If You’re A Beck’s Beer Drinker It Might Be Worth $50
If you’re a Beck’s beer drinker then you might be owed $50.
That’s because Anheuser-Busch owes the beer drinking American public for misleading claims it bottled the drink in Germany when it was actually made in St. Louis.
In a settlement in a class action lawsuit against Anheuser-Busch, the company agreed to pay those defrauded beer drinkers $0.10 a can for every beer they’ve bought since May 2011, according to USA Today.
Beck’s beer drinkers could get up to $50 if they have a receipt, but even those without a receipt could still get $12. A website will be set up after the agreement is finalized.
The Beck’s beer label says, “originated in Bremen, Germany,” right on the can, but in smaller print lower on the can it specifies the drink is bottled here in America.
The misleading print is what upset some consumers who said Anheuser-Busch was charging premium import beer prices for what’s essentially a domestic beer.
Anheuser-Busch must enlarge the “made in the USA” label; pay $3.5 million in attorney’s fees and $5,000 to each of three plaintiffs along with refunding money to Beck’s beer drinkers, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Annheuser-Busch also recently settled a similar lawsuit involving Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light Japanese-style pilsners and their packaging. The suit claims the company didn’t clearly state the beers were bottled here in America and not in Japan. That class action lawsuit was also settled with refunds, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Annheuser-Busch moved its beer production facilities to the United States from Germany in 2012, but in so doing replaced some key ingredients with new ones. The changes made for a fresher beer, but changed out key ingredients including German water and hops.
A lawyer for the plaintiffs in the case told the USA Today this suit had important merits.
“We hope the change we have brought through this settlement leads to better practices throughout the market.”
As part of the settlement agreement Annheuser-Busch admits no wrongdoing.
MillerCoors is facing a similar lawsuit for its Blue Moon beer, according to Newser.
These recent lawsuits may change the way Americans think about and buy beer.
Although the majority of beer drinking Americans say they prefer craft beer, what they actually buy is Bud Light, according to a recent Inquisitr report.
No matter what beer you prefer to drink, if you purchased a Beck’s beer since May 2011 you may be eligible for some money.
[Photo by Gustavo Caballero/Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images]
