Before it shut down for 15 months during Covid, Lynn’s Arcade didn’t carry any hard seltzers among its variety of 80-plus roster beverages. But as the seltzer craze continued to pick up, co-owner Cary Carmichael decided to change that when Lynn’s was ready to re-open.
“I knew seltzers were a thing,” Carmichael says, “so I went shopping.”
He wasn’t shopping for just any seltzers: Like Lynn’s selection of artisanal craft beers from breweries most people haven’t heard of, he sought seltzers that were a cut above the mass-produced varieties available at stores.
On a recent visit, I ordered an Apricot Cream Imperial seltzer from Untitled Art, a brewery in Wisconsin that makes the majority of the seltzers Carmichael currently keeps in stock. When he can keep them in stock, that is: He’s already sold out of the Apricot Cream, a limited release, so it won’t be returning to the menu.
“My goal is not to sell something you see often,” Carmichael says. “The brands we’re selling, they’re extremely craft and small-time.” (It’s a shame Apricot Cream Imperial won’t be coming back – it’s delicious, like an Orange Julius except with apricot, and a kick.)
As for why seltzers suddenly became so popular? Carmichael can only guess at that, and thinks it’s probably related to having fewer carbs and calories. And he knows it’s not just women buying them: Roughly 40 percent of his seltzer customers are men.
I’ve been one of them.
LYNN’S ARCADE is at 1760 Fremont Blvd., Suite D1, Seaside. $15 entry (includes unlimited pinball). 641-7173, lynnsarcade.com