Spiked Seltzer 30 Day Challenge

Connecticut is awash with fantastic craft breweries, and I'm always ready to try a new brew. Thanks to food blogging, covering food festivals, and enjoying checking out new restaurants and drinks in general, I end up drinking a fair amount, and it's 90% beer. Then I saw a post on Spiked Seltzer's facebook wall about a challenge: they were looking for a beer drinker willing to switch to their product for 30 days.

I had experienced Spiked Seltzer a few times already; the company was offering samples at The Greenwich Wine and Food Fest, Moffly Media's Best of the Gold Coast Party, and is always one of the drink choices at The Aldrich Museum's First Friday Cocktail Parties. It's light and refreshing, very different from my usual strong IPAs, but I really like it. It's also much lower in calories than the average IPA, gluten free, and still pulls off a 6% abv, the same as my usual brews. I was intrigued to give this challenge a try, and was pleased when the company told me I had been chosen to take it on. 

I try to stay active, go to the gym (though I don't go nearly as often as I should), and eat healthy, but it's pretty difficult when there are so many fun events based primarily around food and drink. In the year and a half since I began really getting involved with food blogging, I've gained about 8 pounds, which on my small frame is enough for me to notice. I've done the math, and if I drink Spiked Seltzer instead of beer (I'll use the calorie content in a Dogfish 60 Minute IPA, as that's what I drink most often at bars), I should save about 4,000 calories over the course of 30 days.

I'm 12 days into the challenge, and it's turned out to be a great experience so far. I have only had one hangover, and it was the morning after I cheated and drank beer. Otherwise, I've felt great, and that means I've been healthier in more ways than just cutting calories: waking up with no trace of a hangover means I don't eat junk food in the morning and I don't feel as sluggish and therefore unwilling to work out. 

So far, I'm a big fan. I won't give up beer forever, and there's nothing like a glass of red wine with a steak, but I absolutely will replace some of those drinks with Spiked Seltzer after the challenge ends. It also makes a nice mixer, and I'm going to start experimenting with some cocktail recipes. 

Stay tuned!

Cheers!