Hard root beer seems like an automatic win. Root beer (and it’s variants) are the gods of all sodas and adding alcohol to beverages is rarely a bad move. Abita’s root beer is already a beloved product — they produce 14,000 barrels annually. Couple brand-loyalty with 5.9% alcohol by volume and…yeah, this is going to work just fine.
Quick design-based side note: pirates! Louisiana, where Abita is based, has a long pirate history (Mississippi River pirates, French sea rovers, and Spanish buccaneers) and the logo design and imagery feels pulled straight from Howard Pyle’s Treasure Island illustrations. People bringing hard cider to the party are routinely scoffed at, but this seems like a drink that might avoid the reproach of even the most insufferable beer snobs.
For now, you can only find the hard root beer in New Orleans, but the plan is ramp up distribution early in 2016. Until then, you’ll have to spike your drinks one at a time.
