It's Gonna Be Another White Claw Summer, With New White Claw And Higher Alcohol Content

Last summer, at the height of the pandemic, we didn't leave the apartment much, but we did sip on hard seltzer in the backyard now and then. It filled the craving for something nice and cooling without the heaviness of a full-bodied beer, perfect for a breezy warm day.

This summer is going to be a lot different. Once everyone's vaccines finally kick in and they strap those party helmets on, there's no stopping that train. White Claw planned ahead: it just announced that it's releasing a new line called Hard Seltzer Surge, kicking up the alcohol content to 8% and the can size up to 16 ounces. The bori— uh, original version of White Claw is 5% alcohol in a 12-ounce can, so the bottom line is, there's more booze and more volume in the new line. The new flavors are blood orange and cranberry.

It's not quite FourLoko's seltzer, which comes in at a whopping 14% ABV and immediately hisses, "Please keep the fire extinguisher on standby," but I could see a couple of these really changing the dynamic of a backyard barbecue pretty quickly. When you hear someone switch the playlist from Barry Manilow to LMFAO, start running and whatever you do, do not look back.

If that's not enough, there's a new regular-octane release of three new flavors: strawberry, pineapple, and blackberry. You can find these in a variety pack called Hard Seltzer Variety Pack Flavor Collection No. 3, which is quite a mouthful. That collection contains mango as well, which already existed but is a fan favorite.