Hard Seltzer.
A good number of subscribers likely scanned those two words in the subject line or in the header above and raced to delete the perceived blasphemy that had sullied their inbox (on National IPA Day, no less!).
 To those who are still with me, thank you.
I've found hard seltzer in those sleek slender cans to be a polarizing topic among "craft beer people" (online, at least). Perhaps the market leader's seemingly reckless, party-all-the-time, "ain't no laws when you're drinking Claws" reputation has fueled certain opinions.
Whatever your view, it's difficult to ignore the popularity of hard seltzers, the fizzy and slightly fruity alcoholic (and lower-calorie and gluten-free) beverages that seem to be today's summertime staples.
Big Business
In 2019, hard seltzers reached $1.6 billion in sales, according to Nielsen. This year, "the segment continues to grow at triple-digit clips each week," says Justin Kendall, editor of Brewbound, on a recent Brewbound Frontlines episode. "I believe the July 4 holiday was the biggest-ever hard seltzer week at off-premise retailers."
Recently, hard seltzer sales have accounted for more than 10% of beer category dollar sales at off-premise retailers (primarily grocery stores). As we enter the dog days of summer, seltzer sales topped $100 million for the 10th straight week.
In four weeks spanning June and July, "seltzer had higher dollar sales than Coors Light and Miller Lite COMBINED," tweeted Bart Watson, chief economist at the Brewers Association.
Year-to-date—seven months in and in the midst of a pandemic—hard seltzers have topped $2 billion in off-premise sales, according to Danelle Kosmal, the vice president of beverage alcohol practice at Nielsen, who tracks and analyzes alcohol trends.
While two major players—White Claw (owned by Mark Anthony Brands, the maker of Mike's Hard Lemonade) and Truly (owned by Boston Beer Co., the maker of Samuel Adams Boston Lager)—account for about 75% of hard seltzer market share, dozens of smaller players are hoping there's still an opportunity for local and regional brands to capture attention.
Even so, the top 10 brands reportedly account for more than 98% of sales. And with soft drink giant Coca-Cola now planning to enter the hard seltzer market, it's bound to get even more crowded at the top.
Locals Carving Out Space
But a small slice of a big pie appears to be worth chasing for several Utah craft brewers who have recently entered the hard seltzer market.
 A quick observation shows that a half-dozen or so Utah breweries are now making hard seltzers. And some of those—including Shades Brewing and Uinta Brewing—have created separate entities for their hard seltzer brands.
Shades Brewing, which is about to celebrate 10 years in business, earlier this year launched Livli Hard Seltzer. Its four flavors—grapefruit, pineapple mint, key lime, and raspberry—are each 5% ABV and contain 120 calories, according to the Shades website.
"These distinctive seltzers are brewed with real fruit for a light and delicious flavor," Shades writes.
 And just last month, Uinta Brewing, one of Utah's oldest modern-day craft breweries, introduced Westwater Hard Seltzer. Available in three flavors—lime, mango, and raspberry—each 12-ounce can clocks in at 5% ABV and contains 100 calories and 2.5g of carbohydrates.
"You can't deny that the hard seltzer category is here and it's blowing up," says Jeremy Worrell, Uinta's director of marketing.
For Uinta, Westwater is a project that's several years in the making. And it's clear a lot of thought has been put into what void Uinta wants Westwater, named after a Utah canyon, to fill. It's hyper-local by design, and Uinta doesn't expect to distribute outside of Utah, at least for now, Worrell says.
"We didn't want it to just be another hard seltzer brand from a craft brewery," says Worrell, who notes that 1% of Westwater sales will be donated to different water-conservation organizations and causes. "We wanted it to stand on its own and to build a brand around it."
While some of the so-called "old guard" is getting in on the hard seltzer trend, so too is the state's newest brewery.
Grid City Beer Works launched its Bubble Works brand of hard seltzers in late July. The offerings include: a cucumber lime flavor and a dry-hopped seltzer with flavors of grapefruit and lemon. Both are available in cans or on tap at the Salt Lake brewpub.
Epic Brewing developed a line of hard seltzers as well in April (Pakkā), and we've noticed a few apparently one-offs from breweries such as Kiitos, Policy Kings, and Roosters.
Squatters' Grandeur Peak is perhaps the first local seltzer I noticed. Branded as "spiked sparkling water," it hit the market in April 2019.
Whether it's to diversify its offerings, connect with new audiences, or simply to keep innovating, Utah's craft brewers are working to carve a place for themselves in the hard seltzer market.
What do you think about the hard seltzer craze? Let me know.
Cheers,
Tim
Currently Drinking: As I write, I'm sipping a Barleywine, a collaboration between Uinta Brewing and Kiitos Brewing. How about you?
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Hello Again & Welcome
If this is your first time receiving this monthly dispatch, welcome! If you're a longtime subscriber, thank you for sticking with it. As always, feel free to drop a line to let me know what you think.
