Does Seattle stadium sell watered-down beer?

What if these fans are drinking beer that's less than the advertised alcohol content? (Getty Images)

Have you ever wondered if the beer you're drinking at the stadium is watered down?

No? Us either.

But Seattle's KOMO-TV made two undercover trips to CenturyLink Field -- for a Seahawks and Sounders game -- to get to the bottom of a scandal that most of us didn't even know existed.

From the story:

Problem Solvers collected six samples of draft beer from concession stands ... We wanted to see if the beers had a higher or lower alcohol content. We worked with IEH Labs in Seattle and followed their strict instructions, using small vials to hold a few ounces of beer and then keeping them cool, either in a refrigerator inside bags packed with ice.

The results:

Stella Artois

5.0% advertised ABV

4.8% tested

Bud Light

4.2% advertised

3.9% tested

Redhook Brewery No Equal

5.2% advertised

4.8% tested

Shocktop

5.2% advertised

4.7% tested

Bass Pale Ale

5.1% advertised

4.5% tested

Budweiser

5.0% advertised

4.4% tested

Our initial reaction: There doesn't seem to be a gaping discrepancy between the advertised alcohol content and what was tested. In fact, we'd guess that the differences in alcohol content for most of the tested beers weren't statistically different from the advertised beers. Put another way: Test 1,000 beers and, on average, most of them would fall into a range that varied by several tenths of a percent around the advertised alcohol content.

(Also: Who's drinking Budweiser and Bud Light and not expecting it not to taste watered down? Isn't that the point? We talked about this on the most recent Eye on Football Podcast, embedded here for your convenience. )

Statistical similarities aside, KOMO reports that federal law prohibits vendors from selling beer that is less than 0.3 percent below the advertised content.

Redhook told KOMO that it had never been asked by CenturyLink Field to water down its beer and to even consider it would "deceive beer drinkers" and "violate standards and protocols."

And Anheuser-Busch issued this statement, via ESPN's Darren Rovell:

"We sell only full-strength beer in the state of Washington. The Anheuser-Busch draft beers offered at CenturyLink Field, and throughout the state, are the same as the packaged beer consumers purchase at bars, restaurants, convenience stores and other retail locations including CenturyLink Field.

"We use exacting processes to monitor and test alcohol content throughout the brewing and packaging process of all our beers to ensure quality, consistency and accuracy. Laws and regulations governing alcohol requirements vary by state and we abide by all such requirements. In addition, we strictly follow federal guidelines regulating our products to make sure every package of beer that leaves our breweries meets the correct specifications for alcohol content.

"We analyzed the production for the beers sampled in this instance, including alcohol levels, and found no irregularities. Based on our findings, we believe the draft beers sampled at the stadium during those dates met the specifications.

"When we learned of Jon Humbert's and KOMO-TV's inquiry, we proactively reached out to him and also organized a conversation between Jon and one of our brewing experts to share the findings of our analysis and the technical aspects of testing beer.

"Beer has unique properties, and accurately measuring its alcohol content requires specific controls, equipment and expertise. A large number of variables could affect testing results including management of the sample, equipment used and how it's calibrated, and the testing method. In this case, the collection and transport using a plastic container, the lab and testing method could all fail to protect the alcohol content, which would explain the same variance in all samples taken."

So there you go. Mystery solved. But if you're one of these conspiracy theorist who remain unsatisfied, here's some advice: Tailgate in the parking lot before the game with your favorite beer. Or stay at home and drink your favorite beer, where you won't have to worry about paying $10 a pop, embarrassing yourself in public or driving drunk.

Oh, and one more thing:

Washington State beer has always been about "the water" pic.twitter.com/rdm1r4EwD0

— Eric Kay (@ekaycbs) November 12, 2014

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