Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade, Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer, more new hard seltzer flavors debut for 2021

Morgan Hines, USA TODAY

The hard seltzer boom that started a couple years ago and grew during the pandemic is carrying on in the new year as brands continue to embrace the drink's success with a cooler full of new flavors and products.

A year after Anheuser-Busch launched its Bud Light Seltzer, the company has come out with its latest iteration of flavors with Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade.

Bud Light started its foray into the seltzer space with what Andy Goeler, vice president of marketing for Bud Light, said was a range of four basic flavors, including lemon lime, black cherry, mango and strawberry.

And in its first year, Bud Light Seltzer came out with other packs, including a Remix Pack, an Ugly Sweater Pack and also Bud Light Seltzer Platinum — which contains a higher alcohol content.

Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade
Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade

Goeler told USA TODAY that as Bud Light started to plan for 2021 and continued looking at the seltzer category, the company started looking into different segments for the beverage.

Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade was the answer.

"We wanted to provide a lemonade that was the best lemonade seltzer," he continued, noting that other brands, including Truly Hard Seltzer, also have a lemonade-flavored hard seltzer.

Bud Light Seltzer Lemonade's variety pack comes with four flavors that pack a punch of sweetness and fizz: original lemonade, black cherry lemonade, strawberry lemonade and peach lemonade. They each contain 100 calories and less than one gram of sugar. and come in 12 packs of a 12 oz. slim can.

And Bud Light Seltzer isn't the only brand that has put out new seltzer flavors for the new year. Several other brands have released seltzers at the end of 2020 or early in 2021 as the drink continues to grow.

Michelob Ultra adds organic seltzer

Michelob Ultra, another Anheuser-Busch brand, touted its recent release as the first USDA-certified organic hard seltzer: Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer.

The refreshing seltzer that feels appropriate for a summer soirée (or Sunday night football, whichever you prefer) clocks in at 80 calories with zero grams of sugar and comes in three flavors: spicy pineapple, peach pear and cucumber lime. It's available in a 12 pack of 12 oz. cans, a 24 pack of 12 oz. cans and a 25 oz. can.

Later this year, Michelob will release a second pack featuring new flavors not yet announced.

Ricardo Marques, vice president of Michelob Ultra, said in a statement that the brand's first seltzer is the "prefect choice" for people looking for an organic option.

Craft brewers have new flavors coming, too

As major brewers come out with new seltzer flavors and brands, smaller companies, including craft brewers, are adding to the flavor range in the seltzer industry, too.

Bruce Downes, head of marketing at Willie's Superbrew, a regional craft brewing company available throughout New England, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY that Willie's is coming out with a new flavor.

On March 1, Willie's will add a new flavor, grapefruit and Lime, to its lineup, which already includes flavors such as ginger and lemon, mango and passionfruit, pomegranate and acai, pineapple and lime, and blueberry and lemon.

Grapefruit and lime features a dash of sea salt and will be a 100-calorie seltzer with no added sugar. Downes called it "delightfully bright and citrusy."

It will be "the perfect drink to shake off winter and kick off spring," Downes added, noting it comes in a six pack for $10.99 and will be available for spring and summer.

Like Willie's, Karbach Brewing Co., another regional brewery, came out with its own hard seltzer on Jan. 4 called Ranch Water that features lime and agave and is available throughout Texas.

Ranch Water comes after Karbach faced a demand from their customer base for a seltzer, David Graham, marketing manager for Karbach, told USA TODAY in a statement.

“Folks of all kinds come to the brewery, and a lot of times we’re getting requests for something outside the ‘normal’ beer world and something that is lower in carbs and calories," Graham said. "Ranch Water Hard Seltzer has been our most strenuous product development, probably of all time, at the brewery."

It took Karbach two years to perfect the 90 calorie seltzer that contains five grams of sugar and sits at a 4.5% alcohol content, Graham added. Ranch Water is available in six and 12 packs of 12 oz. cans and in 16 oz. cans on site at the brewery.

Once believed a fad: Hard seltzer is showing no signs of fizzling

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bud Light Seltzer, Michelob Ultra hard seltzer flavors debut

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