Customer sues Wal-Mart over ‘craft’ beer

If you believed the Trouble Brewing beers sold at Wal-Mart are truly craft beers, instead of private-label beers produced at a large industrial brewery in Rochester, N.Y., you're not alone. But one Cincinnati beer drinker is so angry he's suing the world's largest company over what he's calling the 'wholesale fiction” around the ales, seeking compensatory damages 'in an amount to be determined at trial.”

A class-action complaint filed in the Hamilton County, Ohio, Court of Common Pleas on behalf of Matthew Adam 'and all others similarly situated,” says that Wal-Mart used a 'fraudulent, unlawful, deceptive and unfair course of conduct” to market and sell its four Trouble Brewing beers as craft beers. Because of this, 'Members of the public were fraudulently induced to purchase Defendant's Craft Beer at inflated prices.”

Ragan Dickens, Wal-Mart's national director of media relations, said in an email statement, 'We hold our suppliers to high standards and are committed to providing our customers the quality products they expect. While we have not yet been served with the complaint, we take this matter seriously and intend to defend ourselves against the allegations.”

Adam's attorney did not respond to email or phone messages seeking comment.