How Hard Is Mike's Punch?

by Robert C. Lehrman on August 19, 2009

It wasn’t so very long ago that TTB would not allow anything like an alcohol content claim, on beer, unless the states required it. The turnabout is quite remarkable, since Coors sued to change the law back in the mid-1990s. Here is a Mike’s Harder Punch label that declares itself to be “hard” no less than seven times in a few square inches, with a couple of fists to drive the point home. It is “Mike’s Hardest Punch Yet.”
Thankfully, the label doesn’t make us guess how hard. It comes right out and explains that it’s 9.9% alc./vol., about double normal beer. The label also sports a “Warning” other than the mandated warning. TTB does not often allow extra warnings (pregnant lady warning) but will do so from time (no kids warning) to time (flammable warning).