Anheuser-Busch to Stop Making Disputed Drink

Anheuser-Busch, the maker of Budweiser and Michelob beers, will stop selling Spykes fruit-flavored alcohol drinks after being criticized by state officials for appealing to teenagers.

Chief executive August Busch IV announced the decision to stop producing Spykes yesterday during a meeting of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association in California, the company said.

Attorneys general from states including New York and Florida sent Anheuser-Busch a letter last week urging the brewer to add labels on Spykes, Tilt and Bud Extra to warn about the fruity "starter drinks," which also contain caffeine. The attorneys general wrote that the drinks appeal to teenagers and should have labels saying that people may feel less impaired than they really are.

Spykes "has not performed up to expectations" since it was introduced two years ago, spokesman Michael Owens said in an e-mailed statement.

Spykes was "unduly attacked" by anti-alcohol groups even though it had less alcohol than other products on the market, Owens said.

"Due to its limited volume potential and unfounded criticism, we are ceasing production of Spykes."

Spykes shots contain ginseng and guarana, in addition to caffeine, and have names such as "spicy mango" and "hot melons." They are 12 percent alcohol by volume and are sold in two-ounce bottles, giving them as much alcohol as one-third of a glass of wine.

Spokeswoman Francine Katz said last week that the shots were unlikely to appeal to teenagers because they drink for "instant impact" as opposed to in small quantities.

Spykes "in no means was intended for anyone under 21," Busch said yesterday at the conference, according to industry journal Beer Business Daily.