Vive ∙ Cherry
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
Cherry flavor is rarely subtle, which is why I was surprised that cherry is, perhaps, the lightest of the Vives I’ve tried. Especially considering that Vives usually have a more bold flavor. The cherry mostly hits in the aftertaste, when the flavor smoothly turns from sweet to “lightly infused with cherry Jolly Ranchers.”
Obviously, the flavor was more cherry candy than true cherry, but that’s to be expected. I did appreciate that there was nary a hint of the strong, lingering sugary aftertaste of some hard seltzers. Overall, it was a pleasant surprise, flavor-wise. As far as cherry spiked seltzers go, this is ideal.
Drinkability
It’s got all of the juicy flavor of a tropical drink, but way lighter. Vives are generally smooth, but this one is particularly so. At 5% ABV, that makes these potentially dangerous. But, with only 100 calories, you can probably afford it. Realistically, I probably wouldn’t choose this flavor first, but if you put me alone in a room with a dozen cans of cherry Vive, I’d be perfectly content.
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
I imagine this one mixes well with other seltzers. I didn’t have any Coke in the fridge, but I would have loved to have mixed the cherry Vive with Coke. It really did taste a bit like a cherry Coke minus the Coke. If you do it, let us know how it is.
Summary
Taste
4/5
Price
$$$
Drinkability
4/5
Hangover Ease
3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Cherry tasty
With a subtle but fruity taste and supreme smoothness and drinkability, the Cherry Vive is, unexpectedly, one of the stronger flavors. I wouldn’t change anything about it… except maybe the ABV.