By Don Chareunsy
The Spokesman-Review
Hard seltzer. Who knew the fizzy alcoholic concoction would experience a big rise in popularity in the last few years? And the over-the-top displays at the grocery store are inescapable.
So much so that The Spokesman-Review wrote about those displays (“Grabbing life by the claws: Safeway store receives national attention for hard seltzer display,” Jan. 9) and the rise of the adult beverage (” ‘It’s made us better brewers’: Hard seltzer water is gaining in popularity among younger drinkers,” Aug. 14).
Then it should come as no surprise that joybird.com has released a study of the top searched hard seltzers state-by-state. White Claw has, ahem, clawed its way to the top of the majority of states, including Washington and Idaho.
Here are the results:
Top Searched Hard Seltzer Brands 2019-2020
1. White Claw
2. Natural Light Seltzer
3. Bud Light Hard Seltzer
4. High Noon Hard Seltzer
5. Vista Bay Hard Seltzer
6. Truly Hard Seltzer
7. Press Hard Seltzer
8. Four Loko Hard Seltzer
Top Searched Hard Seltzers in Recent Weeks
1. White Claw
2. Corona Hard Seltzer
3. Natural Light Hard Seltzer
4. Truly Hard Seltzer
5. Bud Light Hard Seltzer
6. Four Loko Hard Seltzer
7. High Noon Hard Seltzer
Other fizzy facts:
• Canned cocktail sales have increased more than 40% in the last year.
• White Claw is the top choice of 10 of the states in the West; in California, High Noon is the choice hard seltzer.
In fact, White Claw is No. 1 in 35 sates.
• Corona and Bud Light are the new kids on the hard seltzer block.
• And the top searched flavor of White Claw? Mango, by far, followed by watermelon and black cherry.
The summer of 2019 is now forevermore the summer of White Claw. Come to think of it, a hard seltzer does not sound bad right now during stay-home orders.
