Former employees claim Budweiser is being watered down

Budweiser maker, Anheuser-Busch, has rubbished claims of beer drinkers in the US that it has watered down 10 of its beer brands. Beer enthusiast and Budweiser lovers across the US filed a $5m (£3.3m) lawsuit in California, accusing Anheuser-Busch of cheating consumers of the alcohol content stated on labels. The lawsuits are based on information from former employees at the company’s 13 US breweries, some in high-level plant positions, according to lead lawyer Josh Boxer.

The lawyer stated that according to information provided by these employees all products mentioned in the lawsuit were watered down as a simple cost-saving mechanism , adding that the excess water is added just before bottling, cutting the stated alcohol content by 3% to 8%. The lawsuit accuses Budweiser maker of violating consumer protection laws in California and in Missouri by “falsely representing the alcohol content of the products it sells”.

The 10 products which consumers claim to contain less than promised alcohol content are Budweiser, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime. According to the lawsuit, the company has sophisticated equipment that measures the alcohol content throughout the brewing process and is accurate to within one-hundredth of a percent. But after the merger, the company increasingly chose to dilute its popular brands of beer, the lawsuit alleged.

Similar lawsuits are being filed across the US in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and others. But Anheuser-Busch refuses to acknowledge the watered-down beer claims calling them baseless. “Our beers are in full compliance with all alcohol labeling laws. We proudly adhere to the highest standards in brewing our beers, which have made them the best-selling in the US and the world”, Peter Kraemer, vice-president of brewing and supply, said.