How the Heck Did White Claw Become So Popular That There's a Rumored Shortage?

People are always on the lookout for that perfect summer beverage for pool parties and late nights. And because no one wants to waste time on preparing said perfect beverage, canned options are usually the go-to. It needs to be refreshing, and preferably, not too calorically dense or sugary either, because you don't want to puke while you're doing your best to look good on the beach.

Which may be why White Claw has become so popular that America is reportedly running out of the drink.

In fact, people started buying so much White Claw seltzer that there's a reported shortage all across the country. When I first heard about the great White Claw recession of 2019, I was incredulous. I thought it was a marketing ploy akin to Oops! All Berries or New Coke. So I had to know:

This answer might upset a lot of people who had many a fun weekend and summer night with the drink.

It looks like there really is a shortage of the boozy seltzer. While this is a good problem for the company to have, president of the company, Phil Rosse, confirmed the limited supply. 

Phil said: "We are working around the clock to increase current supply and total capacity heading into 2020 so that we can get every consumer White Claw when they want it."

In fact, distributors around the country can only place limited orders of White Claw through its owner, Mark Anthony Brands (they own Mike's Hard Lemonade). 

I'm guessing the real reason why there's such a huge White Claw shortage, though, is because it takes a million of them to get buzzed, and they're only two grams of net carbs per serving, so you don't feel that guilty while chugging them down.

White Claw's promise to get more on the shelves hasn't quelled the panic people have felt at the prospect of not having their refrigerators packed with the pleasant-looking tall cans.

CBS Pittsburgh spoke with a beer distributor out of Brentwood, Pa, who said that the 39 cases he had of the stuff couldn't make it through a day and that customers kept ringing his business asking if he had any left.

White Claw isn't necessarily new — it's been around since 2016 but has recently surged in popularity. Phil says that the White Claw brand grew 260% for its third year in a row.

It's in the top 25 malt beverage brands, and is even outselling pretty much all craft beers, save for Blue Moon. It should be noted that there are tons of other hard seltzer brands on the market: Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer, Truly, Smirnoff Raspberry Rose, and Henry's, among others.

So you may want to try out some of those other brands if you're a White Claw fiend and can't get your hands on any until they ramp up production. It might not be your first choice, but it'll tide you over.