Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

onehandle

(51,122 posts)
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:01 AM May 2015

MillerCoors Sued For Marketing Blue Moon As Craft Beer

Evan Parent would frequently stop into San Diego stores like Ralphs, Vons and 7-Eleven to pick up some Blue Moon. Now, he has filed a class action lawsuit against MillerCoors, brewers of that popular wheat beer.

How did Parent go from buying Blue Moon to suing its maker? The lawsuit (which you can read here) was filed on April 24, and maintains that Parent purchased Blue Moon because the beer’s ads, price and placement among craft beers led him to believe it was also a craft beer.

That myth was shattered when, in the summer of 2012, Parent’s friends informed him this wasn’t the case. Though he didn’t believe them at first, after some research he discovered they were right. He hasn’t purchased a Blue Moon since.

The lawsuit, which was filed by the Clark and Treglio law firm in San Diego, accuses MillerCoors of violating California’s Consumer Legal Remedies Act, deceptive and misleading advertising, and unfair business practices.

It notes that the name MillerCoors is not found on bottles of Blue Moon, nor is it anywhere on the Blue Moon Brewing Co. website. It also points out that while Blue Moon Brewing Co. is a small brewery located inside Coors Field in Denver, the beer sold in stores across the nation is actually produced at large breweries in Golden, Colorado and Eden, North Carolina, in the same facilities that turn out brands like “Coors, Milwaukee’s Best, Miller High Life, Hamm’s, Icehouse and Olde English.” The lawsuit also takes issue with Blue Moon’s use of the phrase “artfully crafted.”

http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/05/millercoors-sued-for-marketing-blue-moon-as-craft.html

Probably won't go anywhere, but corporate beer deserves being poked with a stick.

