If you’ve tipped back an ice-cold Kirin Ichiban or Kirin Light beer in the past five years, you can apply for a partial refund.
Anheuser-Busch, the company that brews both beers, is accepting refund claims from consumers as part of a recently settled class-action lawsuit over alleged deceptive packaging, WABC-TV reports.
Two Florida residents sued Anheuser-Busch, claiming that the company misled people into thinking that Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light are imported from Japan, where Kirin originated, and that the company benefited because people will pay a higher price for imports. The Kirin beer sold in the U.S. has been made here since 1996.
If you purchased Kirin Ichiban or Kirin Light beer between Oct. 25, 2009, and Dec. 17, 2014, you are eligible for a refund. The Huffington Post writes:
Customers will be reimbursed 50 cents for cans or bottles purchased in a six-pack and $1 for cans or bottles purchased in a 12-pack. They can get up to $50 if they provide receipts. Those without proof of purchase can still get up to $12 if they register a claim.
You can apply for a refund here. The deadline is June 15.
According to WABC-TV, Kirin beer bottles and cans say that the beer is “brewed under Kirin’s strict supervision by Anheuser-Busch, in Los Angeles, CA and Williamsburg, VA.” But that information isn’t visible when the beer is packaged.
According to HuffPo, Anheuser-Busch doesn’t think it violated any laws.
“We believe our labeling, packaging and marketing of Kirin Ichiban and Kirin Light have always been truthful,” an Anheuser-Busch spokesperson wrote The Huffington Post in an email. “A-B proudly brews these beers in the U.S. under Kirin’s strict supervision.”
Anheuser-Busch is facing similar complaints over Beck’s beer, which originated in Germany, but is now manufactured in 15 countries, including the U.S., Money reports. So, it said, the Beck’s you buy in the U.S. is probably brewed here.
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