Photo courtesy River City Seltzer
Big beer has gotten in on the trend, with Anheuser-Busch releasing products like Bud Light Seltzer and Seltzer Social Club, while Molson Coors has launched Vizzy Hard Seltzer and Henry’s Hard Sparkling Water to compete with other category leaders. Meanwhile, local breweries, cideries and laser-focused seltzeries are staking their claim to the trend with unique flavor combinations to suit a variety of vibes.
River City Seltzer
2114 E. Main St.
A relatively new venture for fledgling cidery Bryant’s Cider, River City Seltzer offers two options — the flagship Unicorn Fuel, which is naturally brewed with organic rose hips and hibiscus, and a rotating seasonal flavor, as of press time a winter-friendly cranberry-rosemary concoction called Crackberry.
For owner Jerry Thornton, the foray into seltzer was equal parts chasing the craze and customer education. “We specialize in brewed ciders, which is a lesser-known segment of the cider industry, and every day is a challenge to educate people that it’s no sugar added and low carb while still high alcohol,” he explains. “Part of the seltzer thing was to encourage people that aren’t usually our customers to try our products and get them looking at what cider can be that way.”
Unlike many of the well-known hard seltzer brands, River City Seltzer focuses on using whole ingredients rather than additives and extracts, putting them in an as-yet unplumbed craft seltzer category. Rather than using forced carbonation, RCS seltzers are can-conditioned, meaning carbonation occurs naturally in the can, leading to petite, fizzy bubbles. But perhaps the biggest difference is the sugar that yields the alcohol. Rather than corn sugar or table sugar, River City Seltzer, like Bryant’s Cider, relies on naturally occurring sugar found in the apples grown on its Nelson County farm, making it one of the few farm-to-can seltzers on the market.
A flight of seltzers from Main Line Brewery (Photo courtesy Main Line Brewery)
Main Line Brewery
1603 Ownby Lane
Established in 2019 in the space it shares with Cirrus Vodka, Main Line Brewery is the vision of friends Gary McDowell and Sterling Roberts. A venue for live music and hanging out with friends, Main Line focuses on fun, drinkable brews, and it doesn’t fool around with distribution outside of its taproom, keeping the product line nimble and affordable.
Co-owner McDowell says Main Line’s seltzers were a natural extension of the idea of providing a little something for everyone — they’re gluten-free, easy drinking and available in a number of flavors. Head Brewer Sean Savage uses the same equipment for brewing beer to ferment seltzers using natural flavorings and fruit purees. A tasting panel composed of staff and customers weighs in on variations, such as peach, lemon and blueberry, which can change as frequently as every other week.
Orange-flavored Ovation hard seltzer from Intermission Beer Co. (Photo courtesy Intermission Beer Co.)
Intermission Beer Co.
10089 Brook Road, Unit A
Intermission Beer Co. owner Courtney White says her Henrico County microbrewery added a 5% ABV hard seltzer line called Ovation to the taps in 2019 as an alternative for guests who don’t like beer, something she says is surprisingly common among customers. Due to ABC regulations, breweries are forbidden from producing alternative alcoholic beverages such as wine or cider on site.
With two to four varieties available at Intermission at any given time, including cherry, mango, strawberry, pineapple, grapefruit and green tea, White says mixing the flavors on tap to create unique combinations is encouraged. Intermission’s force-carbonated seltzers start with purified water, all-natural flavorings and cane syrup, and they’re fermented two to three times longer than Intermission’s beer, creating a dry finish and big bubbles.
Other Local and Regional Sips
The Veil Brewing Co. hopped on the hard seltzer train with the insanely quaffable Mango Pineapple Fizzee that transports the drinker to a tropical oasis of the mind.
A couple of home brewers are bringing their seltzers to the market with Richmond Seltzer Co., poised to open in August, offering a blackberry sour and passionfruit, and rotating seasonal flavors.
Worth the hour drive from Richmond, James River Brewery is nestled in quaint downtown Scottsville. Its Fizzy Falls seltzer, flavored with cranberry and ginger, is an homage to the rapids.
Newport News’ Tradition Brewing Co. offers a refreshing cucumber-hibiscus hard seltzer on site and at select Total Wine & More locations.
