With ‘High Voltage,’ Shock Top Follows Voodoo Ranger up the ABV Ladder

Now that a slew of popular craft beer brands, including Voodoo Ranger and Dogfish Head, have put out high-ABV new releases, Shock Top wants in. The brand debuted High Voltage, which comes in at 9.6 percent ABV, in Southern California markets today, making this new offering the brewery’s product with the highest alcohol content yet. The beer will reach shelves nationwide beginning in May.

High Voltage, a double wheat beer with tasting notes of orange candy and zest, will be available in single, 19.2-ounce cans, or tall boys — the same format as Voodoo Ranger’s most recent high-ABV release, G-Force Supercharged Juicy IPA — with a suggested retail price of $2.99. Its alcohol content is just shy of G-Force’s, which is jacked-up to 11 percent ABV.

Craft ABVs have been trending upward for years, following consumer interest in stronger ready-to-drink products. As did Voodoo Ranger, Shock Top cites the success of high-ABV single cans in the craft category as the motivator behind the release of High Voltage in its announcement, referring to the product as a “shockwave” that “jolts” drinkers.

“High Voltage is our response to the fans — designed to show up wherever the energy is high and the night is just getting started, for a community that is spontaneous, social and always chasing what’s next,” Jacob Neilson, senior brand manager at Shock Top, writes.

Shock Top ranked 30th in the nation’s top 30 craft brands in year-to-date dollar sales at food stores, according to multi-outlet grocery, mass retail, and convenience store scan data through Jan. 25, 2026, tracked by market research firm Circana. The brand did not appear in the top 30 brands in Circana’s scan through Feb. 22.

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