Recently, Anheuser-Busch InBev came under attack by a group filing a class action lawsuit against them claiming that the beer maker has been watering down their beers. The claims state that the beer’s alcohol content was diluted to less than the 5% noted on the bottle.

The lawsuits have been filed by groups in California, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas, all seeking at least $5 million in “damages” for A-B InBev’s false claims on the percentage of alcohol in each beer.

After both A-B and an independent source tested the beers in question, it was determined that the alcohol content is fairly accurate across the board in all their beers, and within legal limits on ABV variation. End of story. Sort of.

The real story is how The King is battling back what could have been a PR nightmare for most brands.

After the news broke late last week and through this past weekend, A-B immediately issued an indirect response to the allegations, and started posting content related to the “watering down” of beers on their Facebook and Twitter feeds. They also took out full-page ads in major U.S. newspapers across the nation over the weekend. The ads simply addressed the now very public allegations by showing one aluminum can of fresh drinking water that A-B InBev donates each year to the American Red Cross and other disaster aid organizations with the headline: “They Must Have Tested One of These.”

A great example of how one of the  world’s top brands used the power of social media and traditional media together to defuse a potentially colossal PR nightmare. Instead of talking about A-B InBev’s PR gaffe this week, those in the industry are applauding their swift, precise efforts to take the issue head on.

Bravo Bud.