Hard Lemonade: Sand Creek, Mike’s, Jack Daniels

The heat index in St. Louis was 114 today.  114!  The heat was so intense that the road buckled and popped in various spots around the city.

I must admit, when I got home today, after a long journey in the car on hot roads, I walked to the fridge and reached past the Rogue, past the Bell’s Oberon and grabbed a Sand Creek Hard Lemonade.  I hope this doesn’t scandalize my beer and wine die hards, but a hard lemonade is the perfect beverage for a sweltering hot summer day.  I have tried three this summer; Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Lemonade, and craft brewery Sand Creek of Black River Falls, Wisconsin’s Hard Lemonade.

Sand Creek stands apart from Mike’s and Jack Daniel’s in that the Sand Creek is technically a beer, meaning it is fermented like a beer, while Mikes and Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg are closer to actual lemonade.  Overall, I consider Sand Creek the finest product of the three, although you should note a couple things.  First, Sand Creek’s Hard Lemonade is the sweetest of the three, having an almost syrupy quality to it.  It is not fizzy, though is slightly carbonated, like a beer.  But, it’s sweetness dominates the palate with significant lemon overtones.  It’s quite a bit heavier than the other two.  It’s color is closer to a beer, kind of a brownish/yellowish.

The best way to rate these three hard lemonades is by temperature:

If it’s between 0 and 92 degrees fahrenheit outside, I’d prefer a Sand Creek – it tastes the best, is craft brewed and is thoroughly refreshing.

If it’s between 92 and 105 degrees, I’d recommend Jack Daniel’s Lynchburg Lemonade.  The L’burg Lemonade comes in a very nice looking, heavy bottle that has a southern feel to it.  However, due to the heavier and more artisan glass used, there is 2 oz. less liquid per bottle than Mikes or S.C.  It’s less sugary than Sand Creek, but not quite as carbonated as Mikes.  The taste isn’t all that impressive, but still refreshing.  It is also the cheapest of the 3 by volume.

If it’s between 105 and 1000 degrees fahrenheit, you should really go with Mike’s.  It has the has the highest carbonation of the three; almost like a fizzy, alcoholic country time lemonade – bitter, tangy, delicious.  It also rates the highest on the ability to drink quickly scale: the ADQ (I made this up – patent pending).  Since it is carbonated and not very heavy at all, you can chug it quickly to ease the hot suffering.

Cheers!