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Posted in music on December 18, 2008

MillerCoors removing caffeine, other stimulants from Sparks

Sparks

MillerCoors is yanking the caffeine kick from its popular Sparks alcoholic drinks.

The beer giant is backing away from combos of alcohol and stimulants in the face of allegations by a number of state attorneys general and consumer groups that it was targeting underage drinkers, the WSJ reports.

The joint venture of SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing will voluntarily tone down the formula of Sparks to remove caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng, and it has agreed not to produce alcohol-caffeine combos in the future, MillerCoors said in a press release. The company highlighted its willingness to "listen to societal partners and consider changes to our business to reinforce our commitment to alcohol responsibility," and noted the agreement with the AGs contained no finding that MillerCoors acted unlawfully or marketed Sparks to youngsters.

Still, the AGs noted in their own statement that MillerCoors has also agreed to "cease particular marketing themes that appeal to underage youth, eliminating advertisements that feature a bright orange-stained tongue and not renewing its contract with William Ocean, an air guitar champion who does a back flip onto an opened can of Sparks at all of his shows." They add MillerCoors will discontinue its Sparks Web site, "which looks like it was created by a college freshman." [Wall Street Journal]

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Tags: Sparks
posted at 8:58 PM on December 18, 2008 in music | Comments (51)

Comments (51)

shawing

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 9:20 PM

Oh shit, what will I feed my kids.

Posted by UR DAD | December 18, 2008 9:28 PM

Shucks... I guess Spark has been de-sparked.

Posted by Eric Strom | December 18, 2008 9:29 PM

Shiiiiiiit

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 9:41 PM

the best sparks is gidgetsparks, and you can't remove the stimulating qualities from her.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 9:44 PM

girl in pic = underage drinker i'd like to target

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:00 PM

I don't know which hipster fad is worse: PBR or Sparks?

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:09 PM

Sparks has a purpose, PBR is just swill.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:12 PM

Doesn't alcohol in general target underage drinkers?

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:43 PM

What is enjoyable about drinking PBR? People try to be ironic and its not even ironic

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:47 PM

I don't drink PBR because it's ironic, I hate to dissapoint you. I drink PBR either because it's cold and it quenches my thirst or because it's the cheapest option at the bar.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:49 PM

But Brawndo has electrolytes.

Posted by Not Sure | December 18, 2008 10:54 PM

If you want cheap drinking options, drink at home. PBR is crap, people drink it because it is hipster ironic.

Same thing for beards, skinny jeans and fixed-gear bikes.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 10:58 PM

i love how people rail against "hipsters" on brooklynvegan... talk about irony.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 11:16 PM

"PBR is crap, people drink it because it is hipster ironic."

wrong

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 11:39 PM

I'd rather get a PBR for 2 bucks than pay 4 for Bud Light when it's the same, awful shit.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 11:45 PM

I'd rather get a PBR for 2 bucks than pay 4 for Bud Light when it's the same, awful shit.

Posted by Anonymous | December 18, 2008 11:45 PM

sometimes I buy PBR because I like it

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 12:01 AM

Sparks is disgusting

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 12:13 AM

bloc party!

Posted by yes | December 19, 2008 12:20 AM

i dont envy the rich, they cant buy a better beer than pabst blue ribbon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD81mIQPOI8

pbr is cheap and a lot better than bud light or fucking mils best

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 12:44 AM

pabst (SAY IT, PABST) is the worst. and o yeah we all can believe that miller-coors will never ever try to market their beer to minors ever again. uh huh and joe camel is gonna leave presents under the tree for me too

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 1:12 AM

will the sparks can resemble a battery once it's no longer toxic?

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 1:56 AM

so what about wine coolers and margaritas?

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 4:05 AM

I got a girl a PBR, and she didn't like it. :-( I bought it because it was the cheapest option at the bar... Oh yeah she bought it for us . w/e's lol.
:P

heheehhehehhehhhehhee its gonna snow - i gotta go to the pharmacy to get my antibiotics. Teehee.


Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 6:51 AM

hmm..someone's been up all night - haven't they?

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 8:13 AM

Ol E is what me and my posse used to drink. On the streets son. 64 64 64 i don't think i can drink anymoreeee!

