Vive ∙ Grapefruit
Cold Hard Facts
Available in 12 oz. skinny cans sold within 12-can variety packs
2g sugar
100 calories
8 calories from sugar, 92 calories from alcohol
Flavor Profile
Grapefruit Vive is coming for Ruby Grapefruit White Claw’s spot. It’s genuinely hard to say which one is superior because they taste so similar. Grapefruit Vive tastes every-so-slightly more artificial, but it is still true to the fruit. It has the industry standard 2 grams of sugar, but it manages to taste less sweet than the average seltzer. If you like dry drinks and grapefruit, this is the seltzer for you, but if you prefer something closer to a San Pellegrino Pompelmo, reach for something else. This is about as close as you can get to seltzer mixed with a splash of fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice as you can get.
Of Vive’s 8-flavor range, Grapefruit is firmly the best. When you’re in the beer aisle choosing between Vive and White Claw variety packs, it will come down to the other flavors in the 12-pack.
Drinkability
At 5%, you can drink all Vive seltzers all day long. What’s the catch? You’ll be pretty turnt by the end of the day. For day drinking, a seltzer in the low 4% range is much more reasonable. Because of the mild flavor and aftertaste, the more of these you drink, the easier they go down. Because Vive is on the milder side flavor-wise, all seltzers in this line are very easy to drink and may end up going down a little too easily a few rounds in. If you have a cooler of hard seltzers, drink the Vive seltzers first.
Price
Vive brand seltzers are relatively new, so it’s tough to say what pricing will be like as they travel farther from the source and as their production gains economies of scale. Given that Braxton Brewing Company is very close to our HQ and Vive is new, here is the HardSeltzerReviews.com price index estimate:
Dive Bar
$3-5 for a 12 oz. can
Bar/Restaurant
$4-6 for a 12 oz. can
$5 at Braxton Brewing Co.
Store
$18 for a 12-pack of 12 oz. cans
Recommendations
Drink Ruby Grapefruit White Claw by itself or with gin for an extra boozy grapefruit gin and soda. If vodka is your clear spirit of choice, make sure to serve it over ice to avoid overwhelming your nose. It mixes well with other mild hard seltzers.
Summary
Taste
5/5
Price
$$$
Drinkability
5/5
Hangover Ease
3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
An Excellent Choice
The flavor and drinkability of Grapefruit Vive are top-notch. The price and hangover cost are a little less appealing, but not enough to take away from what is ultimately an excellent beverage. The perfect version of this seltzer has 10-20% less alcohol and 50-100% less sugar. If you love supporting local &/ craft breweries, a case of Vive is definitely worth a try. If you’re outside of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana and Vive is $3 more per case than something else you want to try, we recommend waiting until prices are more competitive.