Hard tea has between 4% and 7% alcohol by volume; most are 5%. Fitzer Hard Iced Tea Peach is 5.0% and Fitzer Hard Iced Tea Lemon Light is 4.0%, in a 473 ml can. In other words: the same as a beer, in a drink that doesn't taste like beer and has no bubbles. Here are the details, with the comparisons people ask about.
Hard tea vs. beer vs. seltzer vs. rum and coke
| Drink | ABV | Size | Approx. grams of alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fitzer Hard Iced Tea Peach | 5.0% | 473 ml | 19 g |
| Fitzer Hard Iced Tea Lemon Light | 4.0% | 473 ml | 15 g |
| Light beer | 4.5% | 355 ml | 13 g |
| Fitzer Hard Seltzer | 4.0% | 355 ml | 11 g |
| Rum and coke (40% rum, 45 ml) | — | 1 drink | 14 g |
| Twisted Tea (imported) | 5.0% | 355 ml | 14 g |
A can of Peach equals a beer and a half in alcohol, or a bit more than one rum and coke. It isn't "light" because it's tea: it's a 5% alcoholic drink in a tall can. Drink responsibly.
What kind of alcohol is in hard tea?
It depends on the brand. Fitzer uses high-quality, neutral triple-distilled alcohol: it adds no flavor, keeps the tea and fruit clean on the palate and makes the drink gluten free.
It isn't tea with vodka or tea with rum: it's a prepared alcoholic beverage, balanced at the factory, ready to drink.
Does hard tea get you drunk faster than beer?
Gram for gram, no. What changes is perception: with no bubbles and a light sweetness it goes down easier and faster, and the can is bigger. A 473 ml can at 5% is more alcohol than a 355 ml beer. If you're having several, count cans, not "teas".
Does it have caffeine?
Fitzer Hard Iced Tea isn't an energy drink or coffee with alcohol. Its profile is iced tea: flavor, not stimulation.
How much sugar?
It varies by flavor. Fitzer Lemon Light has 0 g sugar; Peach is lightly sweet. If you're after the lightest possible can for after the gym, that's a different category: hard seltzer, with 0 g sugar, 80 calories and electrolytes.
Can I drive after one can?
In Mexico the driving limit is 0.25 mg/L in exhaled air (about 0.05% blood alcohol). A 473 ml can at 5% can bring many people close to or over that limit depending on weight, food and time. The safe rule is the usual one: if you drink, don't drive.
And the fourth one?
We say it ourselves, "the fourth like the first", because with no bubbles it doesn't bloat you. What doesn't change with the bubbles is the alcohol: four cans of Peach are about 76 g of alcohol, the equivalent of six beers. The plan is better when it ends well.
Fitzer Hard Iced Tea: black tea flavor, still, triple-distilled alcohol. Peach 5.0% · Lemon Light 4.0%. Sale to anyone under 18 is prohibited. What is hard tea · See the flavors.