Hard Tea and Lemonade Are Having a Moment

The turn of the century brought something new to the beverage world: hard lemonade and hard tea. Now, two-plus decades later, these boozy and nostalgic drinks are enjoying a resurgence in popularity.

Mike’s Hard Lemonade introduced its iconic product in 1999 and sold two million cases in its first year. Earlier this year, the brand revived a formerly discontinued variant, Mike’s Hard Limeade. Twisted Tea came around in 2001, and last year, Lipton Iced Tea announced it would release its own take on hard iced tea. Drizly reports significant growth of this category over the past four years, and Colorado's craft beverage makers are taking notice of the trend.

“I think that after the hard seltzer craze, people are looking for more full-flavored cocktails,” says Wyn Ferrell, owner of Mile High Spirits. “Lemonade is a refreshing and approachable option which can be presented with a wide variety of flavors, like ours having tequila and strawberry.”

Ferrell adds that business at Mile High Spirits' Denver tasting room, at 2201 Lawrence Street, helps the distillery develop new products. A tequila-based strawberry lemonade cocktail has been on the menu for years and is consistently a best seller, so it became the inspiration for the canned cocktail in the same flavor.

Last month, Stem Ciders introduced Imperial Hard Peach Tea and Hard Mango Lemonade simultaneously, available in sixteen-ounce four packs. These 8 percent ABV canned cocktails boast less sugar than other mainstream lemonade and hard tea brands and utilize a classic apple wine for the base. Patrick Combs, Stem's director of liquids, says venturing into hard teas and lemonades made complete sense, as the company already has a strong focus on refreshing, fruit-forward beverages.
WeldWerks Brewing Co. debuted a hard iced tea with lemon in May called Giddy Up. The brewery had previously experimented with using tea in some of its beers, such as the Arnold Palmer-inspired Ain’t No Hurry, a sour ale brewed with black tea, and Morning Mojo Vanilla Porter, an English-Style porter brewed with a tea blend from Colorado-based company the Tea Spot.

With those pleasing results, a hard tea seemed like a good option. “We were ready to experiment with tea again on a larger scale that will be more accessible to everyone,” says the brewery's director of operations, Derek Gold. The base is derived from malted barley, just like the beer. To that, black tea and different fruit purées are added. Giddy Up, which comes in at 5 percent ABV, has gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback at summer festivals this year, Gold notes. The Greeley-based brewery has also made a peach version and may add more variations in the future.

New Belgium recently released the lemon-flavored Voodoo Ranger Hardcharged Tea, which is available in 24-ounce cans. “People are loving Hardcharged Tea,” says Voodoo Ranger brand manager Michelle Robertson. “We’re getting a lot of positive feedback from our fans, and there’s a huge demand for it across the U.S.” The Fort Collins brewery had previously introduced Wild Nectar, a hard fruit juice that is available in several flavors, such as strawberry guava and passion fruit lime. 

In January, Breckenridge Brewery, which was acquired by cannabis lifestyle brand Tilray this month, introduced Good Company Yerba Mate Tea Hard Seltzers. They are currently available in four flavors: yuzu, blueberry, orange and mixed berry. These tea-based drinks are available in a variety pack, but at its Farm House restaurant in Littleton, each is sold individually. There, yuzu and mixed berry have emerged as the favorites. According to head brewer Carl Heinz, after the fermentation process, a method akin to dry-hopping is used to infuse traditionally cut yerba mate leaves sourced from Brazil. Then fruit juice is added to create each unique flavor.

Local company Mad Lemon released its vodka-spiked lemonade in 2021 after its owners found success selling non-alcoholic, maple-sweetened lemonade at farmers’ markets. Since then, it has introduced several flavors in addition to the original: raspberry key lime, ginger pear and pineapple jalapeño.

If you're looking for summer refreshments, these homegrown options deliver a truly delicious buzz.