Hard Alternatives Emerges as Fast-Growing Alcoholic Beverage Segment BOSTON — Hard seltzer took off in 2020, making up 21 percent of Drizly's beer sales with a year-over-year sales increase of 495 percent. However, the emergence of beverages such as hard kombucha, hard lemonade and hard iced tea products has made "hard alternatives" a viable option for consumers in search of single-serve, low-ABV options, according to "The solidified position of hard seltzer as a popular, mainstream beer category has helped spur the success of alternative subcategories," said Liz Paquette, head of consumer insights at Drizly. Hard alternatives are likely to gain share in 2021 due to leading hard seltzer brands expanding into the segment. Examples include Bud Light hard setlzer lemonade SKUs and hard seltzer iced tea from Truly.