Is harder better? I've been struggling with this idea for a little while now. Is it necessary to make a harder version of Mike's Hard Lemonade? Do you really need to add more alcohol to make this a better product? What is the goal of your average Mike's drinker? Is it just to get messed up? Is it to hang with the people drinking 8% ABV IPAs? With those people even care what your ABV is? I may never have answers to these questions.
The beverage pours a soda-like purple. If you just showed me a picture of this, I would assume that it was some kind of grape soda. The head acts exactly like a soda would, and it disappears almost immediately upon being poured. Points of nucleation at the bottom let themselves be known by creating rivulets of bubbles that hit the top and manage to get almost to the sides of the glass before bursting. The aroma is black cherries. It's pretty much what you would expect from this beverage.
First sip is overly sweet with black cherries right up front. There is lemonade sitting behind it, though, and that seems to water down the sweetness a little bit as the beverage is consumed. It still not doing enough, and this definitely has too much sugar added to it. I think the problem is that you need something to cover up the increased alcohol, and sugar is really just the way to go. Black cherry can only do so much, and they already had a pretty good lemonade, so you're just adding another flavor to it. The problem is that the black cherry comes with more sweetness, and it is too much.
Tip-in is light carbonation tingle with loads of cherries and little else. In the middle, the lemonade tries to assert itself, but it is smacked down hard by the sweet, sweet cherries. The finish allows a little bit of lemon to show through as alcohol finally makes itself known right before the sweet, if cherry-festooned, trail off.
Bottom Line: It seems like every step away from the regular lemonade is a wrong step.
2.75/5