The Brief: White Claw and similar hard seltzers are arguably the drink of the summer, inspiring many memes and even contributing to a nationwide shortage.
DEEP DIVE
Maybe you’ve seen some White Claw memes, or overheard a group of twentysomethings debating the merits of different hard seltzer brands…What exactly are these drinks and what’s all the fuss about?
What Is White Claw?
White Claw is a carbonated and flavored alcoholic beverage with 100 calories and 5% ABV per can. This summer, White Claw and other hard seltzers have risen in popularity and reached meme-status. White Claw reported that it outsold Budweiser and every craft beer brand in July.
Who Drinks It?
These drinks are often associated with the Basic b**ch stereotype as well as frat parties, darties, and summer BBQs. As these beverages are lower in calories than many other alcoholic beverages and are gluten-free, they are particularly appealing to health-conscious consumers. As White Claw has become an emblem of millennial drinking culture, some people may claim that they’re drinking it “ironically” while others fully embrace their enjoyment of these fruit-flavored beverages.
White Claw Hard Seltzer Memes
White Claw memes poke fun of the drink’s subtle flavor, the people who drink it, and the immense amount of attention that hard seltzer has received this summer.
A tweet from the TikTok Kombucha woman herself:
all woman do is make finsta drink whiteclaw have nails and lie
— brittany🥺 (@Brittany_broski) September 7, 2019
I’m having dinner at a 2-star Michelin restaurant and my friend sends me a video of him hitting a juul, using it to punch a hole in a Whiteclaw, shotgunning said Whiteclaw, and finally exhaling.
I wish I was there tbh
— Jimmy Wong (@jfwong) September 7, 2019
me explaining my mom
the social and cultural
significance of
white claws and
the meaning behind
“ain’t no law when
you’re drinking the
claw” pic.twitter.com/7pEu1g81h1— Emm (@emmi_thms) August 16, 2019
Kyle’s wedding:
Change the White Claw to a Truly and we have the more accurate representation. from BlackPeopleTwitter
Hard Seltzer Haters
Even with White Claw and similar beverages’ popularity, some vocal haters continue to express their dislike of the beverage and look down on those who drink it. This may be due to its stigma as a “girly drink” or because some people will always choose to hate on something because it’s popular.
*Grabs the paging microphone at Best Buy*
WHITE CLAW IS JUST OVERPRICED SELTZER! JUST POUR SOME CHEAP VODKA INTO SOME LACROIX FOR GOD SA–LET GO OF ME
— American Propagandist (@ArmyStrang) September 10, 2019
White Claw Shortage
Amidst concerns about a nationwide shortage, White Claw recently confirmed that a shortage in the United States has been caused by the drink’s immense popularity. While the company has assured that they are “working around the clock to increase supply,” some hard seltzer fans (and haters) have taken to social media to express their concern about the availability of their beverage of choice. Whether or not people are actually stockpiling cans of White Claw to save themselves from going without, there are certainly plenty of jokes to be made about it.
buying up every white claw i see and making a profit off the shortage pic.twitter.com/U0SYnwvZn0
— jakey wakey (@parttimewinner) September 10, 2019
when you and the girls hear there’s a “national white claw shortage”: pic.twitter.com/R2TSuR9T7x
— Caleigh Smith (@caleighsmith343) September 9, 2019
When theres a White Claw shortage
pic.twitter.com/jaH9sz4nsG— Taylor Wirth (@WirthTM) September 7, 2019
Sit around children. Let me tell you about the great white claw shortage of ‘19. There was barely a ruby grapefruit to go round. Hit the same week they tried to take our Juuls.
— Gannon R. Condon (@GanCon) September 11, 2019