Pickle Hard Seltzer Goes from April Fool's Joke to Reality

Last April Fool's Day, drinkware company BrüMate posted a picture on Instagram of an artfully lit 12-pack of pickle-flavored hard seltzer. "We're committed to providing our BrüCrew with the perfect drinking experience," the caption read. "It's only fitting that we bring you the Afternoon Dillight, the world's first Pickle Hard Seltzer."

It was meant as a joke then, but that's not the case anymore. According to BrewBound, BrüMate has partnered with 'spiked beverage'-maker Crook & Marker to make Afternoon Dillight a reality. In the days after that jokey Instagram post, 10,000 people signed on to an email list, encouraging BrüMate to actually produce a pickle-flavored hard seltzer, and the company seems to have listened.

"Crook & Marker has a great sense of humor, and their drinks are out-of-this-world—so this was a no-brainer for us," Dylan Jacob, BrüMate's founder, said in a statement. "Innovation is at the core of everything we do, and Crook'd Brü was the perfect way to get people talking. This is going to blow the hard seltzer market wide open. If you think this is bold, wait until you see what else is in the works."

The two companies say that the 5-percent-ABV, 100-calorie beverage will be released sometime this summer, and only 10,000 12-packs will be produced. The beverage—which promises to have a "savory Dill flavor"—will be the first release in the "Crook'd Brü Series," a run of limited-edition hard seltzers that Crook & Marker and BrüMate will be collaborating on.

"Coming out strong with our shockingly delicious Afternoon Dillight, the Crook'd Brü series is guaranteed to start conversations and stir things up," Daniel Goodfellow, Crook & Marker's Chief Marketing Officer, said. "If the flavor makes you second guess everything, chances are we'll probably make it... and make it well. Stay tuned!"

Anyone who's interested in snagging a 12-pack of Afternoon Dillight is encouraged to sign up to become, um, a VIPickle on the Crook'd Brü website; VIP members will receive early access to the seltzer's release. ("You'll need it," the site confidently warns.)

A couple of years ago, Left Nut Brewing Company in Gainesville, Georgia brewed a pickle gose called Afternoon Dilllight, a beer that one reviewer said: "only brine worshipers will appreciate." And in March, the Nebraska Brewing Company in La Vista, Nebraska also released a pickle gose called Afternoon Dill-ight. "This tart treat is delightfully refreshing," the beer's description on Untappd reads. "Using a proprietary yeast strain we established a lovely sour base. We also added dill to the boil, as well as in the fermenter to make this beer a pickly [sic] treat. No mistaking, if you love pickles, this beer is for you!"

Nebraska Brewing's version has an overall rating of 3.96 on Untappd, and those who have tried it have been turned off ("No thanks"), neutral about it ("It's definitely what it says it is"), and totally satisfied ("Delicious!").