Anheuser-Busch may owe you $50 for suggesting Beck's is German

U.S. Beck&#039;s isn&#039;t brewed in Germany anymore — despite what Anheuser-Busch suggests — (Image credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Beck's)

Some of the foreign beers you might buy at the supermarket or convenience store are actually imported. Others just play imports on TV. Beer companies do their best to blur the distinction — Foster's may be "Australian for beer," as the commercial says, but those comically oversized cans you buy were brewed by MillerCoors LLC in Fort Worth, Texas. With Beck's, Anheuser-Busch InBev may have gone too far — and you may be $50 richer because of it, The Wall Street Journal reports.

On Tuesday, a federal magistrate in Miami gave preliminary approval to a class-action settlement between AB InBev and a group of plaintiffs who argued that the massive beer conglomerate fooled Americans into thinking Beck's is a real German pilsner, not the domestic beer that is brewed in St. Louis but "originated in Bremen, Germany," as a close reading of the label would tell you. Dedicated Beck's drinkers with a receipt are eligible for $50 refunds, and those who don't may still get up to $12 for AB InBev's alleged deception.

Beck's was brewed in Germany until 2012. The beer makers say they were inspired to bring the brewing operations of their foreign brands to the U.S. by cost considerations and by the auto industry, which was able to sell "import" cars like BMW for a premium even though they were made in places like South Carolina. Some imported beer is still imported, including top-sellers Corona (Mexico), Heineken (Netherlands), and Guinness (Ireland) — at least for now. Going forward, you might want to occasionally look a little closer at the label on your bottle or can.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.