Hard seltzers and sodas are all over store shelves right now, and another serious contender is entering the fight to dethrone beer as your go-to ice-cold adult beverage.
Mountain Dew is about to release a boozy version of its iconic citrus soda — which is a move that now seems so obvious for the risk-loving brand that we’re wondering why it took it so long to make it happen.
In August, Hard Mountain Dew was announced as a new extension of the beloved soda brand with its own Twitter profile. In a series of tweets, the brand announced the new alcoholic take on Mountain Dew, with three flavors initially unveiled for the line. Those were classic Mountain Dew, Black Cherry and Watermelon, each with a can design to match the over-the-top vibe of the brand’s usual marketing.
Something’s coming…
@MountainDew pic.twitter.com/2glnQmEwJY
— Hard Mountain Dew (@hardmountaindew) August 10, 2021
When the announcement was made on social media, many commenters looked this bubbly gift horse in the mouth and immediately begged for a boozy take on Baja Blast. A few months later, their prayers were answered when Boston Beer Co. — the brewer behind these drinks — announced that Baja Blast would join the other flavors.
On Jan. 28, Brewbound, a publication that covers the beer industry, reported that variety packs of the four flavors of Hard Mountain Dew would finally be hitting shelves in late February. This means that just as the ice finally starts to thaw, you’ll be able to fill your fridge with cans of this latest soda-inspired hard seltzer.
If you look at the cans, you’ll notice each of the varieties contains zero sugar, which was a sticking point for many people in the brand’s initial Twitter thread. Several people were asking whether the hard sodas contained sugar substitutes, but the brand was mum on that front.
Other details that have been revealed so far include that the drinks will each pack in 5% alcohol by volume and contain no caffeine. Unfortunately for many, the drinks will only be available at retailers in Florida, Iowa and Tennessee at launch but the company says more states will be added to the list throughout 2022.
Mountain Dew is just the latest big-name brand to jump into the crowded marketplace of boozy sodas and seltzers. Everyone from Sonic Drive-In to Warheads to Barefoot Wines and even Blake Shelton have gotten in on the trend recently. It’s tough to blame them when you consider that sales of hard seltzers have grown immensely in the past five years, from $41 million in 2016 to $2.5 billion in 2021.
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.
