US lawsuit claims 'King of Beers' is watered down

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The brewers of Budweiser faced accusations on Tuesday that they have watered down the popular American lager in search of higher profits, in a class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco.

The beer-drinking plaintiffs alleged that Anheuser-Busch is violating consumer protection laws in California and Missouri by "falsely representing the alcohol content of the products it sells." The lawsuit, which demands unspecified "compensatory damages" for anyone in the United States who has bought Budweiser products in the past five years, was filed in US District Court in San Francisco on Friday.

"I think it's wrong for huge corporations to lie to their loyal customers," said one of the plaintiffs, Nina Giampaoli, in a press release Tuesday from the Mills Law Firm, one of two firms involved in the lawsuit.

"I really feel cheated. No matter what the product is, people should be able to rely on the information companies put on their labels." There was no immediate comment from Anheuser-Busch's head office in Saint Louis, Missouri. The company is an icon of American brewing and a core unit of ABInBev, the globe-girdling Belgian-Brazilian brewing conglomerate.