Mike's Hard Lemonade was created by alcohol and spirit genius Anthony von Mandl. Launched in 1999, the beverage proved itself wildly successful right from the start. The brand finds home at von Mandl's brewing company Mark Anthony Brewing. It is the fourth largest brewing company in the United States.

Founded in 1999, Mike's Hard Lemonade Co. defined the $3.2 billion flavored malt beverage category with the introduction of its new-to-market Mike's Hard Lemonade.

It is the No. 1 hard seltzer, growing at a triple-digit 210 percent with dollar sales of more than $39 million in multi-outlets for the 52 weeks ending June 3, according to IRI.

flavored malt beverage Hard lemonade is a flavored malt beverage and falls under the category “alcopop,” or alcoholic pop drinks.

flavored malt beverages Mike's Hard and Mike's Harder Lemonades are classified as flavored malt beverages (or FMBs in industry-speak), meaning the alcoholic foundations of these styles of beverages is a fermented malt-based alcohol.

Hard lemonade is a flavored malt beverage and falls under the category “alcopop,” or alcoholic pop drinks.

malt beverages Mike's Hard and Mike's Harder Lemonades are classified as flavored malt beverages (or FMBs in industry-speak), meaning the alcoholic foundations of these styles of beverages is a fermented malt-based alcohol.

Hard lemonade hits the same mark as your average beer: around 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). That alcohol doesn't feature super prominently in its flavor profile, though.

Mike's flavors contain 5% alcohol.

Flavored Malt Beverages Conversely, as the name suggests, Mike's Harder Lemonade has a "harder" alcohol content at 8%. All of Mike's Lemonades are categorized as Flavored Malt Beverages (FMBs), a classification that employs a neutral-tasting, malt-based alcohol that is then augmented by natural and artificial flavors along with sweeteners.

Hard lemonade hits the same mark as your average beer: around 5% alcohol by volume (ABV). That alcohol doesn't feature super prominently in its flavor profile, though. Hard lemonade tastes a lot like regular lemonade, perhaps a bit more sour due to the addition of malt flavor and alcohol.

Mike's flavors contain 5% alcohol.