MillerCoors launches hard soda brand
With the explosion of craft beer proving a demand for designer adult beverages, MillerCoors is tapping in on the hard soda trend, announcing the launch of Henry’s Hard Soda.
The 4.2 percent alcohol by volume craft beverages, made with real cane sugar, will initially be sold in ginger ale and orange soda flavors.
According to MillerCoors, the new hard sodas are inspired by the spirit of Henry Weinhard, a brewer known in the Pacific Northwest for making flavorful beers and soda.
“One of the main reasons why I love this product is because life is busy with work, kids and bills, but there's always time to sneak in a little fun with friends,” says Bryan Ferschinger, MillerCoors senior director of innovations. “Beer is great, but now we also have Henry's Hard Soda – an option that gives a little more flavor and excitement.”
While Americans’ taste for soft drinks is fizzling out, purchases of soda packing booze are on the rise. According to market research firm IRI, the third top-selling craft beer brand between January 2015 and November 2015 was a hard root beer made by a small brewery north of Chicago. Alcoholic root beer was all the rage in 2015 with the top nine brands amounting more than $116 million in sales for the 12-month period ending Nov. 29, 2015, according to a recent article in the Chicago Tribune.
Dan Wandel, principal of beverage alcohol client insights at IRI, told the Tribune “there's going to be an explosion of those things coming out. Time will tell if it's going to be a fad.”
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