The 7 Best Fruit Smash Hard Seltzers, Ranked

At this point, it almost seems like a foolish move for a brewery not to have a hard seltzer on deck. New Belgium Brewing Company, famous for such hits as Fat Tire and Voodoo Ranger, is the purveyor behind the steadily prospering Fruit Smash Hard Seltzer. The seltzer's popularity is due to real fruit juice, no added sugar, and milder flavors than a basic seltzer, so I figured I’d grab a Fruit Smash variety pack and see what happens. Here are seven flavors, ranked from best to worst.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

Related: 12 Wild Basin Seltzer Flavors, Ranked

$18 from Target

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This is a dang masterclass in subtle flavor. Every single gross seltzer I’ve ever tasted has one thing in common: too much. Sometimes it’s just too much. We don’t need strawberry watermelon mojitos and we don’t need pomegranate blueberries. Fruit Smash's citrus punch flavor is incredibly light, crisp, and flavored just enough. Grab one and just watch how fast you find your can empty.

Related: I Tried 8 Topo Chico Hard Seltzer Flavors — This Is the Best

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I'm glad to say this isn't anywhere near as sweet as, say, a Pink Lemonade Snapple. I say this as a compliment: Pink Lemonade Fruit Smash tastes like almost nothing at all. It’s almost like plain sparkling water with a hint of pink lemonade flavoring thrown in. Lovely little tartness. Lovely carbonation. What a treat.

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$18 from Target

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This is undoubtedly the best berry seltzer you can get your hands on. The real fruit juice flavors are light; no hindrance on drinkability here. It's only moderately sweet and as crushable as can be, and I can see a 12-pack disappearing pretty quickly at a barbecue or game night. Or, if you’re me, at any of the shows I saw at my local concert venue last summer.

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This is the definitive mango seltzer, as far as I’m concerned. A splash of mango, lots of carbonation, and never overwhelming.Though this lands at No. 4, it still belongs in the seltzer hall of fame. Fruit Smash’s basic seltzer variety pack may be the only one on the market without a single bad flavor. I am truly impressed.

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Of all the 8% seltzers I’ve tasted, Fruit Smash makes the tastiest ones. Fruit Smash Super Hard Seltzer, a variety pack with three high ABV flavors, is quite drinkable. The pineapple punch flavor is heavy on the pineapple, but it’s covering up the nasty, syrupy agave taste that so many other seltzers use to crank their cans up to 8%. These are … dangerous.

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Not horrible, but this is where that artificial aftertaste starts to come in. While these stronger flavors aren’t exactly my cup of tea, I could easily start the night out with a couple wild watermelon cans for a quick buzz. If you’re out here drinking 8% hard seltzers, you’re on a mission. If you’re willing to sacrifice a great tasting beverage, Fruit Smash can help with that mission.

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There always has to be one, doesn’t there? This flavor is very gross. There are all kinds of things going on here, not the least of which, a bucket hat-clad octopus DJ drawn across the can. Believe it or not, that’s not even the most confusing part of the branding — why is a flavor called Cherry Lime Chill written in blue? I understand that’s not the point, but I will be thinking about it all day.