Sierra Nevada Recalls Several Beers Bottled at North Carolina Brewery

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Sierra Nevada has announced a 36-state voluntary recall of several of its year-round and seasonal beers bottled at the company’s North Carolina brewery.

Sierra Nevada, the third largest U.S. craft brewery according to trade group the Brewers Association, issued the recall on Sunday, after quality inspections at its Mills River, N.C. facility revealed “a very limited number of bottles with a flaw that may cause a small piece of glass to break off and possibly fall into the bottle, creating a risk for injury,” according to a press release.

In an interview with Brewbound, Sierra Nevada spokeswoman Robin Gregory said the company had not yet determined the total cost of the recall or how much beer was affected.

“We’re still investigating that and we’ll have some additional details in the coming days,” she said. “We’re total sticklers for quality, and we’re working around the clock to get as deep into this as we can.”

In a press release, Sierra Nevada chief supply chain officer Mike Bennett said roughly 1 in every 10,000 12 oz. glass bottles packaged between Dec. 5 and January 13 were affected.

“Sierra Nevada has set the standard for quality in the craft brewing industry since 1980 and we have decided to take this precaution to ensure the safety of our consumers,” he said via the release. “To date, we have not received any consumer reports of injuries resulting from the potentially affected bottles and we are working with our supplier to determine the root cause of the issue.”

Brands included in the recall have the letter “M” stamped on the bottle’s shoulder and include:

  • Pale Ale 12-ounce bottles in 6-, 12- and 24-pack (cases) packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 8, 2017
  • Beer Camp Golden IPA 12-ounce bottles in 6- and 12-pack (cases) packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Sidecar Orange Pale Ale 12-ounce bottles in 6- and 12-pack (cases) packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Torpedo Extra IPA 12-ounce bottles in 6- and 12-pack (cases) packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Tropical Torpedo 12-ounce bottles in 6-packs packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Nooner 12-ounce bottles in 6-packs packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Hop Hunter 12-ounce bottles in 6- and 12-pack (cases) packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017
  • Otra Vez 12-ounce bottles in 6-packs packaged from December 5, 2016, through January 13, 2017

Sierra Nevada is working with its wholesale partners to remove the recalled beer from retail shelves. It has also temporarily halted future shipments from Mills River.

The recall covers the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

Gregory told Brewbound that Sierra Nevada is “working around the clock to replenish the affected markets with safe product.” She also said trucks are delivering beer from Sierra Nevada’s original Chico brewing facility, which was unaffected by the recall.

Consumers who purchased beer within the recall are encouraged to dispose of the beer and file a claim for a full refund at http://sierranevada.com/qualitymatters.

Sierra Nevada joins a growing list of breweries that have recalled beer over the last 12 months. Last October, Chicago’s Revolution Brewing recalled 10,000 barrels of beer due to off-flavors that had developed in six of the company’s most popular beers. Also that month, Blanco, Texas-based Real Ale Brewing Co. issued a “precautionary recall” of 11,000 cases — about 800 barrels — of two of its year-round brands due to a potential glass defect.

In September, Kentucky’s Alltech Lexington Brewing recalled more than 80 days worth of its flagship Kentucky Bourbon Ale and seasonal Kentucky Pumpkin Barrel Ale beers due to “flavor and color” issues. In March, Constellation brands announced a voluntary recall of select Corona Extra 12-packs and 18-packs of 12 oz. clear bottles, which contained “small particles of glass.”

And last January, Goose Island pulled back its popular Bourbon County Barleywine and Bourbon County Coffee variants due to off-flavors. The company offered refunds to customers who had purchased those beers as well as refunds for its original Bourbon County Brand Stout and Proprietor’s Bourbon County Brand Stout, which had developed similar off flavors, the company said in July.