Business Notes BEVERAGES

The astounding growth of Corona Extra beer, a Mexico City brew with a cult following that has made it the No. 2 imported brand in the U.S., apparently has provoked envious wholesalers of rival brands to resort to some below-the- beer-belly tactics. Last week one of Corona's U.S. importers, Barton Beers, revealed that suds fans in the West and Midwest have been shaken by a rumor that the brand is contaminated with urine. Barton's managers thought they had stopped up the source of the malicious tale last month, when they settled a suit against a Reno-based distributor of Miller and Heineken whose employees were charged with spreading the story. But the rumor kept foaming up, which prompted Barton last week to launch a campaign to reassure customers in its 25-state sales region that no such contamination has ever been found.