Why Are People Are So Upset With Mountain Dew?

We will soon be seeing a fancy side to the notoriously highly-caffeinated beverage. But some people aren't happy about it.

As the world becomes more and more welcoming to the idea of specialty food and beverages (see: the proliferation of craft beer, gourmet burgers surpassing McDonalds in popularity, sushi being sold at gas stations), known brands seem to be doing what they can to make themselves more boutique, or at least roll out new niche products to compete in a high-end part of the market.

In that spirit comes Mountain Dew's foray into the "craft" world:

But the story isn't that they're making an all-sugar beverage. It's that advocacy groups are very, very upset about the packaging.

"The line between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages is intentionally being blurred by producers of both," says Michael Scippa, director of public affairs at the advocacy group Alcohol Justice. "Producers of high-sugar-content and high-alcohol-content beverages grow their markets by appealing to young people."

...

Scippa says that things like the longneck bottles "work subliminally" to attract youngsters. Mountain Dew officials say that the new line targets men in their 20s and 30s.

 

So what do you think? Does that bottle above look to you like craft beer? Honestly, to me it has the exact feel they seem to be going for: a rustic, vintage throwback to early 20th Century products.

To cut the tension, and because I feel like it, here's a photo of a cute dog with Mountain Dew.