Brands are hopping on the bandwagon of canning non-carbonated alcoholic beverages à la Twisted Tea, but the actual viability of this trend is up for debate. Perhaps it could be a good thing for canned wine. The general drinking public has a bias against the quality of such products, and most brands are trying to convince consumers that their canned wines should be taken seriously — which isn’t really working. That said, if a company were to take the lifestyle angle to building a brand of sessionable, crisp white wines in cans, they could have a shot at success.
For the brands that aren’t thinking about canned wine, however, they must be wary when trying to break into this segment. CO2 is a great preservative, so canning non-carbonated drinks presents a greater challenge for making a shelf-stable product. On top of that, effervescence makes drinks taste lighter, so a fruit-forward beverage sans bubbles can easily turn into a syrupy, cloying liquid that’s akin to a boozy Hawaiian Punch. At the end of the day, though, does this trend have a promising future with real staying power, or will it just be another flash-in-the-pan, fidget spinner-esque fad?
On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach examine the burgeoning trend of “flat drinks,” alcoholic beverages that are very purposefully not carbonated. Do enough drinkers dislike carbonated beverages to make this an area for real growth, or are these drinks just not interesting enough to capture the public’s full attention? Tune in for more.
Zach is reading: The Drinks Industry Has a Huge Carbon Footprint. There Are Solutions.
Joanna is reading: Ask a Bartender: Is It Gross to Eat My Cocktail Garnish?
Adam is reading: Suntory in Talks to Acquire Boston Beer Company