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Next Week: Get to Know Maine's Lone Pine Brewing
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Lone Pine Brewing, a Maine-based brewery that opened in 2016, recently began distributing to Utah. Earlier this week, Utah Beer News visited with John Paul, Lone Pine's co-founder and director of business development, to learn more about the brewery's beginnings, why it decided to distribute to Utah, and more.
Keep an eye on UtahBeerNews.com next week for an article and a podcast episode talking about the Lone Pine beers that you're able to find in Utah, including the super-popular Oh-J Double IPA pictured above.
If you just can't wait, head over to our Instagram where we posted some tasting notes for a trio of Lone Pine beers.
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COVID-19: Are Your Favorite Breweries Open?
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I've done my best to provide updates as to how individual breweries are handling the COVID-19 restrictions set forth by state and local governments. Aug. 1 marked three months since breweries were allowed to once again reopen to sit-in customers. Learn the status of Utah's breweries.
NOTE: Due to the dynamic environment in which we find ourselves, please confirm hours with individual breweries.
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🎙 Utah Beer News Podcast
The Utah Beer News podcast provides another avenue for us to tell stories about the Utah beer community. We'd love for you to subscribe, take a listen, and let us know what you think!
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Notable New Releases: Two Local Beers to Try
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From time to time I'll use this space to share two notable new releases that I believe are worth seeking out. If you're a brewer or craft beer enthusiast who would like a specific beer to be considered for this feature, please send me an email by Aug. 31, 2020, with details about the beer and where to find it.
One Note: Extremely limited releases likely won't be considered for this feature. We want our readers to be able to track down the beers we mention during the month of publication.
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Beer Name/Style: Cosmic Saunter, Hazy Double IPA
Brewery: Level Crossing Brewing
ABV: 8%
Availability: 16-ounce cans at Level Crossing Brewing
Notes: Pours a hazy gold with a clean white cap of foam. Lots of citrus on the nose, with some pine. Flavors of orange and mango. Juicy, but not overly so—still some finishing bitterness to balance the juicy sweetness. This is the third release in Level Crossing's Red Feather Small-Batch Series.
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Beer Name/Style: Barleywine
Brewery: Uinta/Kiitos Collaboration
ABV: 9.1%
Availability: 12-ounce bottles at Uinta General Store and state liquor stores.
Notes: Aromas of toffee and some brown sugar. Flavors of raisins, figs, and molasses. A hint of crispy toast, with some nice caramel English malt sweetness. This one, a collaboration between Uinta and Kiitos, was brewed much earlier this year and bottled nearly four months ago. It's definitely ready to drink.
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Giveaway: Your Chance to Win!
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Back in mid-March, when breweries needed our support more than ever, I spent an evening visiting several local spots to purchase crowlers/growlers, merchandise, and gift cards.
 Now, I'd like to give away a few of these gift cards as a way of saying thank you to email subscribers.
This time around I'm giving away a $20 gift card to each of the following breweries:
To enter, simply send me an email by Aug. 11 with the name of your go-to local brew (or hard seltzer) and what you like about it. Everybody always likes the latest and greatest, but as we swelter in the heat of summer, sometimes you want to kick back with an old standby (one of these, perhaps?). For me, it's Uinta's Hop Nosh IPA (or T.F. Brewing's Granary Kellerbier, if I'm feeling a little less hoppy).
Send your email by Aug. 11 and I'll randomly draw three names to win one gift card each (please also include your preferred brewery—maybe I'll divide entries into three piles and choose winners that way).
As always, thank you for subscribing!
*The above breweries aren't affiliated with Utah Beer News or the gift card giveaway. Gift cards were purchased independently by Utah Beer News on March 16, 2020.
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 Each month, I gather beer-related news and notes to share with Utah Beer News email subscribers. Much of what's mentioned in this space is obtained from social sites, taproom visits, email newsletters, etc. (and a few are sent directly to me—hint, hint).
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Reminder: It's always best to confirm event dates, times and locations with the individual organizers.
- Tracy Aviary's Virtual Birds & Brews event is set for Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m. Fire up the computer, crack open a beer, and listen as Tracy Aviary Conservationist Cooper Farr and local Dark Skies Expert Jess Cleeves talk about the impact that light pollution here in Salt Lake City has on migrating birds.
- Level Crossing Brewing is hosting live, outdoor music on its patio each Friday from 7-9 p.m. Two Old Guys will be performing Aug. 7. Stop by early for "pizza happy hour" from 6-8 p.m. (all pizzas are 20% off).
- Craft Collaborations, a beer and food pairing, is set for Aug. 20 at Warrens Craft Burger in Ogden. Roosters Brewing Co. and Beehive Cheese will join Craft Burger in offering "samples, sips, and savory creations." Tickets are $35 and must be purchased before Aug. 18.
- It’s not surprising, but it’s still disappointing. City Weekly canceled its annual Utah Beer Festival, which was set for later this month.
