White Claw Reveals New Drink With Even Higher Alcohol Content

White Claw is taking it to the next level this summer with White Claw Hard Seltzer Surge, a new drink with even more alcohol by volume (ABV). According to a report by Delish, White Claw Hard Seltzer Surge comes with a few new flavors, but for many, the real exciting part will be the alcohol content — 8 percent ABV. That’s 3 percent higher than the original White Claw, and Surge will also be available in 16-ounce cans.

White Claw Surge will reportedly be available this summer in two flavors: Blood Orange and Cranberry. This expands the drink company’s already wide selection, but the Surge cans will come in blue rather than the classic white, to make sure there is no mistaking the strong stuff. White Claw apparently intends to sell Surge individually by the can for now, with each one costing an estimated $2.99 per can. Meanwhile, White Claw has other big plans for the summer of 2021 as well.

White Claw is also releasing a new variety pack called Flavor Collection No. 3, which will come with strawberry, pineapple and blackberry flavored drinks. These will be the original White Claw Hard Seltzers, with 5 percent ABC, two grams of sugar and 100 calories per can. Sadly, these 12-packs will only be available with 12-ounce cans. Of course, other variety packs will still be available.

White Claw made waves when it was first introduced to liquor stores in the U.S. in 2016, promising a great drink with less sugar. Its rise in popularity has been meteoric since then, though many revelers still joke that it is weaker than a beer or a glass of wine. Whether that sentiment is true or not, the introduction of White Claw Surge should interest those critics.

White Claw has led the charge in hard seltzer popularity in general, at least in the U.S. According to a report by The Takeout, over half of the hard seltzer sales in 2019 were White Claw, and the company grew 275 percent that year. Creator Anthony von Mandl estimated that White Claw was worth $4 billion in a 2020 interview with Forbes.

In fact, White Claws are so popular that there are sometimes shortages of the beverage in some areas, particularly in the summer months. This is an intentional strategy, executives explained to CNN Business in 2019, holding retailers over until the nationwide stock of White Claw is in “a safe position.” It is not clear if more White Claw shortages could be on the horizon in the summer of 2021. However, with the coronavirus vaccine circulating and public places opening up, the drinks are sure to be in high demand.