Zima Was Popular in the 90s -- Until People Tasted It

Let's take a Weird History Food journey to learn about Zima. People who grew up in the 1990s may feel some nostalgia when thinking about Surge, Shark Bites, or other discontinued foods from the '90s - and those of a certain age will remember Zima. The clear malt beverage was a huge hit when it debuted in 1993, but it wasn't long before Zima became a pop-culture punchline.

#Zima #WeirdHistoryFood #FoodHistory

[jaimee]

I was a college freshman in 1994. Zima and Jolly Ranchers was my drink of choice. Also my roommate and I found a kitten outside of our dorm one night and she was smuggled in and of course named Zima lol. My mom took the cat in when we got caught. Zima lived a long happy life.

[WrestlingWithGaming]

The "famous Japanese actor" shown is actually Tanahashi, a professional wrestler from New Japan Pro Wrestling. He is VERY popular in Japan.

[wasd____]

Coors really, really wanted Zima to be a hit because it could be made with the lowest-grade, cheapest grain, and minimal effort - normally, this would have just made for an unbelievably awful beer, but the charcoal filtering stripping everything out left it relatively neutral. Then you just re-introduce some citrus flavoring agent, and bam, you sell it for as much as regular beer, but manufactured for a significantly lower cost.
This is also why alco-seltzers are getting big marketing pushes. They're the spiritual successor to Zima, made along the same lines: with super cheap ingredients for a higher profit margin.

[abotatu]

Zima is still sold at clubs in Japan, never knew it was a drink from the 90’s. Great video

[Laurabeck]

Zima's packaging looks shockingly modern considering it's almost 30 years old

[philritter]

I will remember Zema for the rest of my life because it was the first drink to get me somewhat drunk when I was 13-14. My parent dropped me off at the local sledding hill with my friends. In the parking lot I somehow miraculously uncovered a 6 pack of Zima that someone had buried in the snow presumably to keep cold, with 5 remaining. I smuggled them home until I had the courage to drink 3 one night. And holy moly was that a great night. Watching Futurama and getting tipsy and then playing Perfect Dark while my parents slept. Great times.

[domlazzini]

I will always have a soft spot for Zima in my heart: the first alcohol that ever made me throw up ❤️

[bugzycapone]

My mom quit drinking for 15 years until Zima. She was a full blown alcoholic after one taste. Needless to say, the rest of my childhood was traumatic lol

[malenotyalc]

As teenagers we tricked a friend's grandma into buying us Zima. We told her it was a new soft drink.

[stephenhodges]

I was a raging alcoholic for decades. There was a period of time when my wife didn’t think zima was real beer (which I know, I know) so I drank that crap by the case. Terrible heartburn. But I was drunk.

[eggsngritstn]

I was a supplier to Coors Memphis in the early 2000's, and they said then the only thing keeping Zima alive was the huge profit margin. The cost to produce was lower than their traditional beer, yet the drink was sold at a slight premium in price. That's great product development.

[pinkfreud]

I was 30 and I enjoyed it. I wasn't a huge drinker, but sometimes I just was in the mood for something light and refreshing. Not all alcoholic drinks have to hit you like a ton of bricks.

[maachanpoku]

I’m a Japanese and was surprised to know that Zima is only sold in Japan currently. I don’t think it’s “big” in Japan though. Never been so. Among that category, Chu-hi is the most selling kind in the market by far. I would personally go with Smirnoff over Zima.

[rodbelding]

As a nineties kid, my parents always had Zima in the fridge. I swear they never drank it, but it was just always there.

[BrooksFoodLooks]

I may be a 28 month clean alcoholic, but even I know there was an over reaction to Zima, and it's funny it only seems to be the Malt Beverages that get flack under the vise of for "the kids." I would love to know other alcohols that have a past for being accused of that. I fondly remember the malt beverage Sparks Alcohol Energy drink, and that went away for the kids and to protect health, like they actually care. It's always fun to look back at over reactions from the past, thanks!

[eggbag]

My mom is not an alcoholic but is perpetually saying “I really want some ZIMA I wonder when they’re gonna bring it back”

[radarlovedr]

as a teenager, when Zima came out, I have to say I liked it. My friends and I didn’t consider it “beer” per say but we would drink it. It was like grapefruit flavor to me. At least as far as I can remember. I remember one of my friends grandma would keep her fridge full of it and she thought it wasn’t really beer as well, so she allowed us to drink our fill.

[cowgba]

When they brought Zima back for one summer a few years ago I tried it with a bunch of friends. One of them summed up the Zima experience perfectly: "it's not good, it's not bad, it's just... Zima."

[ZadieBear]

As a male of a certain age in the mid 90's, I loved Zima and was bummed they slowly disappeared from shelves of my local mini-mart.

[editorrbr]

Zima was amazing.

If you’ve ever lived in a really hot and humid climate, you will understand its appeal. It was the perfect lawn care/summer afternoon cold beverage. It was like a tangy alcoholic sprite.

I will never apologize for loving the stuff.