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Hard Seltzer Flavors Are Out Of Control, But I'm Not Mad About It — Here Are The Wildest New Flavors From Bud Light And Truly

I'm swimming in hard seltzer!

Hannah Dobrogosz
by Hannah Dobrogosz

BuzzFeed Staff

Hey friends, it's your boozy best friend back with another iteration of Hannah's Happy Hour! As you may have already gathered, I love sampling and rating different alcoholic beverages. Though I was stubborn to hop on the hard seltzer bandwagon at first, I've become quite the avid fan in the past year. Sooo, I'm here today to sample some adventurous new flavors from Bud Light and Truly. Let's do this!

woman at a bar for halloween with a drink
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I had the pleasure of sampling Bud Light Seltzer's Sour Variety Pack, Truly's Margarita Style Mix Pack, and Bud Light Seltzer's Hard Soda Variety Pack. Here they are in all their glory, chillin' on my couch.

12 packs of budlight sour seltzers, truly margaritas, and bud light seltzer hard sodas
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Of course, I was eager to dive in, but I knew I couldn't sample all of these alone! So, I enlisted the help of my roommate, Caitlin, and we began our elegant seltzer tasting (from our couch while watching MTV's Catfish).

Netflix / Via media.giphy.com

We started with the Bud Light Seltzer Sour Variety Pack. The flavors are Lemon, Green Apple, Watermelon, and Blue Raspberry.

box of bud light sour seltzers
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Lemon

can of sour lemon seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman holding a seltzer
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While this selfie looks like there's some pain in my eyes (am I OK?), this was not nearly as sour as I was bracing for. Full disclosure, I don't really love sour things, with the exception of sour gummy worms and Sour Patch Kids. I had the idea in my head that this was going to taste like one of those ridiculously sour lemon candies, and my tongue was curling at the sheer thought of it. Surprisingly, this had a much more subtle flavor. It was giving lemon La Croix vibes. If you're like me and always down to create a quick, at-home cocktail, this would pair really well with a lemon (or citrusy) vodka. Overall, it was decent, but neither of us were blown away. 

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 5.5/10 and caitlin's rating 5.5/10"
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Green Apple

green apple sour seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman sipping a seltzer
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I popped open that can, and it was like, boom, the fresh aroma of a green apple Jolly Rancher. Now that takes me back! This one was a little more flavorful than the lemon, but it was still pretty subtle. It had a hint of that classic Jolly Rancher flavor, but it wasn't aggressively sweet or sour. No nose twitching or tongue curling here. To me, it tasted like a fun Halloween drink, and it was neon green to match that theme!

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 7/10 and caitlin's rating 6/10"
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Watermelon

watermelon sour seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman holding a seltzer
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Oh my god, it tasted like Sour Patch watermelon candies!!!! Watermelon-flavored things aren't usually my jam, but this was a tasty time. It smelled really good, and was probably the most flavorful yet! I was surprised by how much I didn't hate it. It didn't taste like actual watermelon, but that's probably why it works as a whimsical seltzer. Caitlin was very on board with this flavor as well. 

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 8/10 and caitlin's rating 8.5/10"
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Blue Raspberry

can of blue raspberry sour seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman sipping a seltzer
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Oh god. Look at those pink cheeks. My dead giveaway. Anywayyy, this was the one I was most excited to try. The smell wasn't exactly what I was expecting — it didn't have that typical fakey, blue raspberry charm to it. But, boy oh boy, did it taste good. Think Fun Dip, or perhaps Pixy Stix. It was as nostalgic and fun as I was hoping it would be! Again, not too aggressively sweet or sour, but I think that made it much more palatable. 

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 8.5/10 and caitlin's rating 8.5/10"
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Next was the Truly Margarita Style Mix Pack. The flavors are: Strawberry Hibiscus, Watermelon Cucumber, Classic Lime, and Mango Chili.

box of truly seltzer margaritas
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Strawberry Hibiscus

can of strawberry hibiscus margarita seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman holding a strawberry hibiscus margarita seltzer
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Ooh, this was super tasty and refreshing! It was pretty sweet, so I can't imagine drinking a few of these back to back. That would be like pounding a bunch of alcoholic Capri Suns. It didn't really have that tequila tanginess that screams "margarita flavor," but I understand this is a seltzer and not an actual canned cocktail. Overall, we both were pretty pleased.

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 8/10 and caitlin's rating 7.5/10"
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Classic Lime

can of classic lime margarita truly
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Thoughts:

woman sipping a lime margarita seltzer
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This one was pretty sour and was definitely more reminiscent of a margarita than the first. The lime flavor was strong, so though it wasn't overly sweet, it had a good tanginess to it. It still didn't have that sharp tequila taste I love in a true margarita, but it was pretty close for a seltzer. 

