Mtn Dew Summer Freeze Review: It's Both Nostalgic And New

Summer is prime time for a new soft drink flavor, and Mountain Dew is as obliging as ever with Summer Freeze, this year's entry in the bubbly beverage parade. This exciting sipper has lived a thousand lives, with electrifying flavors popping up on the regular. Though each colorful variation has its place in the rankings of best to worst Mountain Dew flavors, a new interpretation like Summer Freeze is sure to set hearts alight, even as this cool creation lowers the temperature by adding an icy-blue streak to the rising heat.

Rather than reaching into the hat of tongue-twisting tastes for something entirely new, Mountain Dew's flavor factory chose a familiar favorite for its latest sensation. As the dazzling colors on the label attest, Summer Freeze is a soda-fied tribute to the Bomb Pop, an icy and iconic American favorite found in ice cream trucks and freezer cases throughout the nation. The idea is enough to make soft drink fans with a taste for reminiscing bubble over with excitement. But does the product live up to its potential? The only way to find out is to twist the cap and take a taste, which is just what we did.

Anyone familiar with the beloved Bomb Pop will easily recognize the label's red, white, and blue pattern as a reference to the tri-level temptation enjoyed by generations during the most sweltering moments of summers gone by. Even the typeface on the Summer Freeze label is a nod to the Bomb Pop box logo. This frosty favorite is so beloved it even has its own national appreciation day, according to Day Finders. The last Thursday in June, which in 2023 is June 29, commemorates the original invention date as well as the perfect day to indulge in something sweet and chilly. An American original with such staying power deserves a tribute in fizzing form, making Mountain Dew's turning of a beloved ice pop into a bubbly iced pop a no-brainer and a no-brain-freezer. 

The chilled confection has evolved its product line through the decades to include favorable flavors combos like banana and chocolate, strawberry and watermelon, and Hawaiian Punch. But it's the original Bomb Pop that brings back memories worth recapturing in a savvy soda with wistful leanings. And while Smirnoff may have beaten Mountain Dew to the punch by creating an alcoholic Bomb Pop blend, this one is family friendly.

With no recommended retail price available, we did the legwork to find Summer Freeze at our nearest supermarket and discovered delightfully cost-effective pricing. We found individual 20-ounce bottles for $2.39, perfect for dipping a toe — or a taste bud — in the swimming pool-blue water to see if it's too cool for summer school. If you're all in and ready for feeling the Freeze full-on, you can opt for a six-pack of 16.9-ounce bottles for $5.49 instead. And for parties where an ice pop-flavored soda is the best beverage bet, a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans will set you back $7.19.

All of these prices keep Summer Freeze squarely aligned with other soft drink prices. Though you may suffer some setbacks while trying to keep things cool this summer, sitting back with a sweet sip of Summer Freeze won't be one of them. Prices this reasonable make it possible to pick up a few extra packs to stash in the fridge or freezer, letting you extend the celebration long after the seasonal switch-around. It's an explosive deal lovers of both Bomb Pops and Mountain Dew can't afford to pass up.

Though Mountain Dew's mad flavor scientists come up with new formulas on the regular, devoted drinkers also know that variants disappear as quickly as they arrive. Summer Freeze is no exception to the Rule of Dew. This limited-edition libation will be available only for the summer, though an end date for the sale has not been announced. According to Mountain Dew Fandom Wiki, the original announcement that leaked referenced a release period of April 24 through June 16. An online search shows that these dates are not confirmed by PepsiCo or Mountain Dew.

This lack of a defined date range could be tricky marketing magic that gets eager customers fired up. And there's no indication of how long supplies will last, which means a run on Summer Freeze may deplete supplies faster than the grand finale of a Fourth of July firework display. So while it's tempting to wait to get your Summer Freeze on until the deep heat starts scorching your sandals, you'd be wise to rush in and grab a few bottles before the Bomb Pop bonanza goes the way of waterparks and sleepaway camps when autumn arrives.

As a new Dew descendant, Summer Freeze makes a distinctive splash with its vivid blue hue that calls to mind swimming pools and sunny skies. While technicolor eye candy is a hallmark of the Mountain range, this new iteration is wildly different from how the original version of Mountain Dew tasted, as are many of the flavors in the current line-up. Each flavor creates a candy-coated take on fruit in some form, such as the dark citrus punch of Pitch Black and the zippy tropical tang of Typhoon. Where other soda simulations keep limited edition releases closer to the soda fountain, Mountain Dew takes your taste buds on a roller coaster ride. Bringing a creation like Summer Freeze into this flavorful fold smartly follows suit.

The company keeps fans on their toes with the release schedule, which has some watching for Baja Blast or Uproar to make a return appearance. Though this one is currently a temporary temptation, there is hope that it will circle back in summers to come. An annual reunion would be smart marketing, a fact that the beverage brains behind this bold formula are sure to have in mind.

When it comes to nutrition, the facts on Summer Freeze are remarkably unremarkable for a Mountain Dew product. The 160 calories, 43 grams of sugar, and 50 milligrams of sodium line up closely with the 170 calories, 46 grams of sugar, and 60 milligrams of sodium found in a can of regular Dew. The buzz factor in this sensational new soda is where things get a little more explosive. Mountain Dew is commonly known as one of the most caffeinated sodas around. Per the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a 12-ounce can of the regular carbonated concoction contains 54 milligrams of caffeine. To give Summer Freeze an extra blast, that amount is upped to 68 milligrams, according to PepsiCo's own fact sheet. That number jumps to 114 milligrams in a 20-ounce bottle, enough extra to light the fuse on anyone's physiological fireworks. A blast-off is practically guaranteed.

Sugar watchers can find a zero-sugar version of Summer Freeze hanging next to the syrup-centric original version. With no calories and Sucralose as a sweetner, this carbonated crackler lets mindful drinkers enjoy a more healthful flashback to carefree summer days.

It's hard to complain about a soft drink that amounts to a melted popsicle in a bottle. The tingly taste is a syrupy blend of cherry, blue raspberry, and lemon-lime, all without approaching the actual flavors of any real fruit whatsoever. But that isn't the point. This is a bottle of fun waiting to blast its cap, a cherished memory to be savored with every swig. One sip is enough to evoke the sounds of the ice cream man's musical tones that signal a sugary summertime diversion. It's both nostalgic and new, a trip back in time and a spin through the future where just about any childhood confection can be reimagined as a beverage adults can enjoy (though there's no reason kids can't join in the fun, too).

The buzziest bit about Mountain Dew Summer Freeze is the bonkers excitement of realizing that this chill concoction can be refrozen to create its ice pop inspiration. So ... will Summer Freeze spark a post-modern movement where devoted drinkers toss bottles of this bodacious beverage in their freezers and frost them up slush-style? It would be a shame to waste such a sweet opportunity.