13 Bud Light Seltzer Flavors, Ranked from Awful to Awesome

I tried 13 different Bud Light Seltzer flavors and here’s my takeaway: Do not judge a Bud Light Seltzer by its design. Because some Bud Light Seltzer flavors are quite good. In fact, I’d say some could be included in the best hard seltzer category as a whole. But some are…how do I put this politely? Some are…baffling. A few left me asking, “Who okayed this? Who tasted this and thought, yes, this tastes good to my human tongue?” What I’m saying is, don’t invest in a case of Bud Light Seltzer—or reach into a cooler at a party—without reading this ranking first. 

There are a lot of Bud Light Seltzer flavors out there, but we focused on the most popular, most available ones on the market: the Bud Light Hard Seltzer classics, Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda, and Bud Light Seltzer Retro Tie Dye. 

We are entering hard seltzer season. So, stock up on the best Bud Light Seltzer flavors. Here are 13 of them, ranked from worst to best. 

Twisted Berry

Retro Tie Dye Twisted Berry

Walmart

Overall, the Bud Light Seltzer Retro Tie Dye flavors were disappointing. I don’t like being negative and I don’t want to yuck anyone’s yum. So, if you love this, then good for you. I am happy it won’t go to waste. But it is aggressively tart and sour in an extremely chemically way. This is not citric acid, this is just acid.  

Credit: Merc / Walmrt

Rating:

1/10

Sporks

Cherry Limeade

Retro Tie Dye Cherry Limeade

Walmart

More sour (but not lime sour). More chemicals. This Bud Light Seltzer Tie Dye was not as bad as the Twisted Berry, but it’s still not something I hope to ever drink again. The cans are fun, though!

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

1.5/10

Sporks

Blue Raspberry

Retro Tie Dye Blue Raspberry

Walmart

It’s not saying much, but this was the best Bud Light Seltzer Retro flavor. It has that same chemical tartness as the other flavors, but there’s a blue Jell-O flavor that helps cover it up a bit.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

2/10

Sporks

Strawberry

Strawberry

Albertsons

I don’t get a lot of actual strawberry flavor from this Bud Light Seltzer. I don’t even get fake strawberry flavor from it. It has an odd smell and a strangely tangy flavor that verges on rotten. If you get a mixed pack of Bud Light Hard Seltzer flavors, pawn this one off on that creep your roommate brought over.

Credit: Merc / Albertsons

Rating:

3/10

Sporks

Citrus Soda

Hard Soda Citrus Soda

Walmart

Some of the Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda flavors were great. Some were not. This one falls in the “not” pile. It smells like lime Jell-O, which was promising, though I was hoping it would smell more like Sprite or Starry. And it tastes like lime Jell-O, too. That’s not lemon lime soda. That’s a different thing. It’s far too sweet and cloying for me.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

4/10

Sporks

Cherry Cola

Hard Soda Cherry Cola

Walmart

I love cherry cola. Cherry Coke Zero is my all-time favorite soda. But this Bud Light Cherry Cola Seltzer doesn’t taste anything like any cherry cola I’ve ever had. It was a major disappointment—especially after tasting the regular Bud Light Cola Seltzer (more on that gem later). It tastes like they threw way too much citric acid into the mix. There’s not enough actual cola flavor and barely any cherry flavor. 

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

4.5/10

Sporks

Mango

Mango

Total Wine

Mango is a tough flavor for hard seltzer. It can taste like a tropical vacation. But it can also easily taste like a mango that’s gone bad. This Bud Light Hard Seltzer flavor is in the latter camp. It’s a sad mango. It tastes like you poured mango bath wash into sparkling water. If you want mango hard seltzer, go with White Claw.

Credit: Merc / Total Wine

Rating:

5/10

Sporks

Pineapple

Pineapple

Kroger

If you see this Bud Light Seltzer in a cooler, you can feel okay about grabbing it. It is totally inoffensive. It smells like dried pineapple and tastes like cooked pineapple, but in a way that’s not at all sweet. It’s a bit bland, but it’s 5% ABV and if it’s cold it’ll taste just fine.

Credit: Merc / Kroger

Rating:

6/10

Sporks

Grapefruit

Grapefruit

Instacart

This Bud Light Seltzer smells insanely zesty and good. But I wish that scent translated more to the flavor of the seltzer. Still, it’s fresh and does taste like grapefruit zest was expressed into a Vodka Soda. It’s not sweet at all and it’s very refreshing. I just wish there was a splash of grapefruit juice in the mix.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Cranberry

Cranberry

Instacart

Much like the grapefruit Bud Light Hard Seltzer flavor, the cranberry flavor smells better than it tastes. It really smells like cranberry but the flavor is just a bit too muted to make it a really tasty experience. Once again, it’s not sweet at all, which means it’s very refreshing. It’s tangy and slightly bitter—like a few splashes of unsweetened cranberry juice accidentally fell into a seltzer water.

Credit: Merc / Instacart

Rating:

8/10

Sporks

Classic Cola

Hard Soda Classic Cola

Walmart

We’ve come to the really good Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda flavors. The Bud Light Cola Seltzer smells a lot like Pepsi—cola with a touch of citrus. And it tastes like Pepsi Zero or an off-brand diet cola. It’s a pretty convincing cola. I’m not sure why this counts as seltzer (probably because there’s no real definition of hard seltzer), but it’s a worthwhile buy, whatever it is.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Orange Soda

Hard Soda Orange Soda

Walmart

This is the best Bud Light Seltzer Hard Soda. It straight up smells like Sunkist orange soda. And it is sweet—but so is orange soda. Once again, if you’re looking for a classic hard seltzer, this ain’t it. But if you’re looking for hard orange soda that’s definitely on the sweeter end, come at this.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9/10

Sporks

Black Cherry

Black Cherry

Walmart

Here it is, the absolute best Bud Light Seltzer flavor is Bud Light Black Cherry Seltzer. It has a vibrant black cherry flavor with a touch of sweetness. It’s a lot like black cherry soda—but not so flavorful that you wouldn’t call it a classic hard seltzer. It has just enough flavor to keep you coming back, but it’s also seltzer-forward enough to be refreshing. I could easily gulp this one down. If I’m coming to your BBQ, forget all the other Bud Light Hard Seltzer flavors. Bud Light Seltzer Black Cherry, is the only one you need to buy for me to be happy.

Credit: Merc / Walmart

Rating:

9.5/10

Sporks