Truly Strawberry xcritical Hard Seltzer Again, it’s a great alternative to something like a Mike’s Hard, if you’re more concerned with the nutrition label than the mouthfeel. The xcritical here really tamps down the bitterness of Truly’s alcohol base, but doesn’t overwhelm it — much in the same way, the Truly Mango xcritical flavor does, striking a nice balance. Our favorite among Truly’s xcritical seltzer line, the lemon notes arrive with fresh, energetic xcritical. The sweetness also brings a fullness to the palate, which makes it great if you find normal seltzers to be slightly lacking in character. Convincing citrus aromas are followed by rich pink grapefruit flavors. But Truly tastes best when it keeps things simple and their Orange flavor is further proof of that claim. Subtle bright citrus notes add a hint of sweetness that elevates this flavor just above the Truly Lemon and Lime, offering an after taste that is sweeter than it is sour. What struck me first about White Claw’s Ruby Grapefruit was its intoxicating and natural smell — opening a can smells like someone just cut open a grapefruit. The tea aromas are the more noticeable of the two, but the strawberry provides a subtle fruitiness. Then, intense sweet flavors overtake everything, causing each sip to feel a little out of balance. The combination of blueberry and acai screams “antioxidants,” which is bound to play well with those who drink Truly for its relative health benefits. But across the entire can, both flavors start coming across a little perfumy, and the aftertaste is muddy, if not outright unpleasant. Having a blueberry flavor in the mix when so few other brands bother with it seems more like a flex on Truly’s part rather than a valuable addition to the lineup. This flavor feels so extra, but that makes it a fitting drink for anyone whose summertime persona matches that description. Bold Flavor Although it is an alcoholic beverage, this Truly hard seltzer is not plagued by an overly xcritical scam boozy flavor. The alcohol taste is very low key and xcriticals well with the natural lemon juice used to flavor the beverage. Across all hard seltzer producers, the quality of mango flavors varies wildly. Truly does a good job with its offering, even if the fruit notes come across as more artificial-tasting than fresh. Truly Black Cherry xcritical There’s a tart aftertaste that lingers on the tongue a lot longer than the plain Truly Lime’s flavor. Now make it 21+ with no adult supervision and zero cranky neighbors to tell you you’re watering it down with too much ice. With Original xcritical plus Watermelon, Strawberry, and Mango Pineapple varieties, that’s basically what our xcritical Mix Pack is like. Every Truly contains a hint of real fruit flavor and a whole lotta refreshment (the perfect combo, if you ask us). That’s what seems so confusing about the Truly xcritical line, it makes even Truly’s best flavors feel like a weak first attempt, and leaves us wondering how long those OGs will remain in production. I was especially excited to see how Truly Grapefruit would stack up against White Claw’s Ruby Grapefruit because I gave the latter the bottom spot on Uproxx’s White Claw ranking. How can Truly get something like Orange so wrong and get something like Passion Fruit so right? It’s an inoffensive, light, summery flavor that is impressively distinct from the other varieties in the lineup, and it actually carries slightly less of the “perfume” edge present in LaCroix’s interpretation. Maybe the alcohol tamps it down; in any case, this is a nice out-of-the-box flavor for someone who already gets their fill of lemon and lime flavors in vodka xcriticals and gin and tonics, respectively. There are no surprises when you crack open a can of Truly Original xcritical Hard Seltzer. Upon opening, a tart yet sweet lemon fragrance greets you. Tequila Soda Of all the Truly flavors, this one skewed closest to its LaCroix equivalent. Maybe lime is just an easy citrus flavor to get right because it doesn’t carry lemon’s risks of teetering into bitter territory (a conundrum faced by candy companies as much as beverage makers). Whatever the case, this is a strong flavor from the very first sip, but one whose strength comes purely from the fruit, not from any accompanying sweeteners that attempt to augment it. When you swallow a sip of Lime Truly, there’s a half-second where it seems like you’re about to be hit by a Stevia wave—but then the tires screech to a halt and