Anheuser-Busch Accused of Watering Down Their Beer [POLL]

Attention ALL beer lovers ...  Anheuser-Busch is being accused of watering down its Budweiser, Michelob and other brands. Say it isn't so! Now the company is in the middle of class-action lawsuits seeking millions of dollars. The lawsuits have been filed in California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, claiming that the consumers have been lied to about the actual alcohol content in their brewskies. On the labels of Budweiser and Michelob, they claim to have 5% alcohol, while some "light" versions to be just over 4%.

I know what you're thinking, cause I thought the same thing -- where did they get the info? Well, it seems former employees at the company's 13 U.S. breweries, some in high-level  positions, according to lawyer Josh Boxer of San Rafael, Calif.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune quoted the lead lawyer, Josh Boxer, as saying:

"Our information comes from former employees at Anheuser-Busch, who have informed us that as a matter of corporate practice, all of their products mentioned (in the lawsuit) are watered down," Boxer said. "It's a simple cost-saving measure, and it's very significant."

The excess water is added just before bottling and cuts the stated alcohol content by 3% to 8%. Anheuser-Busch denies the claims and says their beers fully comply with labeling laws.

The vice president of Anheuser-Busch, Peter Kramer, is standing by their products. He reported to the Chicago Tribune:

“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 U.S. and the world,” Peter Kraemer, vice president of brewing and supply, said in a statement.

According to the lawsuit, Anheuser-Busch has equipment that measures the alcohol content throughout the brewing process and is supposedly accurate to within one-hundredth of a percent.

But the lawsuit still alleges that after the merger with InBev in 2008, the company steadily chose to dilute its popular brands of beer.

“Following the merger, AB vigorously accelerated the deceptive practices ... sacrificing the quality products once produced by Anheuser-Busch in order to reduce costs,” said the lead lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in San Francisco.

The beers that have been named in the law suit are:

Budweiser, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime. Are any of your favorites on that list?