In 2019, White Claw (which by that point had been around for three years already) became the drink of the summer. It, and other hard seltzers like Bon & Viv, Truly, and offerings from Bud Light and Corona, rose to popularity by combining vice with wellness — yes, these drinks were alcoholic, but also gluten-free, low-ABV, and low-calorie. You’d think the pandemic would throw a wrench in this trend. People are drinking more, hard liquor retail sales surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and wellness just doesn’t seem to be the top concern when you’re facing the despair of another day indoors as you wait to be eligible for the vaccine. It turns out all of that is no match for the hard seltzer juggernaut. Both Topo Chico (now owned by Coca-Cola) and Spindrift are releasing lines of hard seltzer, and next month Cincinnati will host the first ever hard seltzer festival. Hard seltzer might even be the next thing in homebrewing. It’s here to stay.

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