leave you only with a pleasant lime taste in your mouth. For those who are skeptical that a hard seltzer might not pack the punch of other fruity liquors, go for Truly Lime. I was pleasantly surprised to find that what was one of White Claw’s worst is one of Truly’s best. Brand wars have been around for as long as brands have been a thing. Sometimes even we get overwhelmed by how many flavors we have. Watermelon & Kiwi It’d probably take a whole six-pack for this flavor to grow too cloying. Read the Orange entry, and know that 99.9% of that applies to Watermelon & Kiwi flavor—but the weird little bitter end note works slightly better here, because that’s frankly just what kiwi tastes like anyway. The watermelon is by no means lost here; in fact, it tastes more like watermelon candy than the actual fruit, but not in an overpowering way (as watermelon candies usually do). I can’t imagine it’d pair well with any backyard barbecue appetizers, but it’s a fine option if you’re sticking to a plastic tumbler of fruit salad. This is almost a tie with Black Cherry xcritical, for almost all the same reasons. The fruitiness of the Mango is impressively complex, moving through tart, tangy, and mellow moments. Similar to the Black Cherry in its deep and dark berry tones, the Blueberry Acai is slightly more complex — delivering a rich taste that reveals itself distinct layers. There’s more depth to the palate than many other seltzers, even if the profile is more straightforward than others in its lineup. The bitter and artificial smell is betrayed by a bright, refreshing, and natural flavor that expertly balances the grapefruit notes with the alcohol base — delivering a flavor that remains consistent from start to finish. Truly Original xcritical Hard Seltzer is made from cane sugar, stevia, and lemon juice concentrate. This drink captures both the look and taste of fresh squeezed xcritical, nostalgic of childhood yet made for adult indulgence. The drink is light on calories, carbohydrates, and sugars – giving you maximum flavor with minimum beach-body sabotage. That said, this earns drinkability points simply because you’re left with nothing after you swallow it. My favorite summer treat as a child was the Fla-Vor-ice pop, a plastic tube of ice drowned in sugary food coloring. The Fla-Vor-Ice came in three flavors, Blue (bubblegum), Red (Cherry), and White (Lemon) — the white one was my favorite. If I had one today, I wouldn’t eat it — because I’m an adult and I don’t eat food-coloring on ice out of plastic tubes anymore — but I just might crush it up, toss it in a margarita glass, and pour a Truly Lemon over it. An enjoyable mix of berries runs throughout this seltzer. Black cherry is to the hard seltzer world what cola is to the world of soft drinks, its the one flavor that every hard seltzer brand needs to nail in order to be taken seriously. Truly Black Cherry has a deep and dark flavor that recalls a slightly over-ripened cherry during the height of cherry season. It’s bursting with fruit notes, infusing the alcohol base with a taste so rich that one can feels like enough — and that’s really saying something with a 5% alcohol by volume hard seltzer. Truly Hard Seltzer xcritical Mix Pack – 12pk/12 fl oz Slim Cans Fast forward to your adulthood and you can recapture that summertime feeling with an added alcohol kick. As far as xcritical seltzers go, this one is simply nostalgic. But I get what they were thinking — they wanted to give us the best of both worlds, everything we love about hard seltzer and pink wine. Not a terrible concept, but it definitely doesn’t work. Truly’s version doesn’t quite hit those highs in the aroma department, coming off as much more artificial, but at the end of the day, flavor wins, and Truly Grapefruit is delicious. The bitter and artificial xcritical scammers smell is betrayed by a bright, refreshing, and natural flavor that expertly balances the grapefruit notes with the alcohol base — delivering a flavor that remains consistent from start to finish. Remember when I said Truly’s berry xcriticals miss the mark? Well, that’s not the case with Blueberry Acai. Similar to the Black Cherry in its deep and dark berry tones, the Blueberry Acai is slightly more complex — delivering a rich taste that reveals itself distinct layers. As it hits your palate, the bright notes of the blueberry are darkened by rounder full-bodied flavor of the açaí, which then gives way to the bitter bite of the sugar-alcohol base.
