Sam Adams, Spritz Society release pickle-flavored adult beverages

If not yet the pumpkin spice of the summer, pickles are suddenly a big dill in the flavor world, with two alcohol brands the latest to roll out pickle-flavored varieties.

The canned cocktail brand Spritz Society and the Kraft Heinz-owned pickle brand Claussen have teamed up on a pickle-flavored white wine spritzer available online. And Boston Beer Co. is now selling a Sam Adams Pickle Golden Ale brewed with pickle brine at its Boston taproom. The drinks seem to be following the lead of snack foods, hot sauces and salad dressings that have embraced the tangy, tart and sour flavor of pickles.

Spritz Society’s collaboration with Claussen is no sour grapes: Spritz Society announced a sour pickle flavor as a 2022 April Fools’ joke, only to encounter requests from fans who wished it were real. This seems to be a bit of a trend—Shinola also recently turned an April Fools' prank into a real product.

The new Spritz Society Pickle by Claussen incorporates the taste of Claussen pickles, marking the first time the 150-year-old pickle brand has entered the beverage space.  

“With pickle being such a craveable food, we are excited to hear the response from our pickle lovers and think everyone will be pleasantly surprised by the unique, refreshing taste of a pickle-flavored sparkling wine cocktail,” Lizzy Goodman, brand manager of Claussen, said in a press release.

Spritz Society Pickle has 6% alcohol-by-volume, 120 calories and 5 grams of sugar per 8.4-ounce can. The companies describe it as having “a zippy, tangy taste.”

Boston Beer’s Sam Adams brand on Friday officially re-released its pickle-flavored beer, the Real Dill. The 5% alcohol beer is available in cans for the first time, in response to requests after last year’s tap-only debut, but will be sold only at the brewer’s downtown Boston taproom.

The company describes Real Dill as a Pickle Golden Ale featuring pickle brine from RealPickles of Greenfield, Massachusetts: “It’s everything you’d want out of a pickle beer—tart, refreshing and delicious.”

Spritz Society makes and markets canned white wine cocktails in five other varieties. The brand was created for the social media following of Founder and CEO Ben Soffer and his wife, Claudia Oshry.

“At Spritz Society, our community is one of the most important elements of the brand and their input is crucial in everything we do,” Soffer said in a press release. “Nearly a year after launching this idea as an April Fools’ joke and continuing to get requests for a pickle flavor daily, we are thrilled to be teaming up with Claussen to bring Pickle to life.”

The drink will be available beginning July 18 exclusively online, with two packs of four for $50 on SpritzSociety.com while supplies last.