The Best Quality Hard Seltzers

Hard seltzers have become a popular boozy beverage option in the last couple of years, and they continue to gain traction with multiple new products and brands appearing on shelves. They can be a tasty alternative to beer or wine, and the convenient packaging makes them a great option for summer adventures.

However, many of the brands on the market have clever marketing that glosses over the questionable ingredients hiding in them. Even the ones that tout themselves as “natural” or only made with “real’ ingredients aren’t always good options (High Noon is an example of this: it’s hard to find the full ingredient list which includes Natural Flavors, Citric Acid, Potassium Citrate, and Potassium Sorbate.) The good news is, we’ve scavenged for the best #TrashPandaApproved hard seltzer options so you don’t have to. Cheers!

California-based Flying Embers originally began with hard kombucha, and then launched their hard seltzers in 2020. Their creative flavors such as Guava Jalapeno and Watermelon Chili use champagne yeast and feature USDA organic ingredients. They also contain probiotics and antioxidants. (While an alcoholic beverage isn’t our go-to place for those, the added boost is a nice addition!)

Michelob Ultra’s Organic Seltzer is likely the most easily available product on our list, even though it just hit the market in early 2021. It does have Organic Natural Flavors (which are more regulated than Natural Flavors), but we love that their ingredients are certified USDA organic. The Spicy Pineapple and Peach Pear flavors even avoid Citric Acid, a preservative we categorize as Questionable in the Trash Panda app.

Be on the lookout for the newest and most anticipated product to hit the shelves - Spindrift Spiked. We already love Spindrift, and the ingredients in their new Spindrift Spiked products don’t disappoint. We recommend their Lime and Half and Half flavors, which have zero harmful or questionable ingredients in the Trash Panda App. While distribution is currently limited to New England and Southern California, we can’t wait for more stores to start carrying this!

We hope our list helps you be fully informed about which options are best to pack your cooler with this summer, and which ingredients to watch out for when shopping hard seltzers. Remember, if you’re ever unsure about an ingredients list, Trash Panda can help - just scan the barcode or capture an image of the ingredients text to uncover any questionable ingredients. Get the app below.