“While hard seltzers from major beer brands” such as White Claw, Truly and Bud Light — “are gaining share and have the advantage of their brand name, craft brands are also growing in share, particularly in their local or target markets,” explains Liz Paquette, Drizly’s head of consumer insights, who notes that stocking a mix of craft hard seltzer producers can drive revenue for retailers. “Allocating shelf space to craft brands often drives higher margins for retailers in addition to supporting smaller, innovative businesses in the industry.”
Consumers are increasingly seeking out new and interesting hard seltzer options, so retailers can benefit by offering a diverse set of hard seltzer brands, flavors, and alcoholic strengths.
“I think providing the consumer with a product mix in the hard seltzer category is really important rather than just giving space to power players,” says Katie Beal Brown, the founder and CEO of Lone River, a Texas-based powerhouse whose Ranch Water seltzers are agave-based. “It’s important to give consumers choice.”
Here are Drizly’s Top 5 Craft Hard Seltzer brands:
- Lone River Ranch Water (West Texas)
- Night Shift Hoot Hard Seltzer (Boston)
- Oskar Blues Wild Basin (Longmont, Colo.)
- Press Spiked Seltzer (Milwaukee)
- Upslope Brewing Spiked Snowmelt (Boulder, Colo.)