Belgium destroys 2000 cans of lager because of the slogan «Champagne from beer»

A worker crushes empty Miller High Life beer cans at the Westlandia distillery in Ypres, Belgium. Photo: Comite Champagne via AP

The Guardians of Champagne won't let anyone take the name of the sparkling drink in vain, not even the American beer giant.

For years, Miller High Life has used the slogan «Champagne Beer». This week the allocation became unswallowable.

Belgian customs crushed more than 2,000 cans of the advertised Miller High Life at the request of a trade organization that protects the interests of the houses and producers of sparkling wine in the north-east of France. as such.

The Champagne Committee has demanded the destruction of a shipment of 2,352 cans on the grounds that the American brewery's centuries-old slogan violates the protected designation of origin «Champagne».

The shipment was intercepted in the Belgian port of Antwerp in early February, a Belgian customs official said Friday. administration, was heading to Germany.

Molson Coors Beverage, which owns the Miller High Life brand, does not currently export it to the EU, and Belgian customs declined to say who ordered the beer.

The buyer in Germany «was informed and did not contest the decision,» the trade organization said in a statement.

Frederick Miller, a German immigrant to the US, founded the Miller Brewing Company in the 1850s. Miller High Life, its oldest brand, was launched as a flagship in 1903.

According to the Milwaukee-based brand's website, the company began using the moniker «Bottled Beer Champagne» three years later. It was shortened to Champagne Beer in 1969.

With all due respect

No matter how popular this slogan is in the United States, it is inconsistent with European Union rules, according to which goods that violate the protected designation of origin can be considered counterfeit.

The block of 27 countries has a system of protected geographical indications designed to guarantee the true origin and quality of artisanal food, wine and spirits and protect them from counterfeiting. According to a 2020 study by the EU executive body, this market is valued at almost 75 billion euros ($87 billion), half of which is wine.

Charles Goemer, managing director of the Champagne Committee, said the destruction of beer «reaffirms the importance the European Union places on designations of origin and rewards the determination of champagne producers to protect their designation.»

Molson Coors Beverage said it «complies with local restrictions.» around the word Champagne.

«But we remain proud of Miller High Life, its nickname and its Milwaukee, Wisconsin heritage,» the company said. «We invite our friends from Europe to the US at any time to drink to the high life together.»

Belgian customs said the destruction of the cans was paid for by the Champagne Committee. According to their joint statement, this was done «with the utmost respect for the environment, ensuring that the entire batch, both contents and container, were recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.»