- In other no-beer-fest-fun-in-2020 news: Snowbird canceled its Oktoberfest for the first time in nearly five decades. Here's how the decision affects local brewers, via Fox-13.
- For homebrewers, the 2020 Beehive Brewoff was canceled as well.
- Nils Imboden, head brewer at Wasatch Brewery, recently released the latest in the Kick-Back Series—Kellerbier Lime Lager. He also gave us a sneak peek at other brews that are planned to hit the market soon. Among the offerings: Landbier Swiss-Style Lager, a Belgian-Style Dubbel aged in brandy barrels, a collaboration IPA with Three Weavers Brewing, an India Pale Lager, an Oktoberfest Fest-Style Lager, an Imperial Red Ale aged in rum barrels, and a Double IPA. We're planning to connect with Nils and let him tell us more about all the cool stuff he's working on.
- You can now see what 2 Row Brewing’s got in stock at its bottle shop. Visit the 2 Row website.
- Congratulations to Hopkins Brewing. The Sugar House brewery became Utah's first Craft Malt Certified brewery.
- Speaking of Hopkins, it gave us a heads-up on two new beers available: Salty Melons, a watermelon lime gose, is a collaboration between Hopkins and the Hop Bombshells all-female homebrew club. And Kveik me on Insta, an experimental pale ale, is a collaboration with Bewilder Brewing. It uses Egyptian purple barley, which, brewer Chad Hopkins tells us, is an ancient huskless grain being grown in Colorado on very limited acreage.
- In case you missed it, here’s a rundown of Utah breweries that have reopened (or are about to reopen) for sit-in service. Please let me know if you've heard anything different.
- The Bayou remains closed to sit-down service but it continues to offer curbside (and it's getting some really interesting beers in that are available in crowlers to-go).
- It appears the BeerdBus Brew Tours are up-and-running. We noticed this company pre-pandemic, but now it looks like it's offering tours in Ogden on Wednesdays and Fridays and in Salt Lake on Thursdays and Saturdays. Check out its website for more, and we'll try to connect with the operators to get additional details.
- In April, T.F. Brewing joined hundreds of other breweries in the All Together collaboration. It announced on July 15 that the campaign raised more than $1 million for hospitality professionals (T.F. donated proceeds from its version to its own employees).
- Grid City Beer Works is holding a fundraiser to help it complete its “ruff” (dog-friendly rooftop) deck. You’re able to donate to the effort until Aug. 16. And you can learn more about Grid City by reading our profile from earlier this year.
- RoHa Brewing Project canned its State Room Red Ale. Previously, it had been available on draft only at The State Room and The Commonwealth Room. It’s available at RoHa, and a portion of can sales will support The State Room. #TSRBrew
- Bewilder Brewing is offering pre-orders of raw sausage and bacon (order here) that you can then grill to perfection in the comfort of your own backyard...or wherever.
- Congratulations to Shades Brewing, which is about to celebrate its 10-year anniversary. It hinted on Instagram at something special happening in September. In the meantime, the one-time Park City brewery that's now operating in South Salt Lake, is putting together a video to commemorate the occasion and would like your best Shades memories.
- The beer industry needs trustbusting, via Slate
- The Cotton Bottom Inn iconic neon sign is once again illuminated, via The Salt Lake Tribune
- The Provo brewpub referendum didn’t get enough signatures to make the November ballot, via the Associated Press. And the recount fell short as well. Here's what they were fighting.
- More than 500 breweries are signed up to “pour” at the 2020 Virtual Great American Beer Festival. For Utah, it looks like Bewilder Brewing, Epic Brewing, Salt Flats Brewing, and T.F. Brewing are on the list. Also of note: Prodigy Brewing, which we’ve heard is a soon-to-be Logan brewery, is signed up (we’ve reached out to a representative to learn more and will pass along what we hear back). As for GABF, to learn more about this unique event and to get your tickets, go here.
- Utah liquor sales topped a half-billion dollars in a year for the first time (fiscal year 2019-20, which ended on June 30), via The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Also from Kathy Stephenson at The Trib, an interesting article about whether bars and social distancing are able to coexist.
- Brewbound, which is, according to Forbes, “the internet’s most-read daily business-to-business beer-news publication,” is shifting to a paid subscription model. Utah Beer News, which values Brewbound’s reporting on beer issues, is proud to become a charter member.
And finally...
- At least two Utah lawmakers are pushing to allow for beer delivery. In related news, Quarters Arcade Bar helped to launch the #SaveUtahBars campaign. It aims to change the law to allow bars to sell to-go cocktails in sealed containers, in addition to proposing several other business-friendly changes. The Utah Booze News Podcast (not affiliated with Utah Beer News) talks with the owners of Quarters about the issue.
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Brewery Folks: Got news, notes, or events to share? Don't count on us to find it on social media. Please send the info to Utah Beer News directly if you'd like us to help spread the word.
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