spykes

Spykes Gets Axed

Spykes Gets Axed

By consumeristcarey 5.19.07

Anheuser-Busch is pouring Spykes down the drain less than a week after twenty-nine state attorneys general asked the brewer to warn customers that mixing Spykes with caffeinated beverages could be dangerous. The AGs also expressed concern that the colorful alcoholic flavor shots encouraged underage drinking.

“Due to its limited volume potential and unfounded criticism, we have ceased production of Spykes,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement, in which it added that Spykes was the lowest alcohol content product in its market segment.

The decision, announced by Anheuser-Busch CEO August Busch IV, was heralded by Connecticut AG Richard Blumenthal as a “significant victory in the fight against underage drinking.” Sorry, kids. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

Twenty Nine Attorneys General Worry Teenagers May Get All Coked-Up On Spykes

By consumeristcarey 5.12.07

Twenty-nine state attorneys general have asked Anheuser-Busch, makers of the alcoholic flavor shots called Spykes, to warn consumers that it may be dangerous to mix Spykes with caffeinated beverages. The AGs also expressed concern that Spykes might encourage underage drinking with its “tiny, attractive, brightly colored containers that can be easily concealed in a pocket or purse.” That couldn’t possibly appeal to underage drinkers, who, we are told, prefer their 40 oz beverages concealed in sober tan paper bags.

Anheuser-Busch spokeswoman Francine Katz said the St. Louis company does not endorse underage drinking and does not target minors. She said Spykes shots, which are sold in 2-ounce bottles and have as much alcohol as a third of a glass of wine, are less likely to appeal to minors, who typically “drink for instant impact.”

Controversy is practically Spykes’ mistress. The Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms already ruled that the Spykes’ teeny-tiny government mandated warning label was “out of compliance” for being too teeny and tiny. We don’t see Spykes becoming less controversial anytime soon, leading us to wonder: is Spykes the new Cocaine? — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER