Drinkers who thought for some reason that the words Imported and Japan’s prime brew on the label meant Kirin Ichiban was imported from Japan can now receive a refund from Anheuser-Busch, albeit in a token amount. The lager hasn’t been made within 5,000 miles of Japan or with any Japanese ingredients since 1996, when A-B took over brewing so that Americans could finally “enjoy Kirin products with brewery-fresh flavor,” but the prospect of confusion was apparent enough to a Florida judge that he’s signed off on a settlement entitling anyone deceived between October 25, 2009 and December 17, 2014 to an entire 50 cents per six-pack — or 10 cents in the event they squirreled away the receipt from a single-bottle purchase — for up to $50 in total reimbursements.
The company agreed to nix that “Imported” bit, and also to make more prominent the fine-print-ish line that reads, “Brewed under Kirin’s strict supervision by Anheuser-Busch in Los Angeles, CA, and Williamsburg, VA,” but the plaintiffs maintained that phrase is currently hidden by the packaging.
[Law360]
