// a href = ./ // St Louis News, Weather, Sports, The Big 550 AM, St Louis Traffic, Breaking News in St Louis

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's craft brewers are pushing to legalize 64-ounce beer growlers.

<br><br>

Growlers are the name given to beer containers filled right at the brewery. While the state's craft brewers can sell unlimited numbers of gallon and quart growlers, Florida is one of only three states where the half-gallon size is illegal.

<br><br>

Bills have been filed in the House and Senate to legalize the containers, but a lobbyist representing beer distributors for Anheuser-Busch has successfully stalled them.

<br><br>

The bills' sponsors argue that allowing the half-gallon growlers that are an industry standard will help small businesses grow, and they point out that it's silly that people can by two quarts, but not one half gallon.

Published in National News
The maker of Budweiser is using splashy newspaper ads to poke fun at a lawsuit that alleges its beer is watered down. In full-page ads in 10 U.S. newspapers on Sunday, including The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Anheuser-Busch InBev shows one of the 71 million cans of drinking water it has sent to the American Red Cross and other relief organizations responding to disasters. "They must have tested one of these," the ad says. The class action lawsuit, filed in several states, accuses the brewer of cheating consumers out of the stated alcohol percentage by adding water just before bottling its beers. The water cuts the alcohol content by 3 percent to 8 percent, according to the lawsuit's lead lawyer, Josh Boxer. The lawsuits are based on information from former employees at the company's 13 U.S. breweries, some in high-level plant positions, he has said. Anheuser-Busch InBev says the claims are groundless. In the ads, the company calls its beer "the best beer we know how to brew." "We take no shortcuts and make no exceptions. Ever." Neither the ads nor a statement by an Anheuser-Busch spokesman on Sunday directly address the complaint. "We never waver on quality," a spokesman said in the statement. Boxer said in a statement Sunday that the ads amount to "classic non-denial denials." He said that the company will be asked to produce internal alcohol testing data in court that will prove his case. "These alcohol readings, taken six times a second as the finished product is bottled, will confirm the allegations made by the growing number of former employees who keep coming forward to tell us the truth," he said. The suit involves 10 Anheuser-Busch products: Budweiser, Bud Ice, Bud Light Platinum, Michelob, Michelob Ultra, Hurricane High Gravity Lager, King Cobra, Busch Ice, Natural Ice and Bud Light Lime. Anheuser-Busch, based in St. Louis, Mo., merged with InBev in 2008 to form the world's largest alcohol producer, headquartered in Belgium. In 2011, the company produced 10 billion gallons of malt beverages, 3 billion of them in the U.S., and reported $22 billion profit from that category, the lawsuit said. Lawsuits have been filed in California, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas so far. Each seeks at least $5 million in damages.
Published in Local News

Latest News

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
Prev Next

Man steals from nephew's piggy bank to pay for drugs, s…

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A north St. Louis County man admits that he stole money from his 4-year-old nephew's piggy bank to use for drugs and prostitutes. KSDK reports 31-year-old Baro...

IL Lt. Governor and others fight for Scott Air Force Ba…

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Although the future of Scott Air Force Base in southern Illinois won't be in question for two more years, state and local officials are preparing a plan to ...

Gov. Nixon, legislators clash over Medicaid, driver's l…

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Governor Jay Nixon began the year with ambitious priorities to start of his second term but ran into a wall of opposition from the Republican Legislature...

Probe begins after Conn. commuter trains crash

Probe begins after Conn. commuter trains crash

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (AP) - Two commuter trains packed with rush-hour commuters collided in an accident that sent more than 60 people to Connecticut hospitals, severely damaged the tra...

Horses, trainers prepare for 2013 Preakness

Horses, trainers prepare for 2013 Preakness

BALTIMORE (AP) - The second leg of horse racing's Triple Crown leaves the starting gate this afternoon in Maryland and the trainer for Kentucky Derby winner Orb says he thinks his ...

Gov. Nixon gives mixed review to legislators' efforts

Gov. Nixon gives mixed review to legislators' efforts

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Gov. Jay Nixon is giving a mixed review to Missouri's 2013 legislative session.    The Democratic governor praised lawmakers for boosting funding for ed...

Police investigate death of Cahokia infant

An investigation is underway in the Metro East after a 4-month-old baby was found dead in his home. Cahokia police say it appears the child died from suffocation. Officers say the...

Toddler left behind by daycare workers at St. Charles restaurant

Toddler left behind by daycare workers at St. Charles r…

Employees at a St. Charles Chuck E. Cheese are being praised for how they dealt with a child being left behind yesterday. The St. Charles police say a two-year-old boy was left be...

© 2013 KTRS All Rights Reserved

St Louis Web Design