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 7/10 and caitlin's rating 7/10"
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Watermelon Cucumber

can of watermelon cucumber margarita truly
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Thoughts:

woman holding a watermelon cucumber margarita seltzer
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Like I mentioned before, watermelon isn't one of my favorite flavors. Melon-y things in general just aren't my forte. This one was certainly very cucumber-forward. It tasted less like watermelon, and more like a slightly sweetened cucumber. It was very fresh, crisp, and light. I could see it being refreshing on a hot day, but overall, it's just not my favorite flavor profile. Caitlin liked it a bit more than me, but said it needed more melon!

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 6/10 and caitlin's rating 6.5/10"
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Mango Chili

can of mango chili margarita truly
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Thoughts:

woman holding a mango chili margarita seltzer
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Oooh, yum! This one was super mango-forward, which I love. I was a little worried that the chile flavor would be overpowering, but that wasn't the case at all. There was a slight hint of spice, but it mostly tasted like a juicy mango. If you like other mango hard seltzers, I think you'll really love this one!  

Rating:

text reading, "Hannah's rating 8/10 and caitlin's rating 7/10"
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Finally, we tried the Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda pack. The flavors are Cherry Cola, Citrus Soda, Orange Soda, and Classic Cola.

12 pack of hard sodas
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Cherry Cola

can of cherry cola seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman holding a hard soda
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This is the goofy grin of a gal who has found her flavor. I loooove soda, but since I'm caffeine intolerant, I rarely drink it. I know you can get soda caffeine-free, but I just don't tend to splurge on it when I know I already don't drink enough water as is. Anyway, this was exactly like drinking a cherry Coke (one of my faves)! I took one sip and was like, "Ohhh yeah." This is just the kind of thing that's up my alley, so I was sold. Caitlin really doesn't like soda, so while she could stomach it, she wouldn't drink it again. 

Rating:

Hannah's rating 10/10 and caitlin's rating 5/10
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Citrus Soda

can of citrus soda seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman drinking a hard soda
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I expected this to be more like a clear soda, such as Sprite or Sierra Mist. It was actually neon green and reminded me more of Mountain Dew. It really had quite a powerful, citrusy flavor. It tasted just like a soda — not alcoholic at all. Despite Caitlin's distaste for soda, she didn't mind this one quite as much as the previous flavor. 

Rating:

Hannah's rating 7.5/10 and caitlin's rating 6.5/10
BuzzFeed / Getty

Orange Soda

can or orange soda seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman smiling giddily with an orange soda hard seltzer
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You can see it in my face — I was pleasantly surprised! It's not that I dislike orange-flavored things; it's just that I'm skeptical of them. Sometimes, that orange flavoring ends up tasting like straight-up medicine. This wasn't medicinal at all! It tasted like a regular ol' orange soda. So, yeah, it was better than I expected. And Caitlin didn't totally hate it! She'd drink it over a "brown soda" any day. 

Rating:

Hannah's rating 7.5/10 and caitlin's rating 6/10
BuzzFeed / Getty

Classic Cola

can of cola seltzer
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Thoughts:

woman sipping a hard cola seltzer
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Seriously — maybe it's just me, but I would never be able to tell any of these hard sodas were alcoholic by taste alone. Sure, this one wasn't quite as sweet as Coke or Pepsi, but it really did taste like an off-brand cola you'd buy at the store. I was pleased! Though Caitlin took one sip and was happy to be done, she did say that she had to give it credit — it tasted how it was supposed to, even if it wasn't her cup of tea.

Rating:

Hannah's rating 8/10 and caitlin's rating 5/10
BuzzFeed / Getty

Final thoughts:

Overall, I'm satisfied. The Bud Light Seltzer Sours weren't as ferociously sour as I was expecting, making them more appealing than I anticipated. If you want to feel like you're drinking a less-sweet version of your favorite childhood candies, this pack is for you! The Truly Margaritas weren't as tangy as a true marg, but they were refreshing and tasty nonetheless. I'd definitely recommend these for a warm day by the pool or at the beach. Finally, the Bud Light Seltzer Hard Sodas are deliciously reminiscent of all your favorite soft drinks, with the added bonus of booze! If you're like Caitlin and you don't enjoy soda, these are not for you. If you're like me and you sometimes get a real soda craving, you'll really enjoy sipping one of these with a slice of pizza or a burger!

HBO / Via media.giphy.com

BuzzFeed was sent these products free to review — however, was under no obligation to give a positive review.