At the request of the trade body defending the interests of houses and growers of the north-eastern French sparkling wine, Belgian customs workers crushed more than 2,000 cans of Miller High Life.

The Comité Champagne asked for the destruction of a shipment of 2,352 cans on the grounds the century-old motto used by the American brewery infringes the protected designation of origin “Champagne”.

The consignment was intercepted at the Belgian port of Antwerp in early February and was destined for Germany.

Molson Coors Beverage Co, which owns the Miller High Life brand, does not export it to the EU and Belgian customs declined to say who had ordered the beers.

The buyer in Germany “was informed and did not contest the decision”, the trade organisation said.

Frederick Miller, a German immigrant to the US, founded the Miller Brewing Company in the 1850s. Miller High Life, its oldest brand, was first sold in 1903.

According to the Milwaukee-based brand’s website, the company started to use the “Champagne of Bottle Beers” nickname three years later. It was shortened to “The Champagne of Beers” in 1969.

It as also been available in Champagne-style 750ml bottles during festive seasons.

“With its elegant, clear-glass bottle and crisp taste, Miller High Life has proudly worn the nickname ‘The Champagne of Beers’ for almost 120 years,” Molson Coors Beverage Co said.

No matter how popular the slogan is in the US, it is incompatible with EU rules which make clear goods infringing a protected designation of origin can be treated as counterfeit.

The system of protected geographical designations guarantees the true origin and quality of artisanal food, wine and spirits and protects them from imitation.

That market is worth nearly €75bn annually — half of it in wines, according to a 2020 study by the EU Commission.

---