Hard seltzer festival hits the Jersey Shore this weekend
This weekend, the Jersey Shore turns into Seltzerland.
Seltzerland, the traveling festival celebrating the spirit category of hard seltzers, takes over the Jersey Shore BlueClaws’ home at ShoreTown Ballpark on Saturday, part of its 2022 tour.
The sparkling extravaganza offers samples of more than 100 different seltzers, games, snacks, a DJ bringing beats and more festivities.
And despite the rambunctious, “ain’t no laws when drinking Claws” attitude often associated with this style of adult beverage, since launching in 2020 event organizers Cannonball Productions have found that the Selterzerland audience extends well beyond the party scene.
“Over the course of the few years we’ve been running Seltzerland, we’ve actually found the demographic is older than that, it’s between 34 and late-40s,” said Cannonball Productions’ marketing coordinator Jessica Celentano. “And of course (we) definitely have a younger crowd that comes in, but the older folks actually love it, too, because it’s a sampling festival so they get to really experience and try all these different brands.”
The Seltzerland roster includes the likes of White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and they’ll be joined by the Monmouth County-based Stewart’s Spiked Seltzer.
Based in the Lincroft section of Middletown and introduced by Stewart’s Enterprise Holdings in 2021, Stewart’s offers an adults-only take on the classic soda shop flavors that have been Americana staples for nearly a century.
“We took the product and put a couple of new spins on it,” said Anne Gibbs, director of trade marketing for Stewart’s Enterprise Holdings.
Stewart’s lineup of spiked seltzers – with flavors including root beer, orange cream, black cherry and raspberry lime – are sold in 12-ounce cans with 100 calories and 5% ABV. They were joined this May by the 4.5% to 5.5% ABV, 16-ounce cans of Stewart’s Spiked Sodas, with flavors of root beer, orange cream, black cherry and key lime.
“When a lot of people think about the word ‘seltzer,’ they think about a fruit flavor … so that’s kind of how we differentiated ourselves,” said Gibbs. “We’re more of a light soda so we have the carbonation. We have the classic taste.”
Stewart’s partnered with Hard Rock International, the company behind properties including the Atlantic City casino, in 2020 for Hard Rock Premium Hard Seltzer, 6% ABV beverages at 120 to 130 calories per can - with flavors including Hurricane, strawberry lime, mojito and blackberry sangria, which will be available at Seltzerland. March 2022 saw the release of a line of 8% ABV, 12-ounce cans of ready-to-drink margarita, mojito and Moscow Mule cocktails.
After running the Bacon and Beer Classic festival in Jersey City for years, Cannonball productions makes its Jersey Shore debut with Seltzerland. The hard seltzer scene, Celentano said, is showing no signs of slowing down.
“There’s so much creativity,” she said, “and (there are) more options for brands to explore new flavors, new ingredients, whereas just your beer is like a beer. … It’s just endless opportunity, and I think each brand is trying to be the next one-of-a-kind.”
Go: Seltzerland Jersey Shore, 1:30 to 4 p.m., and 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, ShoreTown Ballpark, 2 Stadium Way, Lakewood, $39 general admission, $59 for VIP; seltzerland.com/jersey-shore
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seltzerland 2022 festival happening at ShoreTown Ballpark Lakewood NJ
