LOS ANGELES — Whether it’s spiked with vodka or gin, tequila or soju, if it’s fizzy, flavorful and comes in a can, chances are it’s hard seltzer. Truly, Vizzy or Spindrift, hard seltzer fans have more options than ever — and, in LA for the first time this Saturday, an entire festival to sample as much as they can stomach.
“The reason we started Seltzerland is I walked into a liquor store and was taken aback by how many seltzers there were. I didn’t know what to choose,” Cannonball Productions Chief Executive, and Seltzerland founder, Kate Levinstien, told Spectrum News. “Unless you buy a case, which is cost prohibitive, there’s no way to try them, so it felt like a need with so many brands and so many variety packs popping up.”
Popularized by brands like White Claw, hard seltzer has become a juggernaut in recent years. The market was valued at $8.95 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow 23% annually through 2030, according to Grand View Research.
The market research firm attributes its success to health-conscious younger drinkers preferring low-alcohol content beverages. Hard seltzer ranges from 1% to 8% alcohol by volume and is also lower in calories than beer.
Now in its fourth year, Seltzerland is an event series that began during the pandemic. Originally held on golf courses in Chicago, Dallas, Tampa, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis and Phoenix in 2020, Seltzerland expanded to another 13 markets in 2021.
The event came to California for the first time last year with events in San Diego, Long Beach and San Francisco, but this Saturday’s Seltzerland festival at Grand Park downtown will be its first in Los Angeles.
LA, Levinstien said, “is a great fit for the seltzer market with people being slightly more health conscious.”
Saturday’s event will take place in two sessions: from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. For each three-hour window, hard seltzer fans who’ve paid $49 for entry are given a five-ounce reusable cup that enables them to sample as much hard seltzer as they like from 25 different vendors.
Participating local brands include Brewery X in Anaheim, Storytellers Brewery in Corona, Happy Hour Tequila Seltzers from West Hollywood and West Peak Sparkling Spirits based in Santa Cruz.
The seltzers represent a wide range of concepts and flavors including the farm-to-can seltzer Anytime Spritz in flavors like herby lime fizz with thyme, sage, mint and dill, and Mom Water, created by an Indiana mom who founded the business after spiking her water bottles with tequila and labeling them so her kids wouldn’t drink them.
While the seltzer booths are set up around the perimeter, there will also be places to sit and listen to music spun by DJ Jusroc.
The festival will include an area called Plantopia for vegan and plant-based brands, as well as a cantina for tequila-infused seltzers and cocktails and guacamole from the event sponsor Good Foods.
Savage Tacos will serve up food from its truck and Lesser Evil will hand out vegan popcorn.