Posted by matt | December 19, 2008 8:40 AM

Bring back Billy Beer!

Posted by MusicSnobbery | December 19, 2008 9:00 AM

i wonder if nyc bars started selling cans of Genny Cream Ale at the same price as PBR, which would sell better...

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 9:21 AM

As for drinking at home if you're cheap, a 12 pack of PBR at the nearest food dimensions is $2 cheaper ($8) than the next cheapest option, so it's still the cheapest beer option whether at a bar or at home.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 9:48 AM

No one should have to choose between PBR and Bud. Every bar has better options. I agree, if you want cheap, just stay at home.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 9:54 AM

it's snowing like crazy outside

Posted by Dan | December 19, 2008 10:08 AM

Who cares what people drink? Get lives.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 10:11 AM

Maybe if being drunk wasn't so much fun underage kids wouldn't want to do it.

Posted by John Q. Public | December 19, 2008 10:45 AM

"But Brawndo has electrolytes."
"What happened to that lead, follow or get out of the way shit?"

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 10:57 AM

pbr? it's alright...give me the black label or schlitz option please.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 11:07 AM

Just have to weigh in on Gidgetsparks here. Yeah, cute. But totally retarded white girl rap bullshite. If there were ever an emblem of what is wrong with Brooklyn and hipsterism she and anybody who appreciated her music would be in the running.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 11:17 AM

dont be mad because you cant actually grow a beard, too scared to even go to bars and buy a can of beer, or too fat and uncoordinated to ride a bicycle. I dont know if any of you haters have gone outside of your moms house in queens but that shit is everywhere now. Its in small towns in the south. You stupid ignorant morons. My grandpas no hipster but hes got a 12 pack of pbr in the basement.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 11:21 AM

pbr started in the midwest. it was a working persons beer first and it actually still is. what we shit on for being cheap is another persons sunday football heritage in Milwaukee.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 11:30 AM

Heineken? FUCK THAT SHIT!

PABST BLUE RIBBON!

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 12:23 PM

i'm not trying to be ironic, i drink pbr because its cheap, can drink alot of it and not get f*cked up and wont weight you down.

Posted by freddie mercury | December 19, 2008 12:33 PM

bud light is the worst beer in the history of the planet.

i will only drink sparks when they are free.

stimulants (caffeine, taurine, etc.) + depressants (alcohol) = easy heart attack recipe (stoops)

the only real reason to drink it is to get psyched about how wasted you are as you're killing yourself.

actually, i guess that's pretty punk.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 12:54 PM

Is there going to be a commemorative Sparks 4.0 to say goodbye?

Posted by Peter M. | December 19, 2008 2:12 PM

"Heineken? FUCK THAT SHIT!

PABST BLUE RIBBON!"

Exactly! I drink PBR because Dennis Hopper told me to. What's so ironic about that?

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 2:31 PM

your all fucking douches

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 4:17 PM

Having a PBR makes this well-to-do Manhattan socilaite feel like a poor, dirty, fun-loving brooklyn hipster, at least for the evening. Now I just need to work on growing a Brooklyn Power Beard and Cheap Monday jeans. Cheerio my good man!

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 4:34 PM

hey 11:17, the problem with brooklyn hipsterism is idiots like you who do nothing then anonymously rip on others who actually put themselves out there due to your frustrated libido. and besides, gigdetsparks is from queens, so go drink some hot chocolate bitches.

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 4:58 PM

disses against gidgetsparks must be phrased in the form of a rap, lest you invite the label of "herb"

Posted by Anonymous | December 19, 2008 5:38 PM

I started drinking PBR because it was the cheapest choice at the bar. Still, when there is 1.50 High Life, I choose that. But its not because Im a hipster! Its because Im poor...and I'd rather save my money for my fixed gear conversion kit, skinny jeans, or a beard comb!

(im not kidding)

(not at all)

Posted by Anonymous | December 20, 2008 10:15 AM

brooklyn sucks.
all i do is eat meat.
i hate you.

Posted by Anonymous | December 22, 2008 3:21 PM

sparks rules fuck ever other beer they need not take away the taurine and ingsing

Posted by Anonymous | September 29, 2009 3:24 PM

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