Hard MTN DEW: The Wicked Good Review
If you’ve read this blog for any amount of time, you already know that it is my duty as a gaming journalist to review and discuss some of the most odd snacks and beverages out there. Usually I at least try to keep the criteria to stuff gamers would eat and drink, but we’ve colored outside the lines a few times as well… It’s to be expected when you’re in this business.
As we’ve previously reported, the good folks at Mountain Dew have had Hard MTN DEW in the works for quite some time now, and have recently added Baja Blast to their flavor lineup (thanks Bob for making that happen). The biggest downside to all of this, is that Hard MTN DEW is only available in three U.S. states at the moment, so it’s incredibly hard to come by.
Did I let that stop us? Fuck no. I put the Bat Signal out there, and luckily our pal Unfiltered Nerd was there to answer the call.
Hard MTN DEW is a hard seltzer-ish alcoholic beverage that brings some of the most recognizable flavors from the iconic soda into the booze market. Each can clocks in at 100 calories, zero sugar, and 5% ABV – which matches the tale of the tape for TRULY Hard Seltzer (also made by the Boston Beer Company which helped to create Hard MTN DEW).
Hard MTN DEW is available in 24oz. single-serve cans and a 12-pack 12oz. can Mix Pack that features three cans of each flavor. So how did we grade each flavor, you might ask? Well, since we’re incredibly serious journalists, we took a two-pronged approach to this review, and rated each Hard MTN DEW variety on Taste and Drinkability, separately. Taste is your traditional 1-10 score, where Drinkability is solely the number of how much we think we could drink in a single sitting before getting sick of them. For scale, my Taste and Drinkability score for Miller Lites is both like, 1000.
Without further ado, let’s get right to the review. Feel free to check out our full review below (starts at 23:47), but I’ll break down each score after the video to save you some time.
Watermelon
This flavor absolutely threw us for a loop, and coincidentally was the one we tried first. It was fizzy, sweet, but not too syrupy – and overall was close to our favorite out of the bunch. It was crisp and crushable, and is probably the most accessible flavor for someone who is just looking for a solid seltzer to mix in.
Taste
- Dom: 8.1
- Bob: 8
- Chris: 7.9
- Average Score: 7.0
Drinkability
- Dom: 3
- Bob: 2
- Chris: 3
- Average Score: 2.6
Original
We weren’t floored by the boozy equivalent to Mountain Dew’s iconic original flavor, but fans of citrusy seltzers may find something to love here. This is a one and done seltzer for all of us, but who knows – there’s something for everyone.
Taste
- Dom: 6.1
- Bob: 5
- Chris: 5.5
- Average Score: 5.5
Drinkability
- Dom: 1
- Bob: 1
- Chris: 1
- Average Score: 1
Black Cherry
This one was way too sweet for me, but I’m biased as someone who will always reach for a black cherry flavored anything last. Bob and Chris liked it a bit more, but it reminded us too much of a liquid cough drop to crush more than one apiece.
Taste
- Dom: 2.8
- Bob: 6.5
- Chris: 6.2
- Average Score: 5.1
Drinkability
- Dom: .5
- Bob: 2
- Chris: 1
- Average Score: 1
Baja Blast
The high watermark for flavors out of this current lineup, Baja Blast was exactly what we thought it’d be. All the familiar flavors you love in a Taco Bell drive thru at three in the morning, except this one is going to keep your buzz going rather than soothe it. Baja Blast was crisp, refreshing, and I could absolutely see myself taking down four or more of these when the mood strikes.
Taste
- Dom: 8.5
- Bob: 7.5
- Chris: 7.4
- Average Score: 7.8
Drinkability
- Dom: 4
- Bob: 3
- Chris: 3
- Average Score: 3
The Final Verdict
The Good: Baja Blast and Watermelon are very solid seltzer alternatives, and I can see myself taking a few for a ride when a very specific mood strikes. More field research is necessary to see if they’ll have staying power in my home fridge, however.
The Bad: 50% of the flavors here are pretty close to being hits, but the other half in Black Cherry and Original aren’t tastes I’m looking forward to experiencing again anytime soon due to their syrupy sweetness.
Average Score (all four flavors): 6.3/10
Mountain Dew and the Boston Beer Company are on the cusp of greatness with this lineup, and I can see a very particular subset of people making this their seltzer of choice. In a world where everyone’s trying to find the next “healthy” way to get a buzz, I can’t see Hard MTN DEW knocking off any of the big three seltzer brands anytime soon, but I absolutely hope the product sticks around and becomes more widely available soon.
If Hard MTN DEW is available in your area, go give it a shot and let us know what you think here in the comments or on Twitter at @WickedGoodGames.
