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Anheuser-Busch Releases Statement On Watered-Down Beer Report

Nov 2, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; General view of CenturyLink Field and the downtown Seattle skyline before the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 2, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; General view of CenturyLink Field and the downtown Seattle skyline before the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Seattle Seahawks. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Anheuser-Busch has responded to a report earlier in the day that claimed watered-down beer was being served during home games at CenturyLink Field

Below is a statement from David Craig, Regional Vice President, Anheuser-Busch, in full:

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We sell only full-strength beer in the state of Washington. The Anheuser-Busch draft beers offered at CenturyLink Field, and throughout the state, are the same as the packaged beer consumers purchase at bars, restaurants, convenience stores and other retail locations including CenturyLink Field.

We use exacting processes to monitor and test alcohol content throughout the brewing and packaging process of all our beers to ensure quality, consistency and accuracy. Laws and regulations governing alcohol requirements vary by state and we abide by all such requirements. In addition, we strictly follow federal guidelines regulating our products to make sure every package of beer that leaves our breweries meets the correct specifications for alcohol content.

We analyzed the production for the beers sampled in this instance, including alcohol levels, and found no irregularities. Based on our findings, we believe the draft beers sampled at the stadium during those dates met the specifications.

When we learned of Jon Humbert’s and KOMO-TV’s inquiry, we proactively reached out to him and also organized a conversation between Jon and one of our brewing experts to share the findings of our analysis and the technical aspects of testing beer.

Beer has unique properties, and accurately measuring its alcohol content requires specific controls, equipment and expertise. A large number of variables could affect testing results including management of the sample, equipment used and how it’s calibrated, and the testing method. In this case, the collection and transport using a plastic container, the lab and testing method could all fail to protect the alcohol content, which would explain the same variance in all samples taken.