Mountain Dew goes hard like Boston Beer partner PepsiCo on a boozy version

Mountain Dew gets a boost.

PepsiCo Inc. and Boston Beer Co. have announced their intention to partner on an alcoholic version of Mountain Dew soft drink with the Hard Mtn Dew brand. The upcoming product is a nod to what companies see as changing tastes of drinkers, executives said Tuesday.

Boston Beer, the company behind Samuel Adams beer and Angry Orchard strong cider, will make Mountain Dew alcoholic, while PepsiCo has set up a new entity to sell the product, the companies said. They expect it to be on the shelves in early 2022.

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The drink, which will have black cherry and watermelon flavors, will not contain caffeine or sugar, a Boston Beer spokesperson said. The drink will have an alcohol by volume of 5%, the companies said.

The Boston Beer Company and PepsiCo today announced their intention to enter into a commercial collaboration to produce the HARD MTN DEW alcoholic beverage. Partnership unites Boston Beer’s world-class alcoholic beverage innovation and expertise with one from Pepsi

New product comes after Boston Beer said it last month overestimated the growth of its hard-seltzer category in the second quarter, demand for its Truly product was lower than expected. Meanwhile, PepsiCo and its rivals, including Coca-Cola Co., have been working for years to move their beverage sales away from sugary drinks and towards low-calorie offerings such as diet soda, flavored seltzer water, and bottled water.

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PepsiCo introduced an energy drink called Mountain Dew Rise this year because the company leans heavily on the category. Last year he spent $ 3.85 billion on energy drink company Rockstar.

The beverage giant said last week that it sell Tropicana and other juice brands to private equity firm PAI Partners, parting with one of its most famous holdings in an attempt to drive growth.