Budweiser lovers in three different states have filed lawsuits against Anheuser-Busch for allegedly watering down their beloved beer.
Lawsuits coming from California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey claim that Anheuser-Busch adds extra water to the finished product while falsely labeling the beer with the same amount of alcohol content, Bloomberg reports. Now the drinkers of the No. 3 beer in America want justice!
The three current complaints seek over $5 million in combined damages. A lawyer for the California plaintiff claims that there will be more suits filed in Ohio and Colorado.
“AB’s customers are overcharged for watered-down beer and AB is unjustly enriched by the additional volume it can sell,” Thomas and Gerald Greenberg said in the Philadelphia complaint, according to Bloomberg.
All of the complaints come from pretty heavy drinkers. The Greenbergs claim to purchase four cases of Budweiser per month, while Nina Giampoli of Californi claims she bought at least one six-pack of Bud every week for four years, and Brian Wilson of New Jersey purchases a case of Michelob Ultra per month.
But Anheuser-Busch calls the claims “completely false.”
“Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws,” Peter Kraemer, AB’s vice president of brewing, told Bloomberg. “We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the U.S. and the world.”
Anheuser-Busch is the world’s largest beer brewer and controls 39 percent of the beer market in the U.S. It is currently seeking government approval to purchase Grupo Modelo, Mexico’s largest beer maker, for $20.1 billion, according to Bloomberg.