The Latest Buzz on Alcospeed

The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest last week filed suit in Washington, D.C. against beer maker MillerCoors, asking the court to force the company to stop selling its alcospeed "energy" beer beverage Sparks.

According to CSPI, MillerCoors is marketing Sparks to the 'tween and teen crowd with its "juvenile" web site and "guerilla marketing." Alcospeed beverages like Sparks have more alcohol than does beer – Sparks contains 6-7% by volume – is "enhanced" by a sweet taste (ick, ick, ick), is bright orange (seriously: orange beer. Barf), and contains a host of additives, including caffeine and guarana. In October, MillerCoors is set to release Sparks Red, which will contain 8% alcohol by volume. In all, CSPI says the drinks are marketed to seem more like soda than booze, thus appealing to younger drinkers.

Earlier this year, when CSPI told MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, Inc. (maker of Tilt and Bud Extra) of its intention to sue, AB came to the table, says CSPI, agreeing to remove the stimulants from its alcospeed products – rendering them plain old malt alcohol. According to CSPI the company also settled complaints with 11 state attorneys general and has agreed to urge its competitors – one would assume this includes MillerCoors – to stop producing alcospeed drinks.

To boot, CSPI says that a 2007 Wake Forest University study revealed that alcospeed drinkers were more likely to binge drink, ride with an intoxicated drive, become injured, or be "taken advantage of sexually" than are drinkers of regular booze.