A beer drinker who indulged in Blue Moon because he thought it was a craft beer got a rude awakening from friends who informed him it was made by MillerCoors. Now Californian Evan Parent has filed a class-action lawsuit against the brewer for what he calls "false and deceptive marketing" that "misleads consumers to believe that Blue Moon is an independently brewed, hand-crafted beer." Among other things: The wheat beer's label has no mention of MillerCoors, but it does say the beer is "artfully crafted." It's also relatively pricey: up to 50% more than other MillerCoors products, according to the suit. Parent, a "beer aficionado and home brewer," frequently paid that premium price for Blue Moon from 2011 until mid-2012, when friends clued him in. "Plaintiff was initially skeptical, but eventually verified the facts through his own research" and hasn't bought the beer since, per the suit.
For now, Parent is the only member of his class-action suit, but his attorney expects more people to come forward as the case proceeds. Parent is pushing for changes in how MillerCoors markets the beer as well as partial refunds for those who have bought the stuff, reports Quartz. Paste talks to a legal expert on the subject who suggests the lawsuit has a chance. "I do think there is some sort of legitimate gripe here," he says. "There might be a small subset of consumers who think Blue Moon is a small craft brewery." To meet the official criteria set by the Brewers Association, craft brewers must be independent and relatively small. But it's not like they have to be mom-and-pop operations; the "craft brewery" production ceiling is set at 6 million barrels annually—Yuengling qualifies. (More craft beer stories.)
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