You know the slogan: “When the mountains turn blue, it’s as cold as the Rockies.” But now it turns out the Coors Light you’re drinking may have been brewed elsewhere.

Bummer.

A recent Eater article lays out the details of a class action lawsuit filed in Florida, asserting that the MillerCoors brewery in Golden, Colorado is no longer the only source of Coors Light. (This un-Rocky reality actually came to be following a merger between Molson Coors Brewing Company and SABMiller in 2008.)

The lawsuit, filed by Joaquin Lorenzo of Miami-Dade County charges that marketing and advertising messages from MillerCoors use tags like, “Proudly brewed in the Rocky Mountain tradition,” and “Born in the Rockies,” to position the beer as brewed with water from our beloved mountains, and thus justify a “premium price” of $15 for a 24-pack.

We certainly understand Mr. Lorenzo’s concerns. Imagine the uproar if Denver Water provided customers with water from somewhere other than straight from the Rockies. After all, there’s no denying we have phenomenal water.

On the other hand, how many marketing campaigns do we see that, if taken literally, would seem more than a bit misleading?

• Does Red Bull really make you sprout wings? Nope.
• Do Skittles taste like actual rainbows? Doubtful.
• If I sing the State Farm jingle, will an insurance agent pop out of nowhere with my own hot tub? Sadly, nay.
• Is Budweiser really the king of beers? I didn’t realize beers were still governed under monarchical rule.

You get the point. Just because an advertising campaign exaggerates to make a point doesn’t mean the brand is out to deceive.

But what if your advertising is deliberately misleading, allowing you to sell your product at a higher price? This leads us back to Mr. Lorenzo’s lawsuit.

Is $15 really a “premium price” for a case of beer?

Coors Light is an all-American staple, and it’s my go-to at Rockies games and on the Fourth of July. It’s the second-most popular beer in the United States (behind Bud Light) and, seemingly, one of its fundamental appeals is affordability. It’s hard to see Coors Light qualifying in a “premium” price point, no matter where it’s brewed or bought (event price gouging notwithstanding).

Speaking of the premium stuff, some of our local breweries have been putting a lot of thought into how they use this precious Rocky Mountain water.

Take, for example, our partners Copper Kettle Brewing, Breckenridge Brewery and Tivoli Brewing Co. in Denver. They’ve taken conservation into their own hands, and we’re working with them to establish the most efficient beer-to-water ratio, as well as other ways to save water.

“Working with these breweries helps us understand what our beer industry is doing,” said Michael Thomas, Denver Water conservation specialist. “With nearly 100 breweries in our service area, beer is a booming industry where efficient water use is becoming more and more critical."

The bottom line is, whether you’re a craft beer aficionado or a Coors connoisseur, we can all agree Rocky Mountain water must be something special if people are willing to sue when they’ve been robbed of the chance to taste it.