Concerns raised over caffeine-fuelled beer

Published on Monday 4 July 2005 00:34

A BEER made with a caffeine additive is to be launched in the UK - amid fears that it might fuel binge drinking.

Each bottle of the drink, BE, contains 5 per cent alcohol and 60.4mg of caffeine. The drink's maker, Anheuser-Busch, which also brews Budweiser, said BE - Beer with Extra - contains guarana, ginseng and flavouring to give it a sweet, fruity taste.

It will be marketed at people aged 18 to 34 "who like drinking in bars and nightclubs". The alcohol content is in line with the firm's other premium-strength beers sold in the UK, it said.

Jim Gorczyca, Budweiser's UK marketing director, said the drink had generated "huge excitement" in the United States since its launch this year. "There is nothing else like BE - it is a premium- strength beer with the added bonus of extra ingredients that have created a taste that appeals to men and women.

"Its flavour is reminiscent of beer with a raspberry, blackberry and cherry aroma. It's a beer with a sweet taste."

Andrew McNeill, the director of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said he was concerned that the caffeine content might encourage people to drink alcohol for longer periods.

"These drinks are clearly aimed at young, heavy drinkers [who] drink too much as it is," he said. "Binge drinking is probably the biggest single main cause of crime and anti-social behaviour at the moment."

Victoria Manning, a research psychologist for Action on Addiction, said: "This concerns us because the combination of caffeine and beer will enable people to drink more, because caffeine will keep them awake."