74 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
MillerCoors Sued For Marketing Blue Moon As Craft Beer (Original Post) onehandle May 2015 OP
It all tastes the same to me, so I totally hope it goes nowhere. ScreamingMeemie May 2015 #1
Craft beer = local beer Trajan May 2015 #6
Grew up in the beer business, so I know what it "means." ScreamingMeemie May 2015 #9
Sadly, most beer does taste the same. I can say the same about coffee. Tommy_Carcetti May 2015 #10
Agreed. But beer is like super bad. Coffee brings me caffeine even though it's not ScreamingMeemie May 2015 #20
If you think all beer tastes the same whatthehey May 2015 #14
Sorry, but it all tastes like shit. I grew up intelligent enough to notice that at a very young ScreamingMeemie May 2015 #19
Maybe your taste buds don't work correctly Trajan May 2015 #17
Actually, I stick to nothing because it all tastes the same. ScreamingMeemie May 2015 #21
To paraphrase that old beer jingle... Art_from_Ark May 2015 #72
thank you... lame54 May 2015 #24
Whaaa! There's hops in my beer! OnyxCollie May 2015 #27
way ahead of you... lame54 May 2015 #29
Highly-marketed, mass-produced piss water wins again. OnyxCollie May 2015 #33
not my beer of choice... lame54 May 2015 #34
One thing this CAMRA beer snob is not keen on... T_i_B May 2015 #35
I use BeerAdvocate to get an idea of what something's like before I buy. OnyxCollie May 2015 #37
So a smoked porter tastes just like a double IPA? frylock May 2015 #41
Wrong reply Trajan May 2015 #65
whoops! frylock May 2015 #67
Not necessarily KamaAina May 2015 #60
They call liquor stores packies? BrotherIvan May 2015 #68
IIRC it is short for "package stores" hifiguy May 2015 #69
Damn, it better be BrotherIvan May 2015 #70
That is correct. KamaAina May 2015 #73
Idiot. He's been drinking urine the entire time. Buzz Clik May 2015 #2
LOL cyberswede May 2015 #61
Well, they never promised him a Hoegaarden. smokey nj May 2015 #3
! OnyxCollie May 2015 #23
Blue Moon is a poor man's Hoegaarden, and Shock Top is a poor man's Blue Moon. Initech May 2015 #30
Sounds right to me... hunter May 2015 #42
Ha I once had an overnight layover in North Carolina. Initech May 2015 #47
Sure they were all imported. To North Carolina. bluesbassman May 2015 #51
don't forget that kilian's is actually a coors product, to boot. niyad May 2015 #53
That's what made that even more mind boggling! Initech May 2015 #55
ah, the joys of marketing to the uninformed! niyad May 2015 #74
And Hoegaarden is the poor man's Ommegang Wit smokey nj May 2015 #54
well played! frylock May 2015 #44
Dare I say it.... T_i_B May 2015 #4
Craft beer is any beer personally brewed by a guy who looks like this. Tommy_Carcetti May 2015 #12
LOL! T_i_B May 2015 #15
Craft beer brewed with beard yeast. OnyxCollie May 2015 #22
this Cheese Sandwich May 2015 #32
Does he arrive at beer festivals on an antique bicycle? Initech May 2015 #45
Yep, a pennyfarthing and he works out with big hifiguy May 2015 #58
I went for a tour at a local brewery, and everyone there had twirly mustaches. Oneironaut May 2015 #49
Shaking that money tree... closeupready May 2015 #5
MillerCoors sued for marketing Coors, Milwaukee’s Best, Miller High Life, Hamm’s, Icehouse as beer. OnyxCollie May 2015 #7
LOL! City Lights May 2015 #16
well, then they deserve life imprisonment for Milwaukee's Best. kwassa May 2015 #8
I've had worse. hifiguy May 2015 #71
So he liked the beer up until the moment he discovered it wasn't "craft"? Throd May 2015 #11
Here in Britain... T_i_B May 2015 #18
Wow, what an incredible waste of the court's time. tritsofme May 2015 #13
Craft Beer is booming in Florida... trumad May 2015 #25
Dunedin Brewery is pretty good. nt. NCTraveler May 2015 #26
To play devil's advocate on this one.... Initech May 2015 #28
It's a weird symbiotic relationship for sure - that Budweiser commercial that bullwinkle428 May 2015 #40
I always laugh at that commercial. Initech May 2015 #43
Check out the John Oliver bit on Bud Light voteearlyvoteoften May 2015 #31
No self-respecting San Diegan would ever mistake Blue Moon for a craft brew.. frylock May 2015 #36
"Oh my God, put it back in the horse!" riqster May 2015 #38
I want to sue this guy for making craft beer drinkers look like morons. bullwinkle428 May 2015 #39
Next someone will be claiming Bartles & Jaymes weren't real people... n/t PoliticAverse May 2015 #46
Every time I see Blue Moon on craft beer menus, my soul dies a little. Oneironaut May 2015 #48
Miller-Coors has a subsidiary that invests in so-called "craft breweries". Chances are that they own Erose999 May 2015 #50
Unlikely. For instance here within 100 miles of Philly, there are hundreds of craft breweries. onehandle May 2015 #52
Not so sure. hifiguy May 2015 #64
Terrapin here in Athens was at one point in negotiations with the Coors folks, as they Erose999 May 2015 #66
I drink local beer. hifiguy May 2015 #56
I have a hat made of Grain Belt cans cyberswede May 2015 #62
Far better Grain Belt than Old Milwaukee! hifiguy May 2015 #63
I thought it was just a bad craft beer Gormy Cuss May 2015 #57
Now when are they going to be sued for marketing Miller and Coors as beer? KamaAina May 2015 #59
 

Trajan

(19,089 posts)
6. Craft beer = local beer
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:23 AM
May 2015

Miller Coors = giant multinational conglomerate ...

I'm sticking with the locals ...

ScreamingMeemie

(68,918 posts)
9. Grew up in the beer business, so I know what it "means."
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:29 AM
May 2015

Last edited Thu May 7, 2015, 11:14 AM - Edit history (1)

LOL

My daughter and her boyfriend brew their own. Doesn't change the fact it all tastes the same.

