Pabst Defeats Suit Alleging Olympia Beer Had Deceptive Marketing

A consumer alleging Pabst Brewing Co. deceptively marketed “The Original Olympia Beer” as using water from a Washington suburb when it was brewed elsewhere didn’t provide enough evidence that a reasonable consumer could be misled by the beer’s label.

Brendan Peacock’s only evidence of consumer confusion was his own experience of a single purchase, and Pabst’s evidence showed consumers aren’t deceived by the label, the US District Court for the Eastern District of California said in an order docketed Monday. The court granted summary judgment for Pabst.

Peacock brought a single claim for violation of California’s Unfair Competition Law. He ...