Review: Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer
Blind Pickle Hard Seltzer was recently released. If you were expecting Deep Ellum Brewing Company to play it safe in selecting their hard seltzer flavors you obviously haven’t tried their line of craft beer. While this is the worlds first Pickle flavored hard seltzer, there are already several pickle flavored vodka brands, including Deep Ellum Pickle Vodka. Pickle is one of five hard seltzers currently crafted by Deep Ellum Brewing Company in Dallas Texas. The other flavors include Blind Lemon, Blind Lime, Blind Peach, and Blind Berry. Blind Lemon was the first hard seltzer they released in October 2019. It is named for blues legend Lemon Jefferson who began his career on the streets of the Deep Ellum Neighborhood. Each flavor is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. Blind Pickle is the first of a rotating seltzer series of Limited Release hard seltzers planned at Deep Ellum. Read more 
Review: Bacardi Tropical Rum
Bacardi Tropical Rum is the newest addition to Bacardi’s stable of flavored rum. That list currently includes Limon, Lime, Coconut, Dragonberry, Pineapple, Mango, and Raspberry. It is made from a molasses rum base. The molasses is fermented with Le Levadura, a single strain of proprietary yeast, for 30 hours in closed fermentation tanks. The fermented spirit is split. Some is column distilled. Some is beer distilled. Each is aged separately in charred American White oak bourbon barrels. Once mature the rums are blended and filtered through a mix of charcoal made from tropical woods and coconut shells. Natural flavors are blended before bottling at 70 proof. Read more
Review: Cigar City Seltzer
Cigar City Seltzer was launched February 2021. It is produced at Cigar City Brewery in Tampa Florida. Cigar City Brewery was founded by Tampa Native and fifth generation Floridian Joey Redner, and they began brewing beer in 2009. This brewery currently produces 180,000 barrels of beer annually. This is the equivalent of 2,000,000 cases of beer. Cigar City was acquired by Canarchy in 2016 at a cost of $60 million. Canarchy is a consortium of craft breweries that combined are now the 8th largest brewery in the US. This group includes Cigar City, Oskar Blues Brewery, Squatters Craft Beers, Wasatch Brewery, Deep Ellum Brewing Company, Perrin Brewing Company, and Three Weavers. Not only does this group craft dozens of beers but several make their own hard seltzer. This includes Perrin Clear Coast, Oskar Blues Wild Basin, and Deep Ellum Blind Lemon. Cigar City Seltzer is made with water, alcohol from cane sugar, natural flavors, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. Each 12 oz. slim can weighs in with 100 calories 5% alcohol, 0 sugar and 1 carb. Read more
Review: Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary
Grey Goose Essences White Peach & Rosemary is one of three flavors in the new Grey Goose Essence product line. The other varieties include Strawberry & Lemongrass and Watermelon & Basil. Every couple of months a new brand releases their own 0 sugar botanical blend of infused vodka. Next month Belvedere will be releasing their Organic Infusions Vodka which will consist of Pear & Ginger, Lemon & Basil, and Blackberry & Lemongrass. Grey Goose Essences starts with the Grey Goose vodka base made from soft winter wheat and pristine spring water filtered through Champaign limestone in the Cognac region of France. Each Essences variety is infused with real fruit and botanical essences. Read more
Review: Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer Tropical Variety Pack
Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer Tropical Variety pack was released mid March 2021 but it is currently only available in the state of Florida. This is the second hard seltzer variety pack crafted for the Funky Buddha Brewery in Oakland Park Florida by Home Brew Mart in Daleville Virginia. The Original Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer variety pack was launched October 2020. The history of the brewery dates back to 2013 when Ryan Sentz and his brother opened Funky Buddha Brewery. Ryan had previously opened Funky Buddha Lounge in Boca Rotan Florida in 2007 and in 2010 he started brewing his own beer. In 2016 Funky Brewery was named a Top 100 Brewery. A year later Constellation Brands acquired the brewery. Funky Buddha is one of several beer brands owned by Constellation Brands including Corona, Modelo, and Pacifico. At one time they owned Ballast Point. Some of the beers currently crafted by Funky Buddha include Floridian Hefeweizen, Hop Gun IPA, Vibin Groovable Lager, Chant Repeatable IPA, 42 Hazy Daze IPA, and Chilla Thrilla Blonde. Funky Buddha Hard Seltzer is made from a cane sugar and blue agave alcohol base, with water, natural flavors, citric acid, and carbon dioxide. Each 12 Oz. slim can weighs in with 90 calories 4.5% alcohol, with 0 sugar and 1 carb. Read more
