink a crapton of normal seltzer water (I *very* rarely drink soda). If I wanted to, add a shot of vodka to regular seltzer. Same damned thing, and a hell of a lot cheaper.

I'll keep my beer, thanks.

Granted all bars are different and this is just one example:
Local pub: pint =6.00
Bottle/can domestic/hard seltzer =4.00
Mixed well drink including vodka seltzer =7.50

Also thinking about backyard bbq/camping/boating ice chest full of cans or a bottle of booze, bottles of mixers, cups and something sorta resembling responsible drinking... can of hard seltzer is much more convenient. And I don't need to worry about sloppy drunks making 3x-5x super cocktails because they can't taste the alcohol.

 

[Robert65]

I recall something I saw long ago that's relevant. It was one of the early post-WW2 Budweiser ads, and probably the earliest beer ad featuring an image of young people in bathing suits on the beach with a cooler. The text explicitly pointed out that taking cans (relatively new packaging) of Bud, which only needed to be opened with a churchkey, to the beach, was more practical than taking bottles of booze, glasses, mixers.... This has obviously always been a good marketing angle. Now you don't have to have a beer instead of a cocktail, you can have a cocktail with the convenience of a beer, and that ad suggests that several generations ago many people would have taken that option if offered.

 

[S-Met]

I recall something I saw long ago that's relevant. It was one of the early post-WW2 Budweiser ads, and probably the earliest beer ad featuring an image of young people in bathing suits on the beach with a cooler. The text explicitly pointed out that taking cans (relatively new packaging) of Bud, which only needed to be opened with a churchkey, to the beach, was more practical than taking bottles of booze, glasses, mixers.... This has obviously always been a good marketing angle. Now you don't have to have a beer instead of a cocktail, you can have a cocktail with the convenience of a beer, and that ad suggests that several generations ago many people would have taken that option if offered.

I think what you are saying is along the lines of what I'm saying:
While I don't go out of my way for hard seltzer, it has its place.

And for reasons unknown, I judge it less harshly than drinking BMC-lite, Malt liquor or wine coolers. Or Smirnoff Ice, Jack Daniel's coolers or not your fathers alco-pop or Mikes Hard Lemonade.

And I would rather drink a Truly or WhiteClaw than most of the above listed, though honestly, I'd probably just have water.

 

[applescrap]

I like zima, Mike's, bartles and James etc...never buy them or drink them often, but sure I'll drink one if partying and out. Too bad, doesn't happen that often anymore. Haha or maybe good. Most of my zima memories are of fun and youth, not zima being good.

I get a kick out of the tough guy rhetoric. Normally its true, but I break that mold, and my softball buddies for example exploit that and we all have a good laugh. The one I posted last night, is good, the cranberry too. No it's not a Lawson sos, or juicy bits, but at the pool sure. Sometimes though they just taste like carbonated rubbing alcohol. But at 5 percent they can get the party started right.

 

[BruceH]

I haven’t had one, but it sounds like premixed vodka tonic.

FWIW the hard seltzers are made from malted grain, just like zima, mike's hard, and not your father's. I think it has something to do with lower federal taxes vs a distilled product.

 

[Qhrumphf]

FWIW the hard seltzers are made from malted grain, just like zima, mike's hard, and not your father's. I think it has something to do with lower federal taxes vs a distilled product.

I'm not sure if there *is* a federal classification for these, but I want to say they're likely considered "beer" regardless as far as taxes and regulations are concerned. An acquaintance who brews professionally out in rural VA confirmed with his ABC agent (state enforcement, not federal) that he could make it with essentially sugar water, since the state considered it "beer".

 

[applescrap]

FWIW the hard seltzers are made from malted grain, just like zima, mike's hard, and not your father's. I think it has something to do with lower federal taxes vs a distilled product.

This is from truly s website.

 

[applescrap]

One more data point

 

[Robert65]

I was under the impression that these products were made from grain worts, perhaps made with the help of enzymes and not simply mashing with diastatic malt, which after fermentation is ultra filtered and otherwise processed to remove color and flavor, leaving a beer strength, neutrally flavored base. There is no distillation involved in producing the alcoholic base to be flavored, so a brewers notice is sufficient for their production. There may be regulations prescribing a minimum amount of grain used vs. other sugars, use of hops, etc., if you are licensed as a brewer, but it qualifies as brewing, not distilling.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I was under the impression that these products were made from grain worts, perhaps made with the help of enzymes and not simply mashing with diastatic malt, which after fermentation is ultra filtered and otherwise processed to remove color and flavor, leaving a beer strength, neutrally flavored base. There is no distillation involved in producing the alcoholic base to be flavored, so a brewers notice is sufficient for their production. There may be regulations prescribing a minimum amount of grain used vs. other sugars, use of hops, etc., if you are licensed as a brewer, but it qualifies as brewing, not distilling.

Just looked it up (Code of Federal Regulations). In the US, at federal level, sugar (unspecified) is an acceptable substitute for "malt" (and if it were disputable as to what that means, one would assume the lawyers have fought it out already). Hops are not mentioned (this I knew already). So even without a grain wort, just a sugar wash, they are legally beer, federally.

There are regulations as to how much of the alcohol content can come from other sources (so you couldn't just add spirits). But a sugar fermentation is considered beer.

 

[bob1852]

But a sugar fermentation is considered beer.

Unless the sugar is honey, then it's wine.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Unless the sugar is honey, then it's wine.

Honey and fruit are both specified under additives.

Rememeber, we're dealing with bureaucrats here, not chemists

 

[shoengine]

I wonder why the seltzers have ingredient lists? Beer apparently doesn't require it.

 

[grampamark]

I wonder why the seltzers have ingredient lists? Beer apparently doesn't require it.

It’s basically fermented 7-UP. Maybe the stuff is subject to the same labeling rules as soda.

 

[user 30639]

I actually like the the Claw. I missed the boat on White Claw Summer, but I am totally down with White Claw College Football season. It's refreshing in the hot Texas fall, and you can drink a bunch without feeling horrible the next day. I do wish they had a higher carbonation level though.