Pint of order: New York judge asks jury to define ‘beer’ in Corona case

Modelo filed suit last year, arguing that the distributor is only allowed to sell beer under the Corona name. Photograph: Andrew Winning/Reuters

A federal judge wants a New York jury to determine the definition of beer.

Lewis Kaplan of the southern district of New York was considering a request from Modelo to hold liable Constellation Brands, the US distributor of the Mexican brewer’s popular Corona beer, for selling Corona-branded hard seltzer without permission.