Robert C. Lehrman

Sparks and Caffeine: Nearly Extinguished

December 18, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 8 Comments

Sparks is all but dead. Today 13 Attorneys General announced a settlement with MillerCoors. The settlement covers this well-known brand of malt beverage with caffeine, taurine, guarana, ginseng — and essentially removes it from the US market.
The old label, in use from about 2001 until today, is on the left side above. The new label is on the right. The battery symbols, caffeine (and other ingredients) are banished.
The settlement calls for MillerCoors to reformulate Sparks and change the labels within three weeks. It also requires MillerCoors to pay $550,000 in fees within five days. Upon announcing the settlement earlier today, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said:

“Sparks is an insidious and insane drink that deservedly now is down the drain — like all stimulant-spiked alcoholic drinks should be,” Blumenthal said. “Beverages like Sparks are a witch’s brew of alcohol and caffeine, energizing drunks and encouraging dangerous, even deadly behavior. Common sense says a drink impairing judgment while conferring excess energy is a very bad idea. Studies show that these drinks lead to binge drinking, car crashes, sexual assaults and other risky behavior. They impair reactions and reasoning, but instill the illusion of alertness and energy.”

The settlement is so far-reaching, it even includes newer MillerCoors products such as Rize.

Green Gin, Green Shiraz

December 18, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 1 Comment

Red Deer wine claims to be “Tree Free.” We could only guess that this means the labels are made from rice, or something other than trees. But no. The UPC label explains that the wine is “Untouched by oak – The ‘naturelle’ fruit characters of the wine are not overwhelmed by additives commonly introduced by man – LIKE OAK.” We are getting the impression they don’t like oak. The label says the producer is part of a sustainable resource initiative. It also refers to the “Intense body,” and TTB often disallows “intense” on table wines (where it suggests a high alcohol content). In other green beverages, Rainforest Gin claims it “Saves the Rain Forest with Every Bottle.” Of gin. Made in Cleveland.

Watermelon Wine and Beer

December 17, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 2 Comments

In case this inspires you to go out and make your own Watermelon Ale, William’s Brewing stands ready to help. For $34.90 they have a brewing kit, complete with hops, yeast and watermelon flavor. From those with a little more practice, we have Moccasin Ben Watermelon Wheat Ale, above. It is ale brewed with watermelon juice, and it’s made in Chattanooga, TN. For a wine alternative, there is semi-sweet watermelon table wine made by Fieldstone Vineyards of Morgan, MN.

F-Words, F-Bombs and Booze, Part 2

December 16, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 3 Comments

Yesterday we discussed a scholarly article on the F-Word, in F-Words, F-Bombs and Booze, Part 1. That post was long on discussion and short on examples, so here are several examples of approved labels, raising a similar term and topic.
First and perhaps most famous is Effen Vodka. It’s possible the brand name refers to something other than what Potts is talking about, but somehow we believe they are thinking of roughly the same thing. As Potts explains, this term has always been mired in ambiguity, and that accounts for much of its power and popularity. The ambiguity also, we suppose, helps it get approved.
Second is Fricken Beer, as above. Indian River Brewing, of Melbourne, Florida, is hoping you too will walk up to the bartender and say “Get me a Fricken Beer.” If you don’t get slapped, it might be refreshing.
Third is Big F’n Syrah. It is a robust Yakima Syrah with overtones of the F-Word. We have a few additional F-Word labels but please let us know if you see others.

F-Words, F-Bombs and Booze, Part 1

December 15, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 3 Comments

Cary Wiggins alerted us to a recent, scholarly article about, of all things, the F-word. His blog, called Meeting the Sin Laws, covers the intersection of sin, vice, alcohol beverages, and the law.

Wiggins points to The Connotations of the F-Word. This is a post in The Language Log; it is a blog run out of the University of Pennsylvania since 2003. The post is by Chris Potts, a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He wants to get a better understanding of why people tend to remain so fascinated with this term (and other “taboo vocabulary”). He wants to know:

Does it in fact have sexual connotations even when used as an intensive, as in Bono’s “really, really f-ing brilliant”?

Ed. note: F-word modified.
It’s not an idle topic; the FCC needs to grapple with this and so does TTB. Potts applies some fancy academics to this not so fancy topic, with cosine measures, cooccurrences, fleeting expletives, formal linguistic theories, latent semantic analysis, and even rubrics of framing. He does not necessarily conclude that the term has much to do with sex.

This topic has a fair amount of relevance here, because this terminology pops up on alcohol beverage labels more often than you might expect. Above is but one leading example. Tomorrow we plan to show several others. Do you think the F-Word is okay on booze labels?

New Label Rules; Consumer Groups Press Obama Administration

December 14, 2008 by Robert C. Lehrman 1 Comment

On December 11th, several consumer groups submitted a letter to Treasury Secretary-Designate Geithner, urging fast action to require a great deal more information on beer, wine and spirits labels. The letter urges TTB and the Obama Administration to:

act now to issue a final regulation to require the following information on all beer, wine, and spirits labels: serving size, calories per serving, alcohol per serving, percent alcohol by volume, the definition of a “standard drink,” number of drinks per container, and the Dietary Guidelines recommendation on moderate drinking. TTB also should consult with FDA as to the most effective format and graphic design for the “Alcohol Facts” label.

The four consumer groups are the Center for Science in the Public Interest, the Consumer Federation of America, Shape Up America!, and the National Consumers League. They say they have been waiting more than five years since submitting their petition to change these rules. TTB’s 2007 proposed rule, and thousands of comments, are here.

Robert C. Lehrman

Sparks and Caffeine: Nearly Extinguished

Green Gin, Green Shiraz

Watermelon Wine and Beer

F-Words, F-Bombs and Booze, Part 2

F-Words, F-Bombs and Booze, Part 1

New Label Rules; Consumer Groups Press Obama Administration

Federal District Court Declares Federal Ban on At-Home Distilling Unconstitutional

Foreign Producers Should Get Ready for Big CBMA Tax Benefits

No Beer for Putin

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Federal District Court Declares Federal Ban on At-Home Distilling Unconstitutional

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No Beer for Putin

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