Tommy_Carcetti

(43,080 posts)
10. Sadly, most beer does taste the same. I can say the same about coffee.
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:33 AM
May 2015

That being said, I appreciate both beer and coffee very much.

ScreamingMeemie

(68,918 posts)
20. Agreed. But beer is like super bad. Coffee brings me caffeine even though it's not
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:49 AM
May 2015

the best taste in the world.

whatthehey

(3,660 posts)
14. If you think all beer tastes the same
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:44 AM
May 2015

growing up in the business taught you little, or you have no taste buds. There are a good 80 or so I can identify blindfolded, and can narrow down many more than that into small subgroups. But anyone who says all beer tastes the same needs to try an Old Chubb followed by a Dogfish Head 120. If you can't tell the difference you have no tongue.

ScreamingMeemie

(68,918 posts)
19. Sorry, but it all tastes like shit. I grew up intelligent enough to notice that at a very young
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:48 AM
May 2015

age.

My husband loved it. Good for him, but I find "beer people" hilarious. Sorry. Don't worry though, I make a heck of a lot of fun over my daughter and her boyfriend about it too.

 

Trajan

(19,089 posts)
17. Maybe your taste buds don't work correctly
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:47 AM
May 2015

Last edited Thu May 7, 2015, 12:41 PM - Edit history (2)

The ingredient selections and various methods of 'cooking' during the brewing process imparts a unique balance to each batch, and that provides a huge variety of possible flavor profiles to the finished product ...

EVERY craft beer has a different flavor ....

I'm sorry your palate cannot distinguish between flavorful brews ... You should stick to the cheaper corporate brands ...

ScreamingMeemie

(68,918 posts)
21. Actually, I stick to nothing because it all tastes the same.
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:50 AM
May 2015

I'm not fond of it, which, as my husband used to say, makes me a cheap date and a perfect designated driver.

I've tried literally hundreds of beers and it's just not worth the $.

Art_from_Ark

(27,247 posts)
72. To paraphrase that old beer jingle...
Thu May 7, 2015, 07:01 PM
May 2015

I've had beer from a pitcher and from a German mug,
I've had it from a paper cup, I've poured it from a jug.
I've had beer mild, I've had beer cold, but to me they're all the same
Oh, a beer is a beer is a beer is a beer
Regardless of the name

lame54

(35,134 posts)
24. thank you...
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:09 AM
May 2015

thank you
thank you
thank you

I've had so many micro-brews over the years looking for the next great beer - did not find it - they all start to blend together - and what's with all the hops

it seems that breweries are an easy way for someone to start their own business - that's great - but that does not mean that they are artists or chefs or brewmasters
come up with a strange name - a funky label - and sell your mediocre beer

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
27. Whaaa! There's hops in my beer!
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:16 AM
May 2015

Don't like hops? Drink Corona. No bitterness to compete with the taste of the lime.

lame54

(35,134 posts)
29. way ahead of you...
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:17 AM
May 2015

i'd pick a corona over a micro-brew any day

Whaaa! somebodies picking on micro-brews

T_i_B

(14,734 posts)
35. One thing this CAMRA beer snob is not keen on...
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:29 AM
May 2015

...is websites like RateBeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com

Too much emphasis on rare beers, strong beers and American beers. Give me a pint of Oakham Citra on cask over an 11% imperial stout aged in Pedro Ximinez barrels anyday.

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
37. I use BeerAdvocate to get an idea of what something's like before I buy.
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:33 AM
May 2015

I'm fortunate to live near a store with the second largest selection in Ohio, and delivery days always bring in new releases.

 

KamaAina

(78,249 posts)
60. Not necessarily
Thu May 7, 2015, 02:51 PM
May 2015

The esteemed Will Pitt once scoured every packie (liquor store) in Boston to hunt up a sixer of Petaluma, CA's beloved Lagunitas. He eventually scored!

