Oskar Blues Introduces Craft Hard Seltzer Line

Oskar Blues Brewery is set to launch a national craft hard seltzer line with Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water.

The hard seltzer segment has exploded over the last year and shows not sign of slowing down. With the tagline “Keep Running Wild,” Wild Basin is meant to speak to active-lifestyle consumers who value the outdoors, socializing with friends and healthier living, the company says.

Oskar Blues also announced a “significant investment” in new canning and packaging lines in order to handle these new sleek cans at volume. “We’ll do whatever it takes to ensure that we have product in warehouses and on shelves,” says Matt Fraser, president of CANarchy, a brewers collective that includes Oskar Blues.

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Wild Basin is 5% ABV and 100 calories, with zero grams of sugar and only 1 gram of carbs. The boozy sparkling water is gluten free, contains no artificial ingredients and uses only natural flavors.

From a flavor standpoint, Wild Basin takes a “contemporary approach,” the company says, with profiles that are designed to resonate with younger drinkers: Cucumber Peach, Melon Basil, Lemon Agave Hibiscus and also Classic Lime.

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Packaging is also meant as a differentiator. In a category predominately white in color, Wild Basin artwork is bolder and vibrant.

Oskar Blues will donate $1 per case to their charitable partner, The Can’d Aid Foundation, in support of river preservation initiatives and other efforts. Through various digital channels, consumers will be able to track in real time how much money has been donated and see exactly how their contributions will be used.

“Wild Basin is unique in that it challenges some existing category conventions,” says Oskar Blues CMO Patrick Daugherty. “Our goal is to introduce something that can help grow the category and give drinkers a true craft option in hard seltzer.”

Wild Basin Boozy Sparkling Water will initially launch in January in Colorado and North Carolina, two of Oskar Blues’ home markets. Soon after, distribution will expand to other key markets and ultimately nationwide.

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