TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

A potent new drink that packs nearly five servings of alcohol into a 23.5-ounce can has lawmakers concerned it could encourage binge and underage drinking.

Kern County District Attorney Lisa Green has joined Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other prosecutors around the country in asking Pabst Brewing Company to reduce the amount of alcohol in the malt liquor drink, called Blast by Colt 45.

Green said young people who get a hold of the drink will be encouraged to finish it since it's contained in a single can.

"The immediate impact of that much alcohol on a person, especially a young person, raises the risk of driving while intoxicated," she said in a news release.

Pabst Brewing did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday afternoon.

Supervising Deputy District Attorney Michael J. Yraceburn said "it's pretty obvious" the drink is being marketed for a younger crowd. Rapper Snoop Dogg is promoting the beverage, which comes in brightly colored cans in four fruity flavors of blueberry pomegranate, strawberry lemonade, grape and raspberry watermelon.

"This is coming out in response to Four Loko," Yraceburn said, referencing a high-alcohol energy drink that The Associated Press said was pulled from stores following a U.S. Food and Drug Administration crackdown. "We're seeing a marketing trend in these breweries trying to compete with each other."

Unlike Four Loko, Blast does not contain caffeine. The FDA issued warning letters to four companies including the makers of Four Loko Nov. 17 saying their beverages' combination of caffeine and alcohol can lead to a "wide-awake drunk."

The agency called the caffeine an "unsafe food additive."

Warning letters were sent to Phusion Projects, Charge Beverages Corp., New Century Brewing Co. and United Brands Company Inc.

Dr. Claudia Jonah, public health officer for Kern County, said the drink contains a little more than twice as much alcohol as an equal amount of beer.

"It raises a real concern because when you have this fruity, sugary flavored alcoholic drink, you're probably catering towards an audience that doesn't or shouldn't be drinking alcohol, such as youngsters," Jonah said.

Yraceburn said the drink isn't available yet in Kern County, but the district attorney's office is trying to raise awareness of its potential dangers in advance of its rollout.

A couple of local beverage distributors weren't stocking Blast yet.

Mary Trichell of W.A. Thompson Inc. said it's not carrying the drink and isn't sure if it will eventually carry it. A receptionist at Advance Beverage Co. also said it doesn't carry the drink.