All We Want to Drink This Summer is Shacksbury SHORTS!

Shacksbury SHORTS! at a glance:

• SHORTS! is a hard cider seltzer made by Shacksbury Cider with botanicals from Alice and the Magician.
• SHORTS! is available in 8 oz. cans.
• The cider/seltzer hybrid is 4.5% ABV and is an effervescent, refreshing, and tasty summer beverage.

Why You Should Care:

If you’ve been keeping an eye on craft beer lately, “hard seltzer” is the new buzz word. Like brut IPAs or glitter beers, it’s the latest “trend” that everyone and their uncle has opinions about. Despite all of the emotional tweets and Instagram comments, the move to hard seltzer comes as the category gains momentum among beer and wine drinkers. In fact, Boston Beer Co.’s Truly brand has been outperforming Sam Adams. Expect to see your local brewery dabbling in the fizzy stuff as drinkers seek out low ABV, gluten-free, refreshing beverages for the summer.

One trend we’d like to see catch on is alternative beer packaging. The 750 ml dark glass bottles are played out. Even 16 oz. aluminum cans seem unoriginal. That’s why we were won over by the adorable 8 oz. cans of Lil’ Buddy from Hopewell in Chicago and the 6 oz. clear glass bottles of Rich A*F from Ancillary Fermentation and The Eighth State. Previously, Interboro and Brewery Bhavana had released stubby 8 oz. cans and Off Color debuted beer in 250-milliliter bottles.

At the intersection of these two movements — alcoholic sparkling water and attractive, alternative packaging — is SHORTS!, a botanical hard cider seltzer from Shacksbury Cider. It’s available in colorful 8 oz. cans designed by Will Bryant. Shacksbury introduced SHORTS! as the “anytime crusher” ideal on its own or as a top-off for a cocktail, or even beside a shot. Making use of lemongrass and whole hibiscus from Alice and the Magician, a Burlington-based apothecary, as well as Mac, Empire, Gala, Granny Smith, and Golden Delicious apples from New England, SHORTS! is bubbly, bright, fresh, and tasty.

Shacksbury shared that they were directly inspired by the cans of Lil’ Buddy from Hopewell, but also aimed to encourage others to attempt “unconventional formats.” The 4.5% ABV 8 oz. can allows drinkers to sip liberally any time of day and makes for convenient packing in your favorite cooler or tote bag.

What SHORTS! is like:

• Pours a bubbly golden color with no head.
• Smells like a bright summer cocktail with citrus and fresh floral notes.
• Tastes extremely refreshing and light with lovely lemongrass and apple flavors.

Final Thoughts:

Get yourself some SHORTS! before the summer is over. We included Lover Boi from Shacksbury in our roundup of the best summer beers, but this hard cider seltzer could just as easily slot in.

And while this could’ve been an unexciting cash-in on a current trend, Shacksbury always delivers and SHORTS! is no exception. It’s not as complex as some of the cidery’s bottled options and might not be as elegant as Pèt-Nat Rosè, but it’s exceptionally fun and unfussy. SHORTS! is available from Shacksbury directly but look out for these adorable cans on the shelf of your favorite bottle shop.

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