flavored malt beverage

Way before the Prius and the Civic Hybrid, the original hybrid was Pink Champale. We call it a hybrid because it looks a lot like Champagne (sort of) — but it’s really beer. In tiny print, the label says it is a Malt Beverage with Natural Flavors and Artificial Color. Champale has certainly stood the test of time; the above approval is from this year and Gono.com has an excellent collection of Champale ads going all the way back to 1960. The above ad is from about 1978, and the 1962 ad refers directly to Champagne. Smirnoff Ice is a much later example of the increasingly common trend toward hybrids (it has a malt beverage base but a hugely famous spirits brand name). The beer versus wine versus spirits categorization is a critically important part of TTB’s role, because of a dramatically different excise tax on each category. In many cases (such as beers loaded up with flavors) it is very difficult to assign the product to the most appropriate category.

Happy Halloween wishes are en route from Ryben Spirits, in King of Prussia, PA. We are tagging this Pumpkin Spice Cream Liqueur (made in Ireland) with “unusual ingredients.” But pumpkin is getting more and more common, in a variety of alcohol beverages. Here is Moccasin Bend Pumpkinseed Pale Ale. It is Ale Brewed with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds and bottled in Chattanooga, TN.

… or as the label notes, at least not to your children. While not obvious from the label, this Tequila specialty comes pre-frozen in popsicle form, complete with a stick. Other brands previously introduced the concept of frozen alcohol beverages in various forms (see Freaky Ice flavored malt beverage).