When thinking about canned hard iced tea brands, the first name that comes to most people’s minds is Boston Beer’s Twisted Tea.
The Original Twisted Tea is made with brewed black tea, sugar, and natural flavors. However, its 5% alcohol volume doesn’t come from liquor; it’s a malt-based, non-carbonated beverage.
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The second thing that might pop into some people’s minds upon hearing this infamous name is the good old college years.
Back in our college phase, we all remember the days when partying seemed to be the only form of entertainment, and as broke college students, finding the cheapest alcoholic beverage possible was like scoring the jackpot.
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Although we might now be able to afford and consume the more premium selections, back then, Svedka and Smirnoff were our vodkas of choice, Franzia was the finest wine we could afford, and Twisted Tea was our favorite boozy canned beverage.
Anheuser-Busch launches a new canned beverage, steering away from beer.
A new hard tea has emerged and is ready to dominate the market
Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) is one of the world’s largest brewing companies and owns over 100 renowned brands. If the company’s name doesn’t sound familiar, it manufactures the most well-known beers, including Bud Light, Budweiser, and Michelob Ultra, to name a few.
However, the brewing company has decided to expand its portfolio by launching Skimmers. Like most of its beverages, it’s ready-to-drink and canned, but instead of having a malt base, it’s a vodka-infused tea with a 4.5% alcohol volume, two grams of sugar, and only 100 calories.
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Although no alcoholic beverage is actually healthy, especially for the liver, this new canned drink is slightly better for you than the rest because it cuts out all the unnecessary sugar and reduces the caloric content.
Skimmers is available in four different flavors to suit everyone’s palate: Original Tea, Half & Half, Peach Tea, and Lemonade.
Anheuser-Busch remains innovative and adaptive with Skimmers to propel growth
Skimmers is a way for Anheuser-Busch to keep up with the competition and the ever-evolving consumer market to boost growth and stay relevant.
Over the last few years, healthier beverage alternatives have disrupted the beverage market in the alcoholic and non-alcoholic sectors. They are growing in popularity due to newer generations’ more health-conscious approach and attention to ingredients in the products they consume.
The alcohol market has also been facing continuous slowdowns since the COVID-19 pandemic, which was a prosperous era for the industry. Leading many companies to struggle with declining sales.
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However, despite the concerning slump, there seems to be a high demand for hard iced tea.
The global hard tea market was valued at $2 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a yearly rate of nearly 25% through 2030, according to a study by Grand View Research.
Many companies have recently launched hard iced teas to expand their portfolios, including Coca-Cola’s (KO) Peach Hard Tea, Hornell Brewing’s Arizona Hard, and Stateside’s Surfside. Even Boston Beer previously launched its own vodka-infused tea, Sun Cruiser.
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