Judge’s Seltzer Review: 87 Rating – Bub2les Strawberry Lemonade Seltzer by Garage Brewing Co.

Fruited Seltzer | Year-Round | United States

By David Sapsis

Judges Rating: 87
Aroma: 20
Appearance: 6
Flavor: 35
Mouthfeel: 9
Overall Impression: 17

Bub2les Strawberry Lemonade Seltzer by Garage Brewing Co. is being reviewed per The Beer Connoisseur’s 2022 Hard Seltzer Definitions and Guidelines as a fruit seltzer.
The seltzer pours slightly pale with a very light peachy tone of light yellows and very faint red hues, and is brilliant in clarity. Foam immediately fades after pouring, but a nice procession of bubbles rises through the glass.
The nose has a nice fresh and floral strawberry note with a hint of tartness that I don’t clearly recognize as lemon. A modest sweetness rounds out the aroma. The flavor starts floral and quite strawberry dominated, with only a very modest tartness and lemon flavor. The sweetness is pretty reserved early, but increases in impression into the late palate, making the finish well to the right of off-dry. The texture and carbonation along with the fruity acid does a pretty good job of washing the sweetness away, but still is overall well into medium-sweet. The fruit is quite nice but could use more evident lemon or lemon-oil aroma, which might counterbalance the sweetness a bit further. The noticeable floral nature of the profile is possibly due to lemon additions, but is not particularly lemony.
Overall this is a nice fruited seltzer with a strong fruity presence that doesn’t come across as perfumy or artificial. The strength seems relatively average (roughly 5% ABV) and is quite clean and refreshing. The finish is pretty sweet and affects the overall structure of the drink, but many will find that attribute compelling. While I generally prefer drier clear drinks overall, I give credit here for clean expression of fruit and alcohol in a nice package.