New spiked sodas — not seltzers — ready to shake things up
Step aside, seltzer. Some flavor is being added to the low-calorie, alcoholic beverage market.
Alternative beer brand Crook & Marker introduced their new spiked soda products on FOX Business’ Varney & Co. on Tuesday. The sodas are full of flavor, low-calorie and alcoholic.
“We see a full-on ‘bevolution’ that's brewing — pun intended — in the alcohol space, and it's coming at the expense of beer,” Crook & Marker founder and CEO Ben Weiss said.
In a highly competitive spiked seltzer market, Weiss ensures his product is distinguished from the rest.
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“You've got classic [soda] flavors: you’ve got the cola, you’ve got the root beer, you've got a lemon-lime and then a ginger ale,” Weiss said. “It is low-carb and low-calorie with bold flavor, so I do distinguish it from a seltzer. There is no compromise here. You're not drinking bland; you're drinking full flavor but with zero sugar and no artificial sweeteners.”
Weiss is also the founder of Bai, a largely popular, antioxidant infusion drink.
“The ‘bevolution’ … really started in the non-alc space and brands like Bai and others really helped shape millennials’ taste buds,” Weiss said. “And now, they're just aging into alcohol, and they refuse to drink their calories, and they don't want carbs, and it's coming at the expense of beer.”
“Beer is down 2.2 percent,” Weiss said. “That's $1.5 billion of retail sales that have gone away, and you're seeing hard seltzer really accept the volume.”
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Crook & Marker spiked sodas are set to hit store shelves early 2020.