Kona Beer Deceptively Sold as Hawaii-Brewed, Suit Says

Kona Brewing Co. and its owner, the Craft Brew Alliance, Inc., were hit March 6 with a suit alleging they dupe drinkers into thinking Kona beers are brewed in Hawaii when it is made in less exotic places, like New Hampshire and Tennessee. (Broomfield v. Kona Brewing Co., N.D. Cal., No. 17-1157, complaint filed 3/6/17).

Theodore Broomfield’s suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California is another in a string of would-be class suits over beer’s perceived place of origin.

According to Broomfield, Kona beers, such as Longboard Island Lager and Big Wave Golden ...