The curious case of seltzers

Though they aren’t all made the same way, they all aim for similar results: 100-ish calories, one-ish grams of carbs, one-ish grams of sugar, 5% ABV and gluten-free. How they get there is their own business, but usually follows this trajectory: Sugar (cane) water is fermented with yeast and then dosed with water-soluble flavors: Yumberry, juniper and lime, grapefruit, etc.

That’s where the story ends. When we talk about beer, we talk about what’s in the glass: The ingredients used and where they may or may not come from. The style of beer and what it may or may not say about the origins of the beverage. The brewer and what they may or may not have wanted to bring to the beer. Techniques involved, food pairings and so on. Seltzer is the exact opposite.

Seltzer is about what’s not in the glass: Calories and carbs, gluten and aggressive flavors. Whereas hop-saturated IPAs and heavily roasted stouts smack you in the mouth with flavor, seltzers are specifically designed not to. They’re meant to taste crisp when it’s hot outside, refreshing in the club and light enough not to blow out your palate with bitter, sweet or sour. For some, they’re a pre-charged mixer, for others, Le Croix with an edge. And any way you slice it, they’re the key component to growth in the beer market these days.