Brewing giant Anheuser-Busch has done an abrupt about face, saying it will discontinue production and marketing of Spykes, a flavored malt beverage critics charged would encourage underage drinking.
The beverage contains 12 percent alcohol by volume, more than twice that of beer.
Due to its limited volume potential and unfounded criticism, we have ceased production of Spykes, Anheuser-Busch said in a statement.
As recently as a week ago, the company had vigorously defended Spykes against its critics, which included a number of state attorneys general. The law enforcement officials had publicly complained that Spykes packaging and marketing was clearly designed to attract the youngest consumers, including those too young to legally drink alcohol.
Spykes, and similar caffeinated, alcoholic drinks, are double trouble, the alcohol and caffeine combine to create a high-energy rush with the illusion of alertness even though drinkers are actually impaired, said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who called Anheuser-Buschs retreat a significant victory.
Consumer groups had been equally harsh in their criticism of the new beverage. The Center for the Science in the Public Interest had charged the company was deliberately trying to market to underage consumers.
This is a shameful ploy to market malt liquor to the Lunchables set," said George A. Hacker, director of alcohol policies at CSPI. "Anheuser-Busch is practically begging to be investigated, subpoenaed, sued, or hauled before a Congressional committee to explain this one.
The companys announcement came from the top -- company CEO August Busch IV announced the Spykes decision at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's annual conference in California.
Other Drinks
Although Spykes has attracted the most criticism, it's far from the only drink aimed at the younger set. Other Anheuser-Busch brands that have come in for criticism include Bud Extra and TILT.The drinks are spiked with caffeine and other stimulants but consumers aren't warned about the health risks posed by the products, according to the attorneys general of 30 states.
An Anheuser-Busch executive had defended Spykes, saying it was created for adults as "a lower alcohol content alternative to hard liquors that come in flavors like apple, lemon, peach, orange, raspberry, pear, banana, and pomegranate, and which are mixed with other beverages to create flavored drinks such as chocolate and apple-flavored martinis."
"Those who criticize Spykes fundamentally misunderstand the behavior of many illegal underage drinkers," said Francine I. Katz, an Anheuser-Busch vice president. "They drink for instant impact."
"The fact that Spykes are sold in 2-ounce bottles and have a total alcohol content equivalent to only one-third of a glass of wine makes it much less likely that illegal underage drinkers will choose Spykes as opposed to similarly colored and similarly flavored products that are 70 to 80 proof hard liquor," Katz said.
In their letter to Anheuser-Busch, the 30 state attorneys general noted that medical doctors and public health professionals have warned that combining caffeinated energy drinks with alcohol a practice popular among young people poses significant health and safety risks.
The stimulant in the energy drink may skew a persons sense of alertness without reducing the adverse effect of the alcohol on that persons motor skills or ability to react quickly.
These alcoholic energy drinks are promoted and packaged in a way that is highly attractive to underage youth, said Attorney General Cuomo.
Drinks such as Spykes appeal to children but their caffeine content dangerously masks the effects of the alcohol. If Anheuser-Busch is going to hold itself out as a partner in the fight against underage drinking, then it must stop marketing these types of drinks that so strongly appeal to underage youth.
But Katz said Anheuser-Busch was being unfairly singled out for criticism.
"There are more than 50 of these products in this category in all colors and flavors, most of which are hard-liquor beverages that have three to four times greater concentration of alcohol by volume than Spykes," she said. "If the attorneys general believe that 50 ml bottles are a problem because their size makes them easily concealable, this standard should apply not just to malt-based products, but to hard liquor as well. If such a uniform standard were the rule, Anheuser-Busch would be happy to comply."
Katz also disputed the comments about caffeine.
"Adults have been drinking rum and cola, espresso martinis, Black Russians and Irish Coffee for decades. ... To our knowledge, the attorneys general have not written letters to sellers of espresso vodkas or other caffeinated hard liquors.
"In fact, earlier this week, a letter was signed by many of the same attorneys general praising Beam Global for its efforts to address underage drinking. This is the same company that markets Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, which is 20 percent alcohol by volume and contains no warning about mixing caffeine and alcohol," she said.
Katz did not comment on the criticism of other Anheuser-Busch products, includingTILT and Bud Extra.
The attorneys general said these types of alcohol energy drinks must include a warning to consumers about the risks of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The letter to Anheuser-Busch raises specific concerns about the illegible health warnings on the Spykes product.
