The Best (and Worst) Corona Hard Seltzers
Tropical Tastings
The hard seltzer aisle at your grocery store stretches on forever, doesn’t it? Like Budweiser, New Belgium, and many other breweries, Corona has laid claim to a corner of the spiked seltzer market, and the flavors are flying. The seltzer variety here leans nice and tropical, featuring natural flavors of the islands and, obviously, a lot of lime. Want to know which Corona hard seltzers to grab? Want to know which to avoid? Here are eight Corona seltzers on the market, ranked from best to worst.
Prices and availability are subject to change.
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Best: Raspberry
$18.49 for a 12-pack from Total Wine & More
After tasting through all the flavors, I have to admit: This has been an impressive showing from Corona. The beer titan really knows how to measure itself when it comes to these hard seltzers, offering flavors that aren’t too over the top and are rarely too sweet. Raspberry is the big win here. It’s refreshing but not too powerful; fruity but not artificial. I’m sold.
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2: Blackberry-Lime
$18.49 for a 12-pack from Total Wine & More
The truth is, this doesn’t taste like anything at all. If you focus your willpower like Remy in "Ratatouille," you might be able to pick up on some blackberry and maybe even some lime, but the truth is, this is very clean and mild. And I love it for that. This is the La Croix approach — just a hint of flavor. Blackberry-Lime is as refreshing as Corona flavors get, beer included.
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3: Mandarin-Starfruit
$18.99 for a 12-pack from Target
Innovation, thy name is Mandarin-Starfruit! I haven’t really had a flavor like this yet with any hard seltzer. It’s kind of like a fruit snack (in a good way), with tart vibes of orange and starfruit. Unlike other mandarin and tangerine-style hard seltzer flavors, this doesn’t just taste like the bitter peel; it really tastes like fruit. I’ll drink this again.
4: Blueberry-Acai
$18.49 for a 12-pack from Total Wine & More
I really have to stop going into these things with presuppositions. Blueberry-Acai sounds like the type of flavor I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near, yet I found myself really enjoying it. It’s got a nice berry flavor that doesn't fade away into artificial sweetness like many of these things do. The acai is present, just enough, and the blueberry flavor works shockingly well for a boozy drink. Though this is only 4.5% ABV, you can taste the alcohol in here prominently, but I don’t mind. It’s an alcoholic drink, after all.
5: Watermelon-Lime
$18.99 for a 12-pack from Target
Upon first sip, this is pretty understated. A little bit sweet, refreshing, and quite tasty. Then, a Jolly Rancher-ish watermelon sweetness creeps in, but I’m not against it. This all works well.
6: Spicy Pineapple
$18.99 for a 12-pack from Target
Spicy: no. Pineapple: kinda. This is a pretty inoffensive flavor — not the best pineapple I’ve ever had, but far from the worst. The real killer is that it simply isn’t spicy. Not even in the slightest. I'm really disappointed in Corona for this one.
7: Strawberry-Kiwi
$18.49 for a 12-pack from Total Wine & More
Let me ask you something. What is the deal with strawberry-kiwi medleys? Why is that such a popular flavor combination? Do these fruits even go that well together? Way too many seltzers fall into this trap, and it’s simply not that good. In Corona’s case, the kiwi is quite heavily favored, and that’s not doing anybody any favors. This is unbalanced and a little too sweet for me.
8: Citrus-Lime
$18.99 for a 12-pack from Target
This tastes like neither citrus nor lime, so I’m not really sure what’s going on here. There’s a thickness that’s a little bit unsettling, and coupled with the sweetness SWAT team this flavor is packing, I'm positive I couldn't finish a whole can. This one challenges the palate.
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