Carlsberg recalls Staropramen beer kegs after 2 people injured by drinking cleaning solution

STOCKHOLM – Danish brewer Carlsberg says it’s recalling more than 4,600 kegs of Staropramen beer in Sweden after identifying two cases where the kegs were filled with cleaning solution, injuring two people.

Carlsberg Sweden on Tuesday called the situation “extremely serious because the content is corrosive.” It said a restaurant keeper and a Carlsberg employee received blisters on their tongues after sampling the content and were taken to the hospital but received “no permanent injuries.”

The company said the recall affected 30-litre (7-gallon) kegs sold to 680 bars and restaurants in Sweden. Of the 4,624 kegs, about 3,000 have not yet been delivered but are kept in Carlsberg’s storage.

Staropramen is made in the Czech Republic but distributed by Carlsberg in some countries, including Sweden.

“As far as we can tell at this time, beer from this batch of Staropramen has only been distributed in Sweden, so no further recalls expected,” Carlsberg spokesman Jim Daniell said.

Staropramen brewer Molson Coors said all potentially affected retail customers have been contacted and that it is confident “this is an isolated issue and no other Staropramen batch is affected.”

“The recall in Sweden is a precautionary health and safety measure related to the potential contamination of beer within a very small quantity of kegs,” it said. “Staropramen on sale in Czech Republic is unaffected.”