Happy Dad "Wild Cherry" Hard Seltzer

So, much like when I first started my cider reviews or my mead reviews, I started off by not liking something that was new and I was unprepared for. I didn't really understand that mead was basically wine or cider was... pretty much be wine. Even moonshine was a stumble at first. So, these seltzers have been hard to ramp up, but I think I may have found my footing. We shall see how fair I can be on the next few reviews.

What is there to say about the presentation? I think I've wasted time on the previous hard seltzers, including the first Happy Dad that I have ever had, but that's the section that we're in, so I must persist. It looks like carbonated water. Realistically, that's what it is. It's also, technically, a malt beverage of some kind. I'm not sure exactly how they get to 5% ABV, and I'm not sure what is actually fermenting. This isn't like those Ranch Waters that use tequila or All Hands that use vodka. I don't know what's in this. That seems like the kind of thing that should be required on packaging. The aroma, however, is distinct sweet cherry. Once again, I suspect that this will not be as filled with flavor as a soda, and it probably shouldn't be. The smell makes me hope that it is, though.

First sip is a very relaxed water with just a hint of the cherry flavor. If I were to guess, I would say that this is more bing cherry than wild cherry. I'm not really sure what a wild cherry is, but I've had bing cherries, and this is kind of what they tasted like. Mind you, this is more like the water that has been used to strain bing cherries. The carbonation is almost non-existent, and there isn't really a whole lot more to the beverage. Once again, I'm just not sure that I really understand the target audience or the intent of the beverage. I assume that this drink before me is the result of some testing and some people, somewhere, decided that this was the flavor that they were going to go with.

Tip-in is mild carbonation with a relatively rich cherry flavor that seems incongruent with the sip. The middle, like the last one, ramps up carbonation for the center to the point that the flavor is almost gone in the wateriness underneath. The finish is slightly sweeter with more flavor, but the cherries turn a bit tart as they head into the trail off and the giant bowl of water.

Bottom Line: Still not really for me, but it's not repulsive.

1.75/5