Are you ready to get a little extra? After much anticipation, Truly Spiked & Sparkling is releasing its new imperial hard seltzer nationwide.

Truly Extra Hard Seltzer contains 8% ABV. It is being released in two new flavors – Black Raspberry and Peach Mango. It contains one gram of sugar and 220 calories per 16 oz. can.

The two extra hard flavors enjoyed a successful trial run in NY area markets last summer. The Truly brand is growing faster than its competitors at 122%, according to a press release announcing the launch.

Differentiating with More Alcohol

Boston Beer (NYSE: SAM) saw an opportunity in the increasingly crowded hard seltzer market for a single serve, higher ABV beverages.  One 16 ounce can of Extra has about twice the alcohol content of a 12 ounce can of Truly’s original hard seltzer.

“We saw an opportunity for a higher ABV product that had everything drinkers know and love about hard seltzer, without having to compromise on calories and sugar,” says Don Lane, VP of Truly Brand.

“With this release, we’re continuing to show drinkers that we’re not only listening, we’re delivering. Truly’s foundation is built on the belief that no one is just one flavor, which is why we’re expanding our portfolio yet again to offer options that suit anyone, any time, any place.”

Other Truly Innovations

2021 has already been a big year for the Boston Beer owned Truly. In January it released its Truly Iced Tea Hard Seltzer. According to a statement from the company, the sparkling hard iced tea “has already grabbed 5.1% share of the category in its first two months, making Truly Iced Tea the number five hard seltzer SKU in market.”

“With each innovation, we’re pushing the boundaries of what drinkers expect from hard seltzer,” said Casey O’Neill, senior product development manager at the Boston Beer Company. “We spent eight months testing more than 250 iterations to land on the Truly Iced Tea launching today and can’t wait to finally share it with our drinkers.”

Truly has been a pioneer in the growing iced tea and lemonade seltzer segments. In early 2020 it released its Lemonade Hard Seltzer variety pack, which has since inspired many competitors to release their own seltzer lemonades.

“Truly Lemonade is holding at nearly 9% share of the entire hard seltzer category, despite brands like Bud Light and Mike’s working to play catch-up with copy-cat products,” the company boasted.

With the release of the two new imperial flavors, Truly is now available in over 20 spiked and sparkling varieties, offering something for everyone.

“As the hard seltzer category continues to explode, we’re excited to bring another first-to-market product to our drinkers and fuel their discovery through new flavors,” says Lesya Lysyj, chief marketing officer of the Boston Beer Company.

“Truly believes in inclusivity and that no one is just one flavor, which is why we’re once again expanding our portfolio to offer a flavor for everyone. Truly Iced Tea is another testament to the mega-brand we’re building and our relentless innovation, and trust us, it will be your cup of tea.”

One of the early adaptors to the hard seltzer market, Boston Beer truly is turning its OG spiked and sparkling seltzer into a mega-brand. Truly continues to innovate and expand the category, and we can’t wait to see just how Extra the new harder seltzer is.

Erin Grafton
Latest posts by Erin Grafton (see all)