Beer-Drinkers Can Get A Refund If They Thought Beck's Was Brewed In Germany

Are you one of the unfortunate beer drinkers who have been fooled into thinking that Beck's beer was an authentic German pilsner? Beck's Brewery, which was founded in 1873 in Germany, quietly moved its brewing headquarters to St. Louis, Missouri, in 2012. After the initial shock has worn off, here's the good news: Following a lengthy class-action lawsuit, Anheuser-Busch, which owns the Beck's brand, is now offering compensation to all of those Beck's fans who thought they were drinking Deutschland draught — up to $50 if you drank a lot of it, according to The Wall Street Journal.

According to plaintiffs, Anheuser-Busch misled the public into thinking that Beck's was still produced in Germany with marketing phrases like "originated in Germany." On top of the refunds, the beer company is required to pay $3.5 million in lawyer's fees. The settlement got preliminary approval, but a final approval hearing will take place in the fall.

"Beck's consumers in the United States knew that the only way to get German beer of such high quality, as boasted about on Beck's packaging, was to import the beer from Germany," the lawsuit says.

Refunds are capped at $50 per consumer, and you can only get one if you have proof of purchase (this is why you always should save your receipts).