BrotherIvan

(9,126 posts)
68. They call liquor stores packies?
Thu May 7, 2015, 06:23 PM
May 2015

Is that the racial slur for Indians/Pakistanis or some quaint colloquialism?

 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
69. IIRC it is short for "package stores"
Thu May 7, 2015, 06:37 PM
May 2015

Heard the same weird term when I worked in Philly for a few months. They're just liquor stores out here in the midwest.

 

Buzz Clik

(38,437 posts)
2. Idiot. He's been drinking urine the entire time.
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:07 AM
May 2015

"I thought it was unicorn urine, but now I find it's just horse piss."

hunter

(38,264 posts)
42. Sounds right to me...
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:13 PM
May 2015


It would be hard to mistake Shock Top or Blue Moon for anything but mass market product.

Nevertheless, it's nice that people who are not wealthy have an amazing variety of beers to choose from.

I'm old enough to remember when Michelob, and sometimes Heinekin, were the "premium" beer in many supermarkets. Pabst Blue Ribbon or Budweiser were the "good" beers, followed by many horrible inexpensive brews that didn't even resemble beer, tasted like metal, and could cause the worst hangovers known to man, especially when combined with cheap tequila.


Initech

(99,912 posts)
47. Ha I once had an overnight layover in North Carolina.
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:40 PM
May 2015

I was going to Kentucky and my connecting flight got cancelled because of weather. So the airline put me up in this Ramada in Raleigh for the night. I get to my room and I get bored so I go to the bar. When I get to the bar, I'm sitting and staring at the beer menu for like15 minutes wondering what the joke is. Under "imports" the bar had these listed: Killians Irish Red (brewed in St. Louis), Yuengling (brewed in Pennsylvania), and Sam Adams (brewed in Boston). None of those are imported!

T_i_B

(14,734 posts)
4. Dare I say it....
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:15 AM
May 2015

....but the definition of craft beer is pretty tenuous at the best of times. Especially here in the UK. I have even had an article printed in my local CAMRA mag where I complained that it's pretty much impossible to provide any sort of clear definition of what people mean by the term craft beer.

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
22. Craft beer brewed with beard yeast.
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:00 AM
May 2015
http://buy.rogue.com/beard-beer/

Our latest brew Dedicated to Beards, Beard Beer is brewed with a yeast created from Brewmaster John Maier's Beard. No Need to freak out, Brewers have used wild yeasts in beer making for centuries. John has had the same Old Growth Beard since 1983 and for over 15,000 brews, so it is no great surprise that a natural yeast ideal for brewing was discovered in his beard.
What does Beard Beer taste like? Try it, we think you'll be surprised...

Oneironaut

(5,461 posts)
49. I went for a tour at a local brewery, and everyone there had twirly mustaches.
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:54 PM
May 2015

That was worth the tour alone.

 

OnyxCollie

(9,958 posts)
7. MillerCoors sued for marketing Coors, Milwaukee’s Best, Miller High Life, Hamm’s, Icehouse as beer.
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:25 AM
May 2015

kwassa

(23,340 posts)
8. well, then they deserve life imprisonment for Milwaukee's Best.
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:27 AM
May 2015

If we are going to discuss crimes against beer, here.

 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
71. I've had worse.
Thu May 7, 2015, 06:40 PM
May 2015

but only from some old, long-gone New Ulm MN brewery called Hauenstein. By Celestia, that was vile shit. But at three cases for ten bucks back in the Seventies we drank it anyway.

T_i_B

(14,734 posts)
18. Here in Britain...
Thu May 7, 2015, 10:47 AM
May 2015

...we have become quite fond of the term "craft wanker"! https://twitter.com/thecraftwanker

Not to mention the Craft Wanker's older counterpart, the Real Ale Twat http://viz.co.uk/category/real-ale-twats/

 

trumad

(41,692 posts)
25. Craft Beer is booming in Florida...
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:11 AM
May 2015

Proof Brewery, Cigar City, etc..... unbelievable great beer.

