Boston Beer replaced the two flavors in its Truly Extra Hard Seltzer line with Pineapple Orange Punch and Berry Blast.
Pineapple Orange Punch, “bursting with pineapple and orange flavor with hints of passionfruit and mango for a tropical twist” will replace the original Peach Mango flavor. Berry Blast is a “remix” of Black Raspberry, with “a juicy blend of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry flavors.”
The 8.5% ABV hard seltzers launched in March 2021. Both are available in 16 oz. single-serve cans, and are sold “primarily in convenience stores,” Dave DeCecco, Boston Beer head of communications, told Brewbound via email. Both flavors are exclusive to the higher-ABV line, and not available in Truly’s original 5%-ABV hard seltzer lineup.
Off-premise sales of Black Raspberry ($6.9 million) and Peach Mango ($6.4 million) in NielsenIQ’s total U.S. xAOC + liquor plus convenience accounted for about 1% of the Truly brand family’s dollar sales in 2021, Bump Williams Consulting (BWC) told Brewbound.
White Claw’s comparable higher ABV hard seltzer line, White Claw Surge, outsold Truly Extra single-serves last year “in terms of size,” with $13.1 million in sales for Surge Blood Orange and $12.8 million in sales for Surge Cranberry. However BWC noted that the brand velocity levels were similar, suggesting that the larger distribution reach of White Claw’s Surge offering accounted for the higher sales.
White Claw’s Surge variety pack, with $24.8 million in sales in observed channels, outperformed higher ABV individual flavors in size and velocity. Truly Extra does not have a variety pack offering.
Update: March 9, 3:00PM
DeCecco told Brewbound Boston Beer “wanted to refresh the berry flavor as part of the new, bolder positioning of the Extra line so we optimized the formula to be a bit more complex – going from just black raspberry to a mix of blackberry, raspberry and blueberry flavors.”
He said that no further flavor releases are planned for the Truly Extra hard seltzer line, but that the company is “always evaluating our options.”