
Photos: Emma Way/Axios
Asheville may be known as Beer City USA, but Charlotte is certainly in the running for the Seltzer City USA title.
The big picture: Charlotte is home to one of the nation’s few spiked seltzeries, and the East Coast’s first: Summit Seltzer. Add to that, local breweries like Sycamore and Fonta Flora have started to add spiked seltzer to their roster.
- Plus, the title fits. It’s March, and it’s already 70-plus degrees. That’s prime seltzer-sipping weather.
The state of play: Summit Seltzer owner Kristin Cagney has seen the intense demand since opening in September, even at reduced capacity due to COVID-19. On warm days like today, there’s often a line of people down Thrift Road waiting to get in.
At Sycamore Brewing, customers aren’t just there for the beer anymore. They’ve come to try BUBS, the brewery’s new spiked seltzer line, which was also behind the viral “77” marketing campaign last week.
Spiked seltzer has gotten so big, Charlotte will host not one, but two festivals dedicated to the beverage this spring.
- The nationally touring festival Seltzerland will come to Charlotte on April 17 with over 50 flavors of hard seltzer for guests to sample. Tickets are on sale now for $29 for the event held at Paradise Valley Golf Club in University City.
- Summit will host its own spiked seltzer festival this spring, too. Details to come soon.
Sycamore co-owner Sarah Brigham says hard seltzer has seen such a boom in popularity because it’s lighter than beer. “I think the healthy lifestyle component is huge,” she says.