The Seltzerland series of seltzer “fetztivals” made an appearance in Atlanta Saturday, bringing a socially distanced format to fans wanting to try new brands and discover new flavors. We discovered 8 favorites in the impressive lineup.
Idyllic weather graced the Fox Creek Golf Course in Smyrna, Georgia, on Saturday afternoon as hard seltzer fans with advanced tickets descended to partake in the Atlanta version of the Seltzerland series. The event producer has hosted events in Tampa, Austin, and Scottsdale, AZ this year.
Future dates for 2021 already include Nashville, Charlotte, St. Louis, Chicago, and Milwaukee. A full calendar and link to purchase tickets online can be found on the Seltzerland website.
Seltzerland’s inaugural fetztival was less than a year ago at Cog Hill Golf Club in Chicago in August 2020. Other events last fall included in Denver, Tampa, Minneapolis, and Dallas. All of last year’s events sold out.
Tickets sold in advance to the Atlanta event included 30+ samples of hard seltzer, White Claw drawstring bag and a Seltzerland branded metal cup. Participants had staggered “tee times” and then walked through the first 6 holes of the golf course, briefly stopping at branded tents of national and local makers of hard seltzer.
New Brands and Mainstays
The Atlanta event proved to be a good way for attendees to sample new flavors and discover new brands. Our team was on-hand to sample and discovered some new favorites along the way.
Cool Cat
Cool Cat wine spritzers are for sipping and mixing. Made with Pinot Grigio from Sonoma, these spritzers are more wine forward, not malty. Founded by Rocco Venneri, who identifies as a Black/mixed race gay man, Cool Cat sets out to bring “diversity and inclusivity in the spirits and wine industry.” Currently available in stores in CT, NY, NJ, GA, and its home state of Florida.
Sweetwater Oasis
The premium hard seltzer from Sweetwater comes in a variety of reliable flavor duos, including Black Cherry Lime. Oasis hard seltzers have electrolytes, antioxidants, and Vitamin C, positioning the brand as something of a boutique version of Vizzy. These are easy drinking hard seltzers, less syrupy than many.
Owl’s Brew
According to reps at the Seltzerland booth, Owl’s Brew will be available in Whole Foods stores this week. “We want to bring something different to the world” said the brand ambassador. Matcha Boozy Tea which is made with organic matcha tea, organic chamomile tea and then slightly sweetened with pineapple juice.
PRESS
PRESS Premium Alcohol Seltzer came through by bringing their Apple Cinnamon to Seltzerland Atlanta on Saturday. With tastes that nod to a cider, this seltzer from woman-owned PRESS is an example of a brand taking risks and pulling it off well. All the varieties we tried tasted natural and had unique flavors.
Post Meridiem
With authentic ingredients such as 100% real lime juice in in its Margarita, Post Meridiem is a ready-to-drink canned cocktail that delivers flavor and convenience at a time when the category is booming. A 12-pack sampler is now available for shipping to 34 states for $47.88 plus shipping. It includes 3 each of the Margarita and Vodka Gimlet, and 2 each of the Old Fashioned, Mai Tai, and Daiquiri blends. In-store sales now include Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, and its home state of Georgia.
Scofflaw Brewing
The Hard Seltzer News team got their first glance of the new Scofflaw hard seltzer at Saturday’s Seltzerland event in Atlanta. While the Tropical Pog comes in at an ABV of 5%, typical for the category, it’s Mimosa Hard Seltzer now packs a walloping 10% alcohol by volume. Brewers decided to “up the abv and add wine yeast and it tastes like champagne,” according to representatives onsite. “It’s been a best seller in the tap room.”
Founders
Founders Brewing Company, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was onsite at Seltzerland on Saturday, serving up delicious samples of their new Mas Agave hard seltzer. With agave real fruit juice adding to color, the fresh look from the award winning craft brewery is a welcome addition to 2021’s subsegment of premium hard seltzer. Representatives told us to find the new seltzer at big displays at Target Stores.
Pretoria Fields
The Albany, GA-based craft brewer recently launched this line of hard seltzer in beautifully packaged cans. The Summertime Strawberry was a very quaffable 4% ABV and 82 calories per 12 ounce can. The hemp and heirloom grains farms at Pretoria Fields in South Georgia produce everything from CBD oil to IPA — and they’ve now introduced this attractive lineup of hard seltzer.
A Safer Way to Gather
“With golf courses around the country open to the public and tee times available to manage check-in, it is the safest venue and structure for in-person events,” said Cannonball Productions CEO & Founder Kate Levenstien. “We know this experience will provide a safe opportunity to have some much-needed fun and we’re so excited to bring Seltzerland to life.”
Vendors and staff at Atlanta’s event wore masks and provided single-use tasting cups to ticket holders. Sanitation stations appeared at each booth and the linear format reduced congregating.
The organizers posted these safety protocols:
- Vendors and staff must wear protective gloves and regularly hand-wash. The public is also encouraged to wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer, and wear a face mask while not sampling.
- Attendees within different time slots must maintain at least six feet of space between each other, and vendors will also be spaced out accordingly to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
- Restrooms will have a devoted porter to regularly clean in between uses.
Jack McGuire contributed to field reporting.
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