CHICAGO—Accused of being a “binge in a can” due to its high alcohol content, a new fruit-flavored malt beverage by Colt 45 has come under fire. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan recently sent a letter to the beverage manufacturer, Illinois-based Pabst Brewing Company, demanding a lower alcohol concentration of the beverage.
Beneath the colorful, psychedelic design of the label, the new beverage known as Blast packs a mighty punch. The 12 percent alcohol concentration of a single 23.5 oz. can of Blast is said to be equal to drinking an entire six-pack of typical American beer.
Madigan says in addition to the alluring label and fruity flavor profiles, the promotion and marketing of Blast is aimed at minors with a marketing campaign featuring hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.
Madigan’s letter is part of a group effort by the National Association of Attorneys General Youth Access to Alcohol Committee. The group issued its demand as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce youth access to alcohol and spread awareness of the dangers of underage drinking.
“Alcohol abuse among young people is a serious and alarming epidemic,” Attorney General Madigan said in a statement. “A product like this only serves to glamorize alcohol abuse and promote binge drinking, threatening the safety of those consuming it.”
Joining Attorney General Madigan in sending the letter to Pabst were her counterparts in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington, and the city attorney for San Francisco.
The committee’s action represents the latest step in its ongoing effort to protect young people from harmful products. For the past several years the group has ended the sale of candy-, fruit-, and alcohol-flavored cigarettes, and prevented misleading claims by alcoholic energy drink manufacturers.
In 2008, Madigan demanded that Las Vegas Kingpin Concepts Inc. discontinue its cocaine-themed energy drink named “Blow,” a drink mix that raised serious health concerns due to its high caffeine content. Madigan reached a similar agreement in 2007 with the California-based Redux Beverages LLC, for its distribution of an energy drink named Cocaine.
Beneath the colorful, psychedelic design of the label, the new beverage known as Blast packs a mighty punch. The 12 percent alcohol concentration of a single 23.5 oz. can of Blast is said to be equal to drinking an entire six-pack of typical American beer.
Madigan says in addition to the alluring label and fruity flavor profiles, the promotion and marketing of Blast is aimed at minors with a marketing campaign featuring hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.
Madigan’s letter is part of a group effort by the National Association of Attorneys General Youth Access to Alcohol Committee. The group issued its demand as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce youth access to alcohol and spread awareness of the dangers of underage drinking.
“Alcohol abuse among young people is a serious and alarming epidemic,” Attorney General Madigan said in a statement. “A product like this only serves to glamorize alcohol abuse and promote binge drinking, threatening the safety of those consuming it.”
Joining Attorney General Madigan in sending the letter to Pabst were her counterparts in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Guam, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Maine, Massachusetts, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, and Washington, and the city attorney for San Francisco.
The committee’s action represents the latest step in its ongoing effort to protect young people from harmful products. For the past several years the group has ended the sale of candy-, fruit-, and alcohol-flavored cigarettes, and prevented misleading claims by alcoholic energy drink manufacturers.
In 2008, Madigan demanded that Las Vegas Kingpin Concepts Inc. discontinue its cocaine-themed energy drink named “Blow,” a drink mix that raised serious health concerns due to its high caffeine content. Madigan reached a similar agreement in 2007 with the California-based Redux Beverages LLC, for its distribution of an energy drink named Cocaine.
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