Angry Beer Drinker Sues MillerCoors For Marketing Blue Moon As Craft Beer
(CBS SF) -- A San Diego man is suing MillerCoors for portraying Blue Moon as a craft beer -- a title beer aficionados are willing to pay high prices for.
Evan Parent filed the class action lawsuit against MillerCoors last week after years of thinking Blue Moon was a microbrew, according to court documents.
Parent's friend broke the news to him in 2012 that Blue Moon is in fact owned by MillerCoors, a company that owns eight major breweries across the U.S. and produces 76 million barrels annually.
The Brewers Association, an organization dedicated to promoting and protecting American craft brewers, defines craft breweries as small and independent companies that produce less than six million barrels of beer each year.
Parent's lawsuit claims MillerCoors "goes to great lengths to disassociate Blue Moon beer from the MillerCoors name. MillerCoors does not appear anywhere on the Blue Moon bottle. Moreover, while Blue Moon is prominently displayed on the MillerCoors web site, there is not a single reference to MillerCoors on the Blue Moon Brewing Company web site."
It also argues that the Blue Moon label claims the beer is "artfully crafted" when in fact Blue Moon Brewing Co. is produced at large breweries across the nation in the same facilities as Miller High Life and Icehouse.
On top of deceptive and misleading advertising, the lawsuit accuses MillerCoors of violating California's Consumer Legal Act.
Attorney James Treglio, who helped to file the lawsuit, believes this may be the first of its kind regarding craft beer.
However, a similar case took place in Florida after two Miami residents sued Anheuser-Busch for misrepresenting Kirin Ichiban as a brand imported from Japan, even though its produced in U.S. breweries. A settlement was reached that reimbursed the affected up to $50.
Parent's class-action lawsuit is also seeking reimbursement for the extra money he and other consumers spent on Blue Moon.