St. LOUIS — A new hard seltzer is entering the market in the first quarter of 2020.
Bud Light Seltzer is Anheuser-Busch’s latest addition to its hard seltzer category, which also includes Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer and Natural Light Seltzer.
The St. Louis-based brewer’s newest hard seltzer (5% ABV) is made with sparkling water, cane sugar and natural fruit flavors. It comes in four varieties: black cherry, mango, lemon lime and strawberry.
The 100-calorie drink is brewed with a five-step filtration process that ensures a cleaner finish with no aftertaste, according to A-B. It is naturally carbonated, gluten-free and made with less than 1 gram of sugar.
It will be available in a 12-pack variety pack and single-flavor 12 packs (with 12-ounce slim cans) and in 25-ounce cans.
“Seltzer has brought excitement to the entire category and brought consumers back to beer. We are looking forward to leveraging the power of the Bud Light brand to help grow the category,” said Andy Goeler, Bud Light's marketing vice president.
Joining Bud Light in releasing a seltzer soon under a beer brand is New York-based Constellation Brands, which will introduce Corona Hard Seltzer in spring 2020.
About 74% of convenience-store shoppers are purchasing hard seltzers more often than they were a year ago, according to a MarketBrief report from Technomic presented in September at CSP's Cold Vault Forum.
A-B owns and operates 12 flagship breweries, 12 craft partners, 14 distributorships and 23 agricultural and packaging facilities. Its beer brands include Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois, as well as regional brands.
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