Everything You Need to Know About GROG, the Hard Soda from YouTuber Hosts of Cold Ones

The ready-to-drink hard beverage selection is getting more diverse by the day: hard teas, hard lemonades, hard “juice”, and so on. I remember when I first heard about Not Your Father’s Root Beer—oh my goodness, hard root beer. What a naive thing I was. These days, hard soda is a big market. Case in point, one of the fastest-growing hard beverage lines is a startup brand founded by two YouTubers making hard sodas inspired by “chūhai.” And it’s called GROG. Did anyone have that on their bingo card?

What is chūhai?

Chūhai is a style of alcoholic drink from Japan made with a ~25% to 40% ABV spirit and a fruit flavor. Canned chūhai, ranging from 3% to 10% ABV, is a hugely popular style of alcohol sold in convenience stores and vending machines. Recently, Suntory brought the popular “Strong Zero” line of chūhai drinks to America under the name “-196” (following the grassroots “Localize Strong Zero” campaign started by my friend Derek).

What is GROG?

GROG is a low-calorie hard soda with 6% ABV. GROG was started by “Cold Ones” hosts Chad Roberts and Max Stanley, also known as Anything4views and Maxmoefoe. “Easy-drinking” was crucial to GROG’s founders; their YouTube channel (and primary GROG advertising vehicle) is largely based around the pair drinking large quantities of alcohol while undergoing various tasks and challenges.

The brand debuted in the duo’s home country of Australia back in 2023; GROG first hit shelves in the U.S. earlier this year. GROG is only available in two-flavor variety packs: the original “Grape/Peach” pack and the citrus-focused “Mandarin/Lemon Ice” pack. In addition to the brand’s alcoholic beverages, GROG also operates an eccentric merchandise shop offering products like GROG-shaped hunks of concrete.

Where can I find GROG?

Right now, GROG is only available in select states due to the significant difficulty of launching startup alcohol brands without a major brewery. Based on the store locator, you can locate GROG at select retailers in California, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. If your state isn’t on that list and you’re unhappy about it, write your congressman.