Anyone who says all beer tastes alike probably say the same about wine---and really have no idea what they are talking about.



Initech

(99,912 posts)
28. To play devil's advocate on this one....
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:17 AM
May 2015

I am a huge supporter of the craft beer industry. That said, this industry would not survive without the larger breweries sponsoring beer festivals like the recent Hops And Hopes in Los Angeles or the Great American Beer Festival in Denver where breweries of all sizes get to showcase their products. Even the Blue Moon Brewery has a large presence at these festivals. And they showcase a lot of beers that aren't available to the general public. Blue Moon and MillerCoors need the smaller breweries, and the smaller breweries need the larger ones. Sure it's false marketing but the marketers are the ones to blame for this one. What we should be doing is suing InBev for putting out a garbage like Third Shift Ale and calling it craft beer.

bullwinkle428

(20,626 posts)
40. It's a weird symbiotic relationship for sure - that Budweiser commercial that
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:04 PM
May 2015

mocked craft beer drinkers at the same time they're making money off of Goose Island brews is a wonderful example of corporate cognitive dissonance!

Initech

(99,912 posts)
43. I always laugh at that commercial.
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:31 PM
May 2015

Budweiser gives craft beer drinkers a hard time, but they go and sponsor the big beer festivals. Although I do have to give them one thing - I'm not a fan of those niche flavored beers. Give me a strong IPA or barley wine around the 10-12% range. The stronger the better!

voteearlyvoteoften

(1,716 posts)
31. Check out the John Oliver bit on Bud Light
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:19 AM
May 2015

Latest episode of This Week Tonight on HBO

They did a hit job on BL
Very funny recommend the bit and the show.

frylock

(34,825 posts)
36. No self-respecting San Diegan would ever mistake Blue Moon for a craft brew..
Thu May 7, 2015, 11:32 AM
May 2015

you can't swing a dead cat around here without hitting a brewery.

Oneironaut

(5,461 posts)
48. Every time I see Blue Moon on craft beer menus, my soul dies a little.
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:48 PM
May 2015

The same is true of the other 'Crapped Beers' out there by big beer companies.

You can usually tell because they're the same mass-produced junk as those companies' normal beers. For example, "Johnny Appleseed cider" tastes like a liquid red Jolly Rancher. I looked it up, and sure enough...

Erose999

(5,624 posts)
50. Miller-Coors has a subsidiary that invests in so-called "craft breweries". Chances are that they own
Thu May 7, 2015, 12:54 PM
May 2015

a 25% stake in whatever local small batch brew you're drinking.

onehandle

(51,122 posts)
52. Unlikely. For instance here within 100 miles of Philly, there are hundreds of craft breweries.
Thu May 7, 2015, 01:11 PM
May 2015

Not a chance that corporate beer invests in hardly any of them.

The craft beer community calls stuff like this out. That being said, yes they 'invested' in some...

http://coolmaterial.com/feature/9-craft-beers-you-didnt-know-werent-craft-beers

 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
64. Not so sure.
Thu May 7, 2015, 03:13 PM
May 2015

Small breweries are coming out of the ground all over the country like mushrooms after a rainstorm. They won't be able to keep up, and the real hard core brewing guys are highly unlikely to sell out.

I know my bigger locals, Surly and Summit, are 100% locally owned. And Grain Belt is brewed by Schell's, which is still family owned by Minnesotans like it has been since the 1860s.

Erose999

(5,624 posts)
66. Terrapin here in Athens was at one point in negotiations with the Coors folks, as they
Thu May 7, 2015, 03:50 PM
May 2015

needed capital for expansion. The majority share is still locally owned and they still make great beer, but they shook hands with the devil.
 

hifiguy

(33,688 posts)
56. I drink local beer.
Thu May 7, 2015, 02:28 PM
May 2015

Grain Belt, Summit, Surly. All brewed in Minnesota by Minnesota-owned breweries.

Fuck Big Beer.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»MillerCoors Sued For Mark...