Introducing Thorntail Hard Agave
A Seattle-based company just introduced something wholly new. It’s a different kind of alcoholic drink: hard agave. It is not beer, wine, seltzer, or liquor. It is not a ready-to-drink cocktail. Starting this week, look for Thorntail Hard Agave at Fred Meyer and QFC locations around the Northwest, available in three-flavor mixed 12-packs.
Craft beer fans will appreciate that Thorntail is a creative and innovative product. It is produced in small batches by a local company that focuses on the quality of the ingredients and, ultimately, the quality of the resulting product. It is not some trendy beverage pushed by a national mega-brewery.
So, what is hard agave? Thorntail Hard Agave’s closest relative is tequila. Like that beloved Mexican elixir, it is created using the agave plant; specifically, fermented nectar from Blue Weber agave sourced from organic farms in the Jalisco region of Mexico. To that, Thorntail adds real fruit, all-natural sweeteners, y nada más. Clocking in at 5% ABV, Thorntail Hard Agave is gluten-free, low carbs, low calorie, low sugar, low carbonation, and all-natural. The term low is relative, of course. Relative to most beer, in this case.
If you think it sounds like hard seltzer, know that the flavor is much different and much more natural. Also, “Thornies” are not nearly as sweet as most seltzers. This opinion is based on personal experience. My favorite of Thorntail Hard Agave’s three flavors is the sea salt lime because it immediately makes me think of margaritas. I suspect the passionfruit guava will appeal to many consumers: it is reminiscent of POG juice but nowhere near as sweet.
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The third flavor is peach strawberry, which is also good but is perhaps a bit too peachy for my tastes. You can taste the fuzz. It tastes like a peach, but all that real peach flavor is too much for my palate. Too much natural-tasting fruit flavor? Like I said, this stuff is not seltzer, which even at its best has an unnatural, medicinal flavor. Thorntail Hard Agave has none of that.
You might recognize the name VandenBrink
Remember, nobody has done this before. So how did we get here? To answer that question, you need to know the backstory. A few years ago, after selling Two Beers Brewing and Seattle Cider Company to a French agricultural cooperative, Joel VandenBrink was looking to do something that nobody had ever done before: produce tequila here in the Northwest, potentially using agave grown in Eastern Washington.
He erected a small craft distillery in his garage, began to mess around with the art of distilling, and learned more about tequila-making. He soon learned that making tequila is very difficult.
“I’ve got to admit that my homemade tequilas were pretty bad, but there was one part of the process that captured my attention,” said Thorntail’s CEO and founder Joel VandenBrink. “The fermented agave nectar that I was attempting to distill was quite tasty and had some intriguing benefits. Namely, it was gluten-free and low sugar.”
Fermented agave nectar was the spark, but VandenBrink wanted his new product to provide a health-conscious option to other alcoholic beverages. Yes, fermented agave nectar is gluten-free, relatively low in sugar, and low in carbs, but Thorntail Hard Agave is also low in carbonation, which is appealing to many up-and-coming alcohol consumers who do not want to feel, or look, bloated. Also, VandenBrink decided Thorntail should feature natural ingredients, like real fruit and all-natural sweeteners.
“We wanted to create a delicious alternative to the canned seltzers and overly carbonated vodka drinks that were on the market,” said Joel VandenBrink. “We thought about the clean health benefits of fermenting agave and saw an opportunity to create a more delicious, refreshing product that tasted crisp and could be enjoyed throughout the day without feeling the impact the next day. We created Thorntail to fit into our customers’ lives and where they want to be — with friends and family, out in nature and planning the next adventure.”
The product takes its name from the thorntail hummingbird, which is a primary pollinator of the agave plant. One final word, a data point if you will, the head change (buzz) created by consuming hard agave is reminiscent of a tequila buzz. It won’t make you sink sleepily into your chair, but it might make you dance. ¡Olé!
Learn more at drinkthorntail.com.
Disclaimer: I was provided with samples of Thorntail Hard Agave at no cost. If I didn’t like the product, I would not write about it here.
For more news about recent beer releases, visit the Washington Beer Blog’s New Beer Releases page.
