ATLANTA -- Anheuser-Busch Cos will stop selling energy drinks that contain alcohol in the United States after an investigation showed the brewer was marketing the beverages to people under the age of 21, the New York Attorney General's office said in a statement.

As part of an agreement with several US state attorneys general, the company will no longer produce Tilt and Bud Extra, which are malt beverages with caffeine, or other alcoholic energy drinks, the office said.

Anheuser-Busch, which controls nearly half the US beer market with brands like Budweiser, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter.

The states' investigation revealed Anheuser-Busch made false and misleading statements about the health effects of Tilt and Bud Extra, and ads were directed to consumers under the age of 21, the statement said.

"This agreement keeps these dangerous products off our shelves and makes it clear that targeting underage consumers with advertisements for alcohol will not be tolerated," New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo added in the statement.

The settlement revives a controversy that fuelled Anheuser's decision last year to pull its Spykes drinks from the market after advocacy groups and others accused the company of targeting underage drinkers.

The probe involved the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico and Ohio in addition to New York. As part of the settlement, Anheuser-Busch will also pay $US200,000 to participating states.

Anheuser and Miller Brewing Co, which is part of SABMiller PLC, had said in February that they had received demands from several state attorneys general about how they market and sell caffeinated alcoholic drinks.