Blue Moon Launches Ghost Pepper Challenge Kit With Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

(Photo: Blue Moon)

Much as Corona is associated with a fresh slice of lime, Blue Moon has long encouraged drinkers to sip its beer with a signature orange wedge plunked onto the side of their beer glass. But what if that orange was spicy?

On Monday, the brand revealed an unexpected collaboration with Frank’s RedHot that pushes the viral spicy food trend to its natural — or at least, booziest — limit.

The brands are releasing 100 challenge kits across two drops on July 20 and July 27, the former of which sold out as soon as it was announced. The centerpiece of each kit is a dried Valencia orange slice coated with Frank’s RedHot (Scoville Heat Unit: 450) and ghost pepper dust (Scoville Heat Unit: over 1,000,000). Combined, the orange slice is likely over 100 times hotter than a standard jalapeño.

Also included is a gift card that can be used to buy a six-pack of beer, a bottle of hot sauce and a custom glass featuring measurement markers to track “how much Blue Moon you drink to beat the heat.” Kits will be back in stock next Monday at $19.95 each, and will almost certainly be depleted quickly.

“Most people know how well Blue Moon pairs with oranges, but not everybody knows how well Blue Moon pairs with spicy foods,” Elizabeth Hitch, VP of Marketing for Above Premium Beer at Molson Coors Beverage Company, remarked in a news release. “With this spicy orange garnish, we’re bringing the heat straight to our fans so they can test out this elite pairing for themselves.”

Over a decade after “Hot Ones” turned spice challenges into a mainstream phenomenon, the beverage industry is leaning full tilt into the hype. In January, Absolut Vodka joined forces with Tabasco for a pungent, vinegar-forward spirit that’s already proven a best seller through retailers like Total Wine. Brands like Ghost have transposed the ghost pepper challenge into the world of tequila, and Coca-Cola recently filed a trademark application for “Spricy,” suggesting that a spicy twist on Sprite may soon be hitting shelves.

“Hot Ones” even has its own vodka distilled by New Amsterdam. Reviewing the $11 bottle at launch, we had mixed impressions, to put it mildly.

Collaborations between household-name alcohol brands and household-name hot sauce makers are the trend to beat, though Blue Moon appears to be the first brewery getting in on the zeitgeist. The brand says that 70% of beer drinkers are already choosing to pair beer with spicy foods, which, if true, suggests that there’s still plenty more to come.