‘The Beginning of the End of Our Republic’: Mountain Dew Sends People Reeling After Announcing Its Foray Into the Alcohol Market

The alcoholic beverage is set to hit the shelves next year.

By Emily Rella • Aug 10, 2021

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The hard seltzer market may be seemingly oversaturated, but brands who have never before dabbled in the world of alcohol are taking advantage of an already loyal customer base and legacy base product (aka soda) to enter and hopefully disrupt the market.

This is the case for Mountain Dew, which sent people into a frenzy after announcing that it would be teaming up with the Boston Beer Company to release “HARD MTN DEW’, a flavored malt beverage that weighs in at 5% alcohol per serving.

Mountain Dew is owned by PepsiCo, which hopes to see the new product hit stores and shelves by 2022.

“For 80 years MTN DEW has challenged the status quo, bringing bold flavors and unmatched beverage innovation to millions of fans,” PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO Kirk Tanner said in a company statement. “The Boston Beer Company partnership combines two recognized leaders in our respective industries to address the changing tastes of drinkers and we are thrilled at the opportunity to create HARD MTN DEW that maintains the bold, citrus flavor fans know and expect.”

Related: 11 Ways Drinking Alcohol Can Make You Smarter, Healthier and More Creative

Naturally, the masses began dubbing the new drink “the next Four Loko,” the infamous canned and caffeinated alcoholic beverage that was infamously taken off the market in 2010 for safety concerns before re-entering the scene with a new and improved recipe.

Some questioned “Do we need this?” while others said that the new product “feels illegal” with the more dramatic responses insisting that the release of the beverage “could possibly bring about the destruction of all humanity.”

Per both companies, it hasn’t been made clear whether or not the new beverage will have caffeine in it, leaving some to call the new drink the “the fabled fifth loco,” claiming that “Four Loko walked so Hard Mountain Dew can run.”

The beverage will come in three flavors — black cherry, watermelon and original Mountain Dew flavor, all with zero sugar.

PepsiCo stock was up over 14% year over year as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Related: Don’t Worry About Boston Beer’s (NYSE: SAM) Post-Pandemic Prospects

The hard seltzer market may be seemingly oversaturated, but brands who have never before dabbled in the world of alcohol are taking advantage of an already loyal customer base and legacy base product (aka soda) to enter and hopefully disrupt the market.

This is the case for Mountain Dew, which sent people into a frenzy after announcing that it would be teaming up with the Boston Beer Company to release “HARD MTN DEW’, a flavored malt beverage that weighs in at 5% alcohol per serving.

Mountain Dew is owned by PepsiCo, which hopes to see the new product hit stores and shelves by 2022.

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Emily Rella

Senior News Writer
Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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