Move over seltzer, The Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo have announced they’re collaborating to produce an alcoholic Mountain Dew called HARD MTN DEW.  

The beverage, which will have black cherry and watermelon among its flavours, won’t contain caffeine and sugar and will have an alcohol by volume of 5%.

“We know that adult drinkers’ tastes are evolving, and they are looking for new and exciting flavorful beverages. The combination of our experience in brewing and developing the best-tasting hard seltzers and hard teas, and Mountain Dew, a one of kind multi-billion dollar brand, will deliver the excitement and refreshment that drinkers know and love,” said Dave Burwick, Boston Beer’s CEO. 

“For 80 years Mountain Dew has challenged the status quo, bringing bold flavours and unmatched beverage innovation to millions of fans,” said Kirk Tanner, PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO. “The Boston Beer Company partnership combines two recognized leaders in our respective industries to address the changing tastes of drinkers and we are thrilled at the opportunity to create HARD MTN DEW that maintains the bold, citrus flavor fans know and expect.” 

As part of the business arrangement, Boston Beer will develop and produce new HARD MTN DEW and PepsiCo has set up a new entity to sell, deliver, and merchandise the product. US consumers can expect to see HARD MTN DEW on shelves in early 2022.

“Hard” soft drinks aren’t a new concept in the US. Mike’s Hard Lemonade was released in 1999 by Mark Anthony Brands, the company behind White Claw, while Truly Lemonade notched up over $300 million in sales in a year after being released early in 2020, according to Nielsen data. 

The new HARD MTN DEW product comes after Boston Beer announced last month that it overestimated the growth of its hard-seltzer category in the second quarter, with demand for its Truly product – which is second in the market behind White Claw – being lower than anticipated. 

Jack Daniel’s launches Tennessee Seltzer