I Got an Early Taste of Mike’s Dirty Lemonade

Mike’s Hard Lemonade is tackling the dirty soda trend with a brand-new variety pack of “crushably smooth” non-carbonated hard lemonades. These Mike’s Dirty Lemonade packs are hitting shelves now, but we actually hopped on a Zoom call last week for an early taste test with Mike himself a brand spokesman. Here’s what we thought of this classic brand’s take on the trendy movement.

Videos by Sporked

Mike’s Dirty Lemonade: Dirty Lemon Secret Review

Hard Dirty Lemonade!

Pros: Each of these drinks features a secret ingredient. Not Chemical X or anything malicious, but rather an underlying flavor note not immediately obvious from the flavor name. In the case of this “classic” Dirty Lemon Secret, the aforementioned secret is hot honey. This isn’t a spicy drink in the slightest, but the surprise smidge of heat definitely keeps this nice, creamy lemonade from being boring. And when I say creamy, I mean it; these hard lemonades masquerading as dirty sodas are incomprehensibly smooth as hell.

Cons: This is the only flavor in the lineup that suffers by being directly comparable to many similar products; I enjoyed this plenty, but it is not my favorite non-carbonated hard lemonade.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Mike’s Dirty Lemonade: Dark Cherry Brew Review

Hard Dirty Lemonade!

Pros: This cherry lemonade ended up being my favorite of the lineup, for good reason: Cherry Cola. The combination of spiced cherry and that super-smooth creaminess turns this lemonade-flavored malt beverage(!?) into a very convincing cherry cola-alike. If you liked Coca-Cola Cherry Float, this will be right up your alley—it certainly is mine.

Cons: This might be the least “lemonade” of the lineup. I understand why the hard lemonade company didn’t just call these Dirty Sodas, but in this particular case, it’d be much more fitting.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Mike’s Dirty Lemonade: Very Berry Grape Review

Hard Dirty Lemonade!

Pros: I’m glad Mike’s took their time tackling the “dirty soda” trend, because they managed to create four unique drinks without running into the bitterness pitfall that so many other malt beverages suffer from.

Cons: This grape, lemon, and berry beverage definitely delivers the tart factor. That mouth-puckering combination was a little much for me, but the creaminess certainly helped smooth it over.

Credit: Griffin Parker / Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Mike’s Dirty Lemonade: Pineapple Haze Review

Hard Dirty Lemonade!

Pros: While I don’t know whether this contains any real juice, the strong pineapple flavor plus lemon tartness (and/or malt beverage bitterness) certainly has me thinking I’m drinking a cocktail made with real pineapple juice.

Speaking of cocktails, this Dirty Lemonade’s special ingredient is coconut; I know there can’t really be coconut cream included here, but it sure tastes like it. This is a close second to the Dark Cherry Brew; I’m just slightly more partial to cherry cola than I am to pina coladas.

Cons: That said, this would certainly surprise someone who isn’t a pina colada fan since there’s no coconut callout on the can itself. (Actually, none of these cans call out their unique flavor addition. Weird choice.)

Credit: Griffin Parker / Mike’s Hard Lemonade

Rating:

8.5/10

Sporks