The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued its decision in Lorenzo v. MillerCoors, a case where the plaintiff alleged that Coors Light’s marketing misled consumers into believing the beer was brewed exclusively in the Rocky Mountains using pure Rocky Mountain spring water. The court dismissed these claims, and in doing so, provided a reminder about the line between brand storytelling and actionable advertising.
The Case in a Can (or Bottle)
Coors Light has long leveraged its heritage in Golden, Colorado, to market its beer. Slogans like “Born in the Rockies” and packaging featuring snow-capped peaks evoke the brand’s roots at the base of the Rockies, where Adolph Coors founded his brewery in 1873.
The plaintiff, Joaquin Lorenzo, argued that this advertising went beyond brand nostalgia and actively misled consumers to believe that every can of Coors Light was brewed exclusively in the Rockies and crafted using pure Rocky Mountain spring water. He brought a class action unjust enrichment claim, alleging that this marketing induced him (and others) to purchase Coors Light under false pretenses.
But as the court saw it, the can wasn’t half full—or half misleading.
The Court’s Reasonable Consumer Standard
The heart of the case turned on the “reasonable consumer” standard. The court found that Lorenzo failed to demonstrate that a reasonable consumer would interpret Coors Light’s marketing as asserting exclusivity in either its brewing location or water source.
The slogan “Born in the Rockies”, the court observed, is factually accurate: the Coors brand began in Golden, Colorado, at the base of the Rockies. But there’s nothing in those four words that reasonably suggests every can of Coors Light continues to be brewed there today. Similarly, references to the “Rocky Mountain tradition” or imagery of snowy peaks, while evocative, are marketing shorthand for heritage, not literal guarantees of process or ingredients.
The “Pure Rocky Mountain Spring Water” Theory
The plaintiff also argued that Coors Light advertisements implied the beer was brewed with “pure Rocky Mountain spring water.” The court rejected this claim outright, noting that Lorenzo failed to identify any ad that made such a representation. Marketing phrases and images might celebrate the brand’s Rocky Mountain origins, but without specific assertions about water sources, the claim didn’t hold water.
The Unjust Enrichment Footnote
As a side note—pun intended—the court made an important observation in a footnote about unjust enrichment claims under Florida law. To succeed on such a claim, the plaintiff must show that they directly conferred a benefit on the defendant. Lorenzo bought his Coors Light at a supermarket, not directly from the brewery, and thus conferred only an indirect benefit. This indirect relationship was insufficient to support his unjust enrichment theory.
Marketing, Heritage, and What Courts Expect
This case is a reminder that heritage-based marketing, common in the beverage industry, must strike a careful balance. While brands often rely on evocative slogans and imagery to connect with consumers, courts will scrutinize whether those representations cross the line into misleading territory.
In this case, the court gave a nod to the importance of context. It’s not enough for a plaintiff to claim they were misled; they must show that a reasonable consumer would interpret the marketing in a specific, misleading way. Here, the court concluded that Coors Light’s references to its Rocky Mountain roots didn’t rise to that level.
Lessons for the Industry
The 11th Circuit’s ruling reinforces that courts are unlikely to find liability in cases where marketing celebrates a product’s history without making explicit claims about its present-day production or ingredients. As long as the messaging remains truthful—and avoids overstepping into promises it can’t deliver—heritage can remain a powerful, and legally safe, marketing tool.
For consumers? Perhaps it’s a reminder that not every mountain you see on a can means the beer inside came from there.
In short: Coors Light is still “Born in the Rockies,” but as the court confirmed, that doesn’t mean it’s brewed exclusively in the Rockies or with mountain spring water. The plaintiff’s attempt to make a case otherwise didn’t hold up under scrutiny—just like a snowball under the summer sun.
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