Review: Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb
Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb is crafted from a blend of whiskey, honeycomb and caramel at Dublin Liberties Distillery in the heart of the historic Liberties Distilling District. At its peak the five biggest distilleries in Dublin produced 10 million gallons of Irish Whiskey per year. By the mid 1970’s only two whiskey distilleries operated in all of Ireland. Today Irish whiskey is experiencing a renaissance with dozens of new whiskey distilleries opening. The new bottle design of Dubliner Whiskey & Honeycomb reflects the vibrant modern Dublin. Dublin Quintessential Brands spent $11 million to renovate a 400 year old building that was once a tannery and mill into the state of the art distillery and visitor center it is today. Dubliner and The Dublin Liberties brands are produced here from sourced Irish Whiskey while their own crafted triple distilled malt whiskey is barrel aged. Master Distiller Darryl McNally a former Master Distiller at Bushmills Distillery overseas distilling, aging and sourcing of their whiskey. Read more
Review: Smithworks Hard Seltzer Lemonade
Country Music artist Blake Shelton has collaborated with Pernod Richard to launch Smithworks Hard Seltzer Lemonade. They previously partnered on Smithworks Vodka. Blake Shelton is not the first country music star to launch a hard seltzer brand, Luke Bryan introduced Two Lane Hard Seltzer in early March. Now the two can compete for fans with their music, TV Show’s, and hard seltzer lines. Unlike most hard seltzer brands Smithworks Hard Seltzer Lemonade is made from a premium malt beverage base, instead of the fermented sugar or dextrose alcohol base most are made from. Natural flavors are added. Each flavor weighs in with 100 calories, 5% alcohol, with 2 Carbs and 1 Gram of sugar. Read more
Review: Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil Vodka
Grey Goose Essences Watermelon & Basil is one of three vodka’s in the new Grey Goose Essences product line. Before there was Hard Seltzer, and Peanut Butter Whiskey, and before Fireball Whisky became a monster hit, flavored vodka was the hottest adult beverage. While flavored vodka sales and selection are not what they used to be, 0 sugar botanical vodka is the hottest flavored vodka trend right now. With the exception of Grey Goose La Vanille, Grey Goose has done a great job with their flavored vodka. I also enjoyed Grey Goose Essences Strawberry & Lemongrass so I’m anxious to try Grey Goose Watermelon & Basil. Read more
Review: El Sativo Blanco Tequila
El Sativo Blanco Tequila is crafted from estate grown organic Non-GMO blue agave grown in the Lowlands of Amititan Jalisco. El Sativo was awarded as the Best Blanco Tequila in 2020 at The San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The agave is slow steamed for 72 hours in small batch stone ovens. No autoclaves or Diffusers are used. It is fermented with environmentally occurring yeast. A one of a kind proprietary compound focused distillation follows. Pure well water purified and filtered through 135 feet of volcanic rock is blended to reduce to proof. For every bottle sold they give back to the Ocean Conservancy and Clean Water Relief. Read more
Review: Truly Punch Hard Seltzer
The Truly Punch Hard Seltzer variety pack will be arriving on store shelves in May. I was lucky to get my hands on some a little early. This is one of 6, 12 can hard seltzer variety packs currently produced by Boston Beer Company under their Truly Hard Seltzer label. The others include Berry, Citrus, Tropical, Lemonade, and Iced Tea. While Kona Brewing Company, Fruit Smash, Odd Side, Ashland, Two Lane, and Sun Rise have released individual punch flavored hard seltzers, only Braxton Brewing Company has created a four flavor punch variety pack, with their release of Vive Punch Hard Seltzer. With Truly jumping in the “Punch pool”, I’m expecting that number to grow to 5 before the end of summer. Each 12 ounce slim can of Truly Punch is made with filtered water, cane sugar alcohol, natural flavors, and Stevia sweetener. Read more