"MUNICH, Germany - In the cavernous back room of Munich's famous Augustiner beer hall, Heiko Hofrichter sits at one of the long wooden tables, takes a sip of his thick brew, and explains why German soccer fans just can't swallow the fact that America's Budweiser is the official beer at the World Cup, which opens today.

"For Germans, Bud tastes like watered-down beer. It's not beer," complained Hofrichter, 24, a graduate student from the city of Nuremberg.

"It's Spuelwasser!" cried Robert Paustian, 32, from another table in the boisterous beer hall, using the German word for dishwater."