While it’s fun to catch a buzz, we all know it has its repercussions. Sluggishness (you’ve seen the guy at the end of the bar with his elbows in the pretzels) and stupidity are just a couple of your average boozer’s nightly obstacles.

Try adding taurine (the same stimulant found in Red Bull), memory- and energy-enhancing ginseng, and caffeine to a six-percent-alcohol beverage and you’ve definitely got a spark — or Sparks. The sugary, cough-syrupy, orange-soda-like beer began distribution to the masses in 2001, and though many stores have been hesitant to stock it for fear it will founder like its malt-ernative counterparts — ahem, Zima — Sparks enthusiasts have been ransacking shops that carry it.

So find out when delivery day is and pick up a can. But when partaking of its orangey goodness, be wary of what some have dubbed the "After-Sparks," when the head begins to pound and the crazy, whirlwind ride comes to a screeching halt. With twice the alcohol content of most beers and more pick-me-up than several cups of coffee, Sparks packs quite a wallop.

Available in four-packs for $5.99 and single servings for $1.70 at Blanchard’s Liquors, 103 Harvard Avenue, in Allston, and Liquor Land, 874 Harrison Avenue, in Boston.