Style: Hard Seltzer

ABV: 6.0

87/100

Aroma:	11
Appearance:	3
Flavor:	17
Mouthfeel:	5

Wise Man Brewing Wise Water Cherry

What the brewers say

Our debut house-made hard seltzer features 100 percent real cherry juice.

What our panel thought

Salmon-pink color. Cherry aroma with notes of raspberry, blackberry, and a hint of cocoa. Expressive fruit flavor like thick, syrup-coated pie cherries; light vanilla and ginger notes. Cherry lingers. Low carbonation. Sweeter and more flavorful than most seltzers, but not quite as refreshing. Leans toward wine spritzer.

What our editors thought

Cherry aroma with bits of tobacco, leather, and a slim vegetal note. Very sweet sip—but with earthy, nutty cherry notes well beyond typical flavorings. It doesn’t quite hold together; slightly disjointed, with herbal notes that kill the vibe.

Review printed in: Beyond Beer: Hard Seltzer, Hard Kombucha, and More (Apr-May 2021) (View All Issues)

Print Shelf Talker

How We Review

REVIEWS FOR YOU >

Untitled Art Spritzer Weisse

“Earthy, vegetal aromas mingle with light tropical fruit and peach—curiously inviting. Flavor is lightly malty and much more bitter, tannic, and grainy than expected. Only lightly sour and acidic. Husky astringency dries out the finish and accentuates vegetal character. Caught in the no-man’s-land between crisp light lager and kettle sour.”

Two Roads Brewing Co H2Roads Black Cherry Craft Hard Seltzer

Light pink color, good clarity. Light cherry aroma is tough to pick up at first. In the flavor, the cherry is more front and center, with a nice bite from bright, prickly carbonation. Cherry flavor builds more with each sip. Soda-like. Refreshing drink.

Liquid Mechanics Brewing Company Street Punk Stout

“Espresso and dark chocolate in the aroma. Solid malt, lots of toast, deep, sweet chocolate, and hints of coffee balanced with some assertive hop bitterness. Roasty malt falls off the palate nicely but leaves a hint of peppery spice. Not subtle or delicate by any stretch, but stout is a style that can embrace some of these edgy qualities.”

FRESH BEERS >

The best new craft beers available in a beer store near you. Sponsored content.

New Belgium Dominga Grapefruit

New Belgium wood cellar blender Lauren Limbach was gifted a new foeder that she aptly named Dominga—a play on the Spanish word for Sunday. She first created a mimosa-inspired golden sour called “Dominga: Goddess of Brunch.” Now we are excited to introduce the cocktail-inspired version, Dominga Grapefruit Paloma. Inspired by the classic cocktail of Mexico, Dominga packs a refreshing combo of bright grapefruit and lime flavors, along with agave and a pinch of salt.

Firestone Walker Oaktoberfest

Oaktoberfest is our oak-inspired homage to the great German tradition of Oktoberfest. We go the extra mile of maturing this beer in French oak barrels to create an amazingly smooth mouthfeel. The result is a classic German festbier with a hint of West Coast hoppiness. Grab your stein, don your lederhosen, and enjoy!

Firestone Walker Parabola ’24

Parabola is always a beast of a beer, with intense flavors of black cherry, dark chocolate, vanilla, and roast coffee—yet each annual release also bears its own subtle imprint. For this latest edition, we aged the beer for a year in 12-year Elijah Craig barrels. These coveted bourbon barrels imparted signature notes of charred oak, caramel, and cinnamon, taking the Parabola experience to new heights. Pour some out in your favorite snifter; behold the impossibly opaque color as you allow it to warm up a bit; and then let the dark magic of Parabola stun your palate with its unrivaled flavor and complexity.

Sierra Nevada Cosmic Little Thing Hazy Double IPA

For the latest in the Hazy IPA series, ride Sierra Nevada’s interstellar wave of tropical flavor in this Cosmic Little Thing, a hazy nebula glowing with Comet, Strata, and Helios hops for notes of citrus, berries, and lychee. Head into orbit with this 8 percent ABV hazy double IPA before the next Hazy IPA rotator hits. Look for Cosmic Little Thing in six-packs and 19.2 oz singles.

Firestone Walker Cosmic Crusher Juicy Imperial IPA

Out-of-this-world flavor that packs a punch—take a journey with Cosmic Crusher. “Cosmic Crusher is our crazy adventure into the realm of imperial juicy IPAs,” says brewmaster Matt Brynildson. Cosmic Crusher is built around two ultra-tropical hops—Galaxy and Strata. The result is a level of flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel that can only materialize at high strength, crossing the line into a whole new cosmos of punchy mango and pineapple character. SKUs available: 12 oz six-pack cans, 19.2 oz single serve, and Mind Haze Variety Pack.

Firestone Walker Luponic Distortion

Luponic Distortion is the Firestone Walker trailblazer that continues to break the rules, back for the first time since 2021. The classic Luponic Distortion base recipe returns with an all-new hop blend to deliver a fresh blast from the past. Brewed with a secret blend of new-age hops, the 2024 edition of Luponic Distortion turns up the volume with mind-bending flavors of lychee, peach, nectarine, and strawberry. Available exclusively in the Beer Before Glory IPA Mixed Pack.