Controversial or Confident? These 15 Craft Beverages Are Not Afraid of Glitter
If you're a craft beverage maker who's been in the scene since 2018, you likely have strong feelings about alcohol made with glitter. That was the year when shimmery brews became big news.
It's a love-it-or-hate-it relationship. Most beverage makers had one of two knee-jerk reactions: either embrace the glittery growlers in all their glory, or vow never to let sparkles enter their facility.
Fast-forward to the 2020's, and you might notice that sparkly beverages are here to stay—at least for limited releases and special occasions:
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emerald glitter for St. Patty's
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pinks and reds for Valentine's
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pastels for Easter
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orange or black for Halloween
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red and white for the holidays
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. . . among other colorful occasions we now associate with "luster dust."
BEER
Glitter is a little easier to find in beer releases (at least online) than any other alcohol beverage category. Here are just some of the many contenders:
- Eternal Glitter (Pipeworks Brewing Company)
- Streets Paved with Glitter (Port Orleans Brewing Company)
- The Glitter Factory (Eureka Heights Brew Co)
- Strawberry Donut Glitter Bomb (Black Hog Brewing Co)
- Sparkles & Fairy Dust Glitter Beer (True Vine Brewing Company)
- I GLITERALLY Can't Even (Roof Top Brewing Company) . . . made with Blood Orange and Blackberry
- Magical Passion Dust (Aardwolf Brewing Company) . . . made with Passion Fruit
- Pucker Up Glittercup (Po'Boy Brewery) . . . made with Raspberry and Lime
- Glitter Circus (Mike Hess Brewing)
CIDER & COCKTAILS
The more experimentation in the beer category, the more creativity spills over into other craft beverage categories:
- Snowglobe Cider (One Tree)
- The Magic Dream Line (Dream Line World)
- (Glitter ciders and cocktails are a bit harder to find. Drop us a link if you know of any others!)
WINE
If wine is for special occasions, then even more so with glitter wine:
- Glitter Inspiration Bronze (Blue Ridge)
- Glitter Blush (SpringGate)
- Tootie Fruity (Sage Creek Winery)
FRUIT FLAVORS
For flavor as bright as the beverage glitter, consider one using one or more of these fruits:
*Disclaimer: this might go without saying, but please remember industry safety guidelines when sourcing your glittery ingredient. Food grade ingredients are essential.*
NEXT STEPS
We'd love to hear about your forays into glittery brewing. Feel free to contact us below or place an order for your fruit ingredients.
Syrah "Sy" Linsley is the manager of Old Orchard's bulk supply program, which primarily serves the craft beverage industry with craft juice concentrates. Her passion for fruit-forward beverage evolved from the three years she spent as a fruitarian (only eating fruit) as well as the few years she worked in product development and fermentation. The highlight of Sy's day is to connect with craft beverage makers, so don't be shy: schedule a "Taproom Chat" or hear back from her through our contact form.
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