Souped-up beer to include caffeine, ginseng

[Champ]

ST. LOUIS - Looking to add oomph to a beer segment that has gone a bit flat, Anheuser-Busch hopes to give its bottom line a boost with a new concoction - a fruity-smelling beer, spiked with caffeine, herbal guarana and ginseng.

The world's largest brewer said Monday its planned offering, B-to-the-E - with the "E" denoting something "extra" and shown as an exponent of B - should appeal to 20-something consumers craving something zippy in their highly social, fast-paced lifestyles.

The St. Louis-based brewer said the new "beer," pending governmental approval, should debut in November against the backdrop of the company's existing line of Bacardi liquor-branded flavored malt beverages - or malternatives - and the ever-increasing line of alcohol-free energy drinks, often used as mixers in clubs.

Anheuser-Busch said each can of the B-to-the-E beverage would pack 22.5 carbs, along with 6.6 percent alcohol by volume, 54 milligrams of caffeine and 203 calories. By comparison, Anheuser-Busch's Bacardi Silver Low-Carb Black Cherry has 2.6 grams of carbs and 96 calories per 12-ounce serving.
http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/1004beer-oomph04-ON.html

[flordehinojos]

1. not really being an alcohol fan, is this 6.6 percent alcohol volume more

than the alcohol volume in regular beer? Enough alcohol level in a person's system can kill a person. would this new beer raise the danger level to beer drinkers--not to mention possible impairment on driving while intoxicated? I am just an old fashioned mom. :)

[T Bone]

2. Just pop a couple No-Doz and finish your night with some NyQuil

after drinking the new Busch Beer and you too will act like a Bush*.

[ET Awful]

3. Didn't Drew Carrey come up with that idea on his show years ago?

Buzz Beer :)

[salvorhardin]

4. OK, 20-something DUers, please tell me

do you crave something zippy in your highly social, fast-paced lifestyle...? or is that the biggest bunch of marketing hooey since Microsoft co-opted the word 'innovate' back in the mid-'90s?

Does anyone fall for this kind of crap marketing?

[Lady Effingbroke]

5. Red Hook brewery created a beer a decade ago which contained caffeine:

It was actually pretty good, but it tasted like beer, not those "raspberry" or "cherry" flavored malt liquor drinks. :puke:

[doc03]

6. If you would like to know what this combination of drugs produces.

Anheuser-Busch tested a six pack on Bush* before his debate with President Kerry. Caffeine and alcohol I guess that would keep you
awake so you can drink more. Any Pittsburgh area people remember Hoppengator around(1964), I think Iron City made it? It had the opposite effect the first bottle was good the second you couldn't finish it with out blowing chunks. They need to spike the Shrub's beer with some Ginko-Baloba.

[demnan]

7. Why don't they just make a natural beer that tastes good -

or is that too much to ask?