Colt 45 Owner Says Alcohol Is ‘Part of Snoop’s Lifestyle’

After recently being accused of promoting underage drinking, the owners of alcohol company Colt 45 have come to the defense of California rap legend Snoop Dogg, claiming that his involvement in their controversial new drink Blast is not an endorsement, but rather "part of his lifestyle."

"That's just him being a true partner and saying I'm not just an endorser," Daren Metropoulos, owner of parent company Pabst Brewing Company told the New York Times. "Whether he's putting it in his songs or having his posse drinking it, it's part of his lifestyle."

While the fruit-flavored alcoholic beverage in question has been compared to a "cocktail on training wheels," caffeine and malt liquor drinks like Four Loko and Colt 45 have been accused of attempting to sell to the underage market. However, Metropoulos claims this is simply not the case.

"It's not like our distributors are putting it in the soda section, and these are clearly designated as an alcoholic product," Metropoulos continued. "We're not going to be showing up and selling this at schools or anything like that."

Available in a variety of fruit flavors, Blast contains 12 percent alcohol and is sold in a 23 ounce can with eye-catching labels said to look like bubble gum wrappers. The drink is scheduled to hit shelves next month.

Snoop Dogg has yet to release a statement regarding the accusations.