Samuel Adams beer is not always a good decision (Recall)

[VF5SS]

Black eye for the brewer patriot

Glass particles force Sam Adams beer recall

April 7, 2008 01:28 PM

Boston Beer Co., the Boston brewer of Samuel Adams craft beers, said it is recalling an undetermined amount of beer because of defective bottles that may contain glass particles.

The company said the defective bottles came from a glass company that provides Boston Beer with about a quarter of its glass bottles. The "small grains or bits of glass" were discovered during a quality control operation at the firm's Cincinnati brewery, Boston Beer said in a statement. The problem was confirmed Friday, and was traced to bottles coming from a single manufacturing plant.

The company said it has not received complaints or reports of injury. A spokeswoman, Michelle Sullivan , estimated that the particles of glass are found in fewer than 1 percent of the bottles coming from the problem plant. Only Samuel Adams beers in 12-ounce brown glass bottles are involved in the recall. Potentially dangerous bottles are embossed around the bottom with the code N35 followed by OI .

Jim Koch , founder of Boston Beer Co., said it is the company's first recall since it began in 1984.

"We are disappointed and disturbed by this development, and we are doing everything we can to address the situation," Koch said in a statement. "Brewing great beer is not enough. Because of these bottles supplied to us from an outside vendor, we didn't live up to our drinkers' expectations."

The company said it is contacting wholesalers to recall potentially defective bottles before they reach store shelves. "We think a small percentage is at retailers," said Sullivan.

"While the possibility of injury to an individual consumer is very low, people who bite or swallow a fragment of glass could possibly be injured," the company said in its statement. "Anyone who has consumed beer from an affected bottle and becomes ill, or shows signs of complications, should see a physician immediately."

Consumers who purchased beer in potentially defective bottles are urged to discard the beer and bottles. They can register for a refund online at consumerinfo.samadams.com . They also can call 888- 674-5159 for more information.

The company's local brewery in Jamaica Plain is not affected because it supplies only beer in kegs.
(By Jeffrey Krasner, Globe staff)

Now I personally had to remove 46 cases of beer from the shelves of the store I work at today. That works out to at most 1104 bottles Boston Brewery has to check from just one store. This is a huge nightmare for all of the parties involved even with the remote chance of someone guzzling glass. Now this is going to separate the casual drinks from the hardcore Sam Adams enthusiasts with the price of beer continuing to rise. It'll be interesting to see if the Samuel Adams line can recover from this. [/quote]

[Molyneux]

Well...fuck. Sam Adams is of the very few brands of beer that are actually worth drinking...I guess it could have been worse, it could have been Guinness.

[Balrog]

Yeah it's a black eye, but I don't think it'll end Sam Adams. It is one of the few American beers with actual taste, and as Jim Koch said it's their first recall since the beginning of the company.

[Isolder74]

Also it isn't their fault either. It's the fault of the maker of the bottles. A bottler of any product sould be able to trust that the botttles they are using are safe.

[Veramocor]

I had three of them in my 24 multipack from Costco with about 9 beers left.

[Alferd Packer]

Also it isn't their fault either. It's the fault of the maker of the bottles. A bottler of any product sould be able to trust that the botttles they are using are safe.

Exactly. If they'd been accidentally putting rat poison in the actual beer or something like that, then they might not recover. This is just a problem with bottles.

Incidentally, maybe this is why I can't find Summer Ale anywhere except on tap in restaurants.

[LapsedPacifist]

It surprises me because beer bottles have to be sterile or you risk infection and bad beer. I figured the brewery would rinse and heat treat, which should take care of this but they must come prepped from the maker.

Learn something new every day...

LP

[Darth Wong]

It surprises me because beer bottles have to be sterile or you risk infection and bad beer. I figured the brewery would rinse and heat treat, which should take care of this but they must come prepped from the maker.

Learn something new every day...

LP

A lot of bottle manufacturers sell bottles in a "pre-washed" condition, which means you're supposed to be able to use them out of the box. People pay extra for this, although it looks like Samuel Adams didn't get what they paid for in this case.