Harpoon Brewery & Polar Seltzer team up to brave the hard seltzer market

BOSTON — Two of Massachusetts' favorites are coming togther once again to change the game this summer.

Boston's Harpoon Brewery and Worcester's own Polar Seltzer are partnering up and joining the hard seltzer market this summer, according to Brewbound.

The new product line, called Arctic Summer will roll out late April and feature four flavors - Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pineapple Pomelo, Raspberry Lime, and Black Cherry.

In an interview with Brewbound, Harpoon co-founder and CEO Dan Kenary said this is the first time a beer company has teamed up with a non-alcoholic beverage company specialized in sparkling water to create alcoholic beverages.

“We had an opportunity to work with the leading seltzer brand in our market,” Kenary said. “We are using their flavors in these seltzers, and they will be more highly carbonated – something that Polar is known for.”

The spiked seltzers will be made with 100 percent cane sugar and sold in 6-packs and varitey 12-packs, each can containing 110 calories, 1 gram of sugar and 5 percent ABV.

Keeping true to their seltzer origins, the libations will be flavored with “the same essences that Polar uses in its non-alcoholic products."

The base liquid will be produced at Harpoon’s facility in Boston, and then transported to Polar’s facility in Worcester, where it will be carbonated and flavored, Kenary added.

The new venture marks the second collaboration between Harpoon and Polar. Last May, the two companies came together to create a signature Harpoon UFO beer “brewed with the essence of Polar Seltzer’ade Blueberry Lemonade.”

At that point in time, Harpoon wasn't too focused in diving into the hard seltzer market, and it wasn't until hard seltzer started gaining popularity that they began taking notice.

“We are beer people to our bones,” Kenary said. “But we started paying closer attention to the space about two years ago when all of a sudden our kids and friends were talking about hard seltzer and bringing it to parties.”

Kenary highlights how, because they worried about brand loyalty within the segment, Harpoon would not have entered the hard seltzer market without Polar.

“There is an opportunity for branding, and it is going to be about flavor and story,” he said. “We believe people will give it a shot because they really like Polar, and that is what will allow us to be successful.”

While the hard seltzer market is already heavily dominated by brands such as White Claw and Truly Hard Seltzer, Kenary is optimistic about the launch of Arctic Summer, which will be sold year-round.

Kenary says this is the "largest launch" Harpoon has ever planned.

“We have the Polar team fired up,” he said. “They have incredible relationships with chains, and we think we can become a player in our market with a hard seltzer this summer.”

Cox Media Group