Colt 45

Beyond Four Loko: Dennis Herrera Now Trying to Ban Alcohol Merely For Being Sugary

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Back in 2007, City Attorney Dennis Herrera led the charge against Sparks, claiming caffeinated malt liquor presented a danger to the public and was inherently marketed to adolescents.  Those antics inevitably worked: in late-2008, MillerCoors announced they were removing caffeine from Sparks, making it an everyday beer that happened to taste like SweeTarts.  He then went on a similar crusade against Four Loko that yielded the same results.

Apparently Herrera was not satisfied with companies only removing caffeine from their drinks, as today the now-mayoral candidate is going after Pabst for making fruit-flavored beer:

City Attorney Dennis Herrera today joined 17 attorneys general from U.S. states and one territory to call on Pabst Brewing Company to stop selling “Blast by Colt 45,” a highly intoxicating, supersized alcoholic beverage marketed to young consumers. The Woodridge, Ill.-based company launched the new product earlier this month in a colorful array of 23.5 ounce single serving cans and assorted flavors that include grape, strawberry lemonade, strawberry watermelon, and blueberry pomegranate. With an alcohol concentration of 12 percent, a single can of Blast contains the equivalent of nearly five servings of alcohol — which, if consumed within an hour, meets the standard for “binge drinking” as defined by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. […]

“Just as we're seeing real progress from companies and regulators to address the dangers of 'alcopops,' along comes fruit-flavored 'binge-in-a-can,'” said Herrera.  “When people open a chilled, carbonated beverage, they tend to drink it before it goes warm and flat.  That Pabst actually printed 'Please drink responsibly' on a 23.5-ounce can, with 12 percent alcohol, is just absurd.  You can't drink it responsibly unless you throw most of it away.  There's nothing responsible about 'Blast,' and Pabst needs to fix it.”

Is he next going to go back after Four Loko for selling caffeine-free tall cans of fruity beer?  Perhaps ban wine coolers?  And as SFist's Andrew Dalton says, “someone should ban pre-mixed Cosmos because they make dopey Cougars all violent and horny.”

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Colt 45 Blast + Uptown Almanac = Getting Drunk For Free

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

After reading our generally positive early review of Colt 45's new sugar booze/Four Loko clone Blast by Colt 45, Colt 45 hit us up about cohosting the new drink's launch party at 111 Minna.  Initially we were skeptical about signing on for such an event, but after they told us they'd be providing an open bar for 4 hours, we got on board.  So check it: if you're interested in getting drunk for free from 5pm-9pm tomorrow, swing over to Minna and slam as much boozy Kool-aid down your throat as possible.  Rumor has it there'll also be some DJs on the scene, so be aware of that.

[More info on Facebook]

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

First Look: Blast by Colt 45

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

Back in October, it was revealed that Pabst Brewing's new douchebro owners were working with Snoop Dogg to develop a line of flavored Colt 45.  Everyone rightfully rolled their eyes at the obvious attempt to go after the controversy-plagued Sparks/Four Loko/fortified wine market.  After all, strawberry lemonade is anything but beer—it's a Juicy Juice flavor.  But we were able to get our hands on a case of the prototype “Blast by Colt 45” and, well, my expectations of this 12.5% ABV fruity monstrosity tasting like wolf piss were wrong.

A few of us took a few bottles to Dolores Park the other day to give the grape and blueberry pomegranate flavors a spin.  Honestly, Blast tastes pretty mediocre straight out of the bottle. Having it on the rocks helps, but the idea of drinking malt liquor on the rocks deeply disturbs me and makes me fear for the future of our country.

Finally, after thinking that Blast was merely 'meh', we decided to cut it with some 7up and, honestly, it made the booze the fucking game.  Apparently Colt 45 intends to start shipping this stuff to bodegas soon, but I hope for their sake they lower the ABV and put some more carbonation in it because if they do, it'll be a game changer.  The mix goes tastes just like grape soda and blue raspberry Slush Puppies.  The Marin Institute will blow a circuit over it.  Rappers in Ohio will be rhyming in the streets.  High schoolers everywhere will be getting alcohol poisoning.  It'll be fantastic.

When a malt liquor turns your tongue blue, you know know it's the jam.

To be clear, when I first tasted Four Loko a year ago, I thought it was proof that God loves us and wants our vomit to smell like rotten watermelon.  I drank Sparks by the case in college.  And I'm more apt to reach for a Sunkist than a Coke.  Perhaps that makes me biased.  However, all the other Four Loko fiends that tasted this stuff agreed: Colt 45 has upped the high fructose corn syrup beer game.

Previously on Uptown Almanac: 

Colt 45 Guerrilla Marketing the Best Guerilla Marketing Campaign of All Time

— By Kevin Montgomery (@kevinmonty) |

New York Shitty, the world’s best street-art blog,* has the scoop on the latest Colt 45 marketing campaign.  I’m not going to lie, I feel a little left out.  Boston and New York City are getting all the love from the Colt 45 PR gods and we’re stuck drinking PBR.  So 2004.  I want the 2010 corporate-sponsored trend to come out way.  You literally have to go searching for c45 authenticity in the Mission and that’s a crime.

* I love making statements I can’t backup!

(link)

Previously on Uptown Almanac: