Anheuser-Busch to Pull the Plug on Spykes

Anheuser-Busch has released a statement saying that they will officially stop selling Spykes, a malt beverage that was feared to be marketed toward underage drinkers, according to the Associated Press.

Critics from all around the United States said that due to the shape and size of the bottle and even the color of the drink that Spykes was obviously targeting the under 21 age demographic. Also, because the bottles are so small it was a fear that teenagers and even children could easily sneak them into events such as prom or places such as a movie theater. Chief Executive August Busch IV was the one who made the official announcement that Spykes would no longer be sold.

Spykes' are two ounce bottles of flavored alcohol, 12% alcohol by volume, which is quite a lot considering most beers have only 4% alcohol by volume. Micheal J Owens, Vice President of Marketing at the Anheuser Busch Corporation, stated that Spykes was actually introduced to the markets about two years ago. Spykes was most recently introduced to the national public in January of 2007 and had not performed to Anheuser- Busch's expectations. Spykes has come under heavy scrutiny, which Owen rejects. Owen denies that Spykes was designed to sway underage drinkers and claims that Spykes is one of the lowest alcohol content products in its market. He also claims that most young (and/or underage) drinkers prefer drinks with higher alcohol contents than what Spykes was offering.

Spykes is a colorful, festive looking drink packaged in a sleek bottle, seemingly meant to appeal to a young female audience. Spykes was meant to be taken as a shot or even mixed with beer. According to the critics, by mixing one of the lime, mango, melon, or hot chocolate flavored Spykes drinks into a beer, it will cut down on the bitterness that some younger drinks associate with beer making it easier for them to drink. Spykes also have certain 'energy drink' ingredients in them such as ginseng and caffeine. Energy drinks are also very popular amongst a younger audience. Because the drinks contain energy drink qualities it would give the drinker an illusion of being more alert, even though in reality they are impaired.

The same critics that slammed Anheuser-Busch for Spykes are now praising them for pulling Spkyes off of the market. The claim is now that Anheuser-Busch has made a significant step in the ceasing of underage drinking.

Sources:

Associated Press, "Anheuser-Busch to stop making Spykes."

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