Logan Gola’s Blow Energy Drink Mix got exactly the kind of attention that the BevNET staff was afraid it would.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Mary Bono-Mack – while standing next to a representative from the Betty Ford Clinic – urged Gola to pull his product from the market.

She also called him a “scumbag.”

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It looks like beverage burglars have diversified. The latest pair of drink thieves moved beyond energy drinks and included Loganberry Tea and Jones Soda in their Red Bull heist. Their $7,000 score paled compared to earlier Red Bull and Monster bandits, who jacked $50,000 and $100,000, respectively.

These two may want to consider a career change. They’re not only going to jail, but they’re also worse at beverage filching than their predecessors.

Get the full story here.

Two researchers have an idea that could put the power to reduce global warming into your hands – specifically into your beverage bottles.

Dr. Thomas E. Muller and Dr. Toshiyasu Sakakura say it could be possible to cull carbon dioxide from smoke stacks and use it as a base chemical for the polycarbonate plastics used to make bottles and DVDs.

That could lead to cheaper, safer and greener products compared to current PET bottles, the researchers said. But you have to wonder, do you really want your beverages packaged in industrial waste? More importantly, how many times could you buy water in one of these and sing “Smoke on the Water” before it would stop being funny?

For more info, read the full article here.

After branching out into all-natural cola, Red Bull’s next move could be into the music industry. The New York Post reported that the energy drink company is building a multi-million dollar recording studio in Santa Monica, Cali. For more, click here.

I don’t care if it’s a day old. It’s still really funny. Courtesy of AllAboutJazz.com.

Pepsi Claims Jazz, Issues Cease and Desist

Published: April 1, 2008

By Jeff Fitzgerald, Genius

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PepsiCo, the world’s second largest soft drink company, has claimed trademark protection on the word “Jazz” and has issued cease and desist orders to anyone currently using the word other than in reference to their diet cola product of that name. Pepsi Jazz has been on the market since 2006, while the word “j—” goes back to around 1915, but PepsiCo was able to exploit a loophole in the burgeoning field of ridiculous intellectual property claims. “No one had trademarked the word,” said Pepsi spokesbastard Phil Clabbard, “so we took the opportunity to secure our brand property. We feel this will eliminate confusion that may be usurping our brand integrity and product recognition. From now on, when anyone says ‘Jazz,’ everyone will know they mean ‘Pepsi Jazz.’”

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In the strangest collision of the beverage and music worlds since witnesses watched Amy Winehouse snort vodka, Axl Rose has thanked Dr. Pepper for supporting his (maybe) forthcoming album, Chinese Democracy.

In a clear, Taco Bell-like stunt, the resilient number-three soda player announced that they would give a free can of Dr. Pepper to everyone in America if Axl releases the 17-year-in-the-making album sometime – anytime – during 2008.

The beverage company exempted estranged guitarists Slash and Bucketthead from the offer, and framed the promotion as encouraging Axl to release the album in a time when it is badly needed due to the current wash of wanabee singers and movies about high school musicals.

That’s exactly how Axl reacted to the promotion – publicly, at least.

Axl released a statement last week saying that he was surprised and happy about Dr. Pepper’s support and, as the album features performances by Buckethead, Axl would share his free beverage with the guitarist.

Alright, in a BevBlog first, I have to disagree with my colleague, Matt Casey, and his post on the series “Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist” which features Clearly Canadian as an integral part of the show.

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Have you ever wanted a glimpse into the life of Bobby Genovese, founder of BG Capital Group — the company that owns Clearly Canadian?

Neither have we, but nobody consulted us before the Mojo network decided to make “Bobby G: Adventure Capitalist.”

The first episode, available online, shows Bobby G and his company at an annual meeting. Prepare for the excitement of power point presentations and stock footage. Okay, so there’s some rock climbing in there as well, but this show might as well be one giant press release for BG Capital Group.

There’s a section in the middle that might be of interest to beverage industry professionals. The team works on powdered beverages, and has a brief discussion about how to deal with flavor houses. The rest of the show, however, consists of Genovese and his followers patting him on the back.

Unless you like watching corporate promotional videos, you’d probably have a better time watching reruns of “CSI: Miami.”

Beverage industry veteran Mike Schott, 59, passed away yesterday, succumbing to an almost 2 year battle with brain cancer.

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Regardless of your political views, we all have to agree that Iraq is currently an unsafe place for a long list of things. That list now includes Coke and Pepsi.

Ayatollah Sheikh Qasim Attayi issued a fatwa calling for all Muslims to cease consuming, selling or importing the cooler case staples.

Despite what it might look like, this isn’t a new strain of anti-Americanism. Though Pepsi and Coke are fantastic symbols of U.S. consumerism, Attayi called for the Fatwa after a study allegedly confirmed that Pepsin – a key ingredient in both drinks – is extracted from pig intestines.

While the idea of pig-intestine extract in our beverage might make most of us queasy, it’s downright forbidden for Muslims to consume pig products. Hence, fatwa.