flavored malt beverage

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.

Here is the tale of two Tilts. One was approved in June of 2007, and the other was approved a bit over a year later. The lower, older (orange) one claims caffeine, ginseng and guarana as ingredients. The upper, newer (green) one claims none of these things. Why? Lyke 2 Drink and The Syracuse newspaper reports:

Anheuser-Busch Inc. will stop producing caffeinated alcohol beverages under an agreement reached with attorneys general in 11 states, including New York, said Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said today. … Under the agreement, Anheuser-Busch will reformulate its Tilt malt beverage and Bud Extra beer to remove caffeine and guarana, a caffeine-bearing berry, company officials said.

This change seems to be well under way.

Here is Kelpie Seaweed Ale, made in Scotland and imported by Legends Ltd. of Baltimore, MD. The back label explains that the ingredients are:  malted barley bree, hops and seaweed. The late and noted beer aficionado, Michael Jackson, described it this way:

The new product has a mahogany color; a slightly ash-like aroma; and some sour-and-sweet seaweed notes over the fruitiness and maltiness of a Scotch Ale. The seaweed, harvested in the Western Highlands, is used in the mash tun. The idea is to replicate the flavors that might have arisen when island crofters used seaweed to reinforce the soil in which they grew barley. The beer is not intended to have the medicinal, iodine-like, seaweed character of an Islay whisky like Laphroaig.

Many thanks to Tracy F. Several readers suggested this label but she was first.