Sothern Tier Issues Statement On Overcharged Pumking Nitro & Milkshake Nitro Cans

From Southern Tier:

At Southern Tier, quality craft beer has been our priority since we opened our doors in 2002, so we take any concerns about our products seriously.  In the past few days, retail customers and consumers have seen some of our nitro beer cans bulge and, in a small number of cases, burst.  We looked into the issue and found that a couple lots of Southern Tier Pumking Nitro cans (16oz) and Southern Tier Blackwater Chocolate Milkshake Nitro cans (12oz) had slightly too much nitrogen – the ingredient that makes Nitro beer so smooth and creamy.  While a small change in the amount of nitrogen shouldn’t affect the quality of the beer, it can – along with environmental factors such as temperature variation – increases internal pressure on the can, causing it to bulge or, rarely, burst. The issue happened while we were implementing and refining some new packaging equipment. Once the problem was identified, it was corrected for future runs.  Out of an abundance of caution, we asked our wholesaler and retail partners to pull impacted products from their warehouses and shelves.  The issue impacts only the four-pack of Pumking Nitro cans and the Blackwater four-pack Chocolate Milkshake cans.  If consumers have these products in their possession, they should throw them away and call 855-274-0047.  Representatives will collect the information we need to issue a full refund.   All other Southern Tier and Blackwater Nitro brands, including Crème Brulee, which is currently shipping to the market, have passed our quality checks, and are ready to enjoy.  We sincerely apologize for this issue. As always, we continue to look at any and all additional steps that we can take to improve the process and quality of all Southern Tier brands.

[Editor’s Note]:  A family member in the Pittsburgh area had a can of Nitro Pumking explode (in his words) as he opened the can.  He said the noise sounded like a gunshot and his ears were ringing for hours after the incident.  Just a few days later the remaining three cans in the 4-pack exploded on their own in the garage blowing the tops completely off and ripping through the box.