Millennials, Gen X, And Baby Boomers Share A Favorite Hard Seltzer Brand In 2026

While zippy, sweet alcoholic beverages have been around since the 1990s, with the advent of Zima, it wasn't until the mid-2010s that hard seltzers were produced in earnest (thanks to the pioneering work of beverage company SpikedSeltzer), and then it took a few years for them to catch on. But once they did, hard seltzers became nothing short of a craze. And why not? More often than not, they're packaged in tall, slim cans with impeccably attractive branding. They're light and sweet, and many are low in calories and sugar, as well as gluten-free. And despite the age differences among millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers, all three generations rank a single hard seltzer above the others in YouGov's 2026 ratings: Mike's Hard Lemonade Seltzer Pineapple.

YouGov calculates its findings perhaps a little differently than you might expect. Yes, its data is based on polling of real people, but the site measures popularity by whether respondents have a positive opinion of a product, not necessarily whether they consume it. So for Mike's Hard Lemonade Seltzer Pineapple to attain its top spot, respondents simply had to have a favorable opinion of the beverage.

It might surprise you that baby boomers, Gen X, and millennials all found something they can agree on: a favorable opinion of Mike's Hard Lemonade Seltzer Pineapple (even among other options on the market, including Costco's economical Kirkland hard seltzers). But, their responses may have more to do with how each generation perceives the Mike's Hard Lemonade brand. Boomers, with their fondness for old-school Arby's, may also have a nostalgic connection to lemonade; according to Smithsonian Magazine, 40% reported running a lemonade stand as children. It's just speculation, but perhaps seeing the word "lemonade" in the product's name conjures positive memories.

Gen X, on the other hand, were in their late teens through 30s when Mike's Hard Lemonade began selling its drinks in the U.S. in 1999, so some may have enjoyed the original bottles, giving Mike's plenty of brand recognition among this generation. As for millennials, the oldest among them were 18 when the hard lemonade came on the U.S. market, but they may have seen their parents, older siblings, or even college buddies drinking Mike's. What might also have spurred this generation to think positively about the brand is its repositioning in 2017, when the oldest millennials were in their mid-30s and the youngest were turning 21, to target millennial men. Perhaps that campaign won Mike's favorable opinions from this age group overall.