***PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT*** 

Last updated Thursday, 28th November 2019

Just before 2pm AEST Friday 15th November, we (Beer Cartel) became aware of an issue relating to beer number 25 in our 2019 Beer Advent Calendar. We’re truly devastated and extremely sorry to bring you this news. Within minutes we were in contact with Black Hops Brewing to discuss the issue. At 8:30pm AEST that evening Black Hops issued a Food Safety Recall for their beer Extra Eggnog Stout. You can read the full recall on their website here:  http://blackhops.com.au/extra-eggnog-recall

If you have purchased or received this year’s Beer Cartel Beer Advent Calendar please remove the can from slot 25 and put it in the rubbish immediately. 

FAQs

What is the issue? An issue has been identified where there is a risk of excess fermentation in the container. This is due to the beer being prematurely chilled and packaged, resulting in residual fermentable sugars remaining in the can - which when combined with the live yeast culture that resides in all Black Hops Brewing beers, can continue to ferment.

This has the potential to result in an increase in ABV rendering the product not fit for sale in current packaging, as well as excessive pressure build up in the can, potentially leading to leaking or rupturing of the container.

What do I need to do?

If you have received this year’s Beer Cartel Beer Advent Calendar, or it is on its way to you, please remove the can from slot 25 and put it in the rubbish immediately. We have included a process for doing this here: https://www.beercartel.com.au/steps-for-removing-beer-25-black-hops-extra-eggnog-stout/

I have given the Advent Calendar as a gift what should I do?

Please advise the recipient to remove beer number 25, Black Hops Extra Eggnog Stout and dispose of it. You can refer them to this blog post or our Facebook post here. 

What if I've already drunk the beer?

No there are no health and safety issues if you have already consumed the beer.

Are any other beers affected?

No, the only beer affected is beer number 25 Black Hops Extra Eggnog Stout.

What was the process for notifying customers?

On Friday 8:50pm AEST both Black Hops and Beer Cartel issued a release relating to the food recall on their respective social media channels and website, with a SMS notification being sent on Saturday 16th November. The SMS was delayed to the following day as it was felt inappropriate to send a message late at night to our customers.

Beer Cartel has also been in contact with beer media and various beer enthusiast Facebook groups to communicate the recall.

What happens now?

We sent an SMS and email to all purchasers on Wednesday 20th November updating next steps which you can read here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BeerAdvent25

When will shipping for any Advents not dispatched resume?

All Advent Calendars have now been shipped.

When will in store pickups resume?

In Store pickups of previously purchased Beer Advent Calendars are available.

Will there be more Advent Calendars available online?

Yes - however these are all sold out.

Will there be more Advent Calendars available in store?

Yes - however these are all sold out.

I received an SMS on Wednesday 20th November but no email?

Please find the link which explains the situation and next steps: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BeerAdvent25

When will I get my refund / voucher / when will the donation be made to the Rural Fire Service?

Out first step was to get everyone to complete the compensation form by Wednesday 27th November. We are now working through the next steps of this. Please bear with us. With 4,800 Advent purchased this will take some time. We hope to have this complete by Friday 6th December.

We cannot express enough how sorry we are that this has occurred and the inconvenience caused. We truly appreciate your understanding, patience and continued support as we work through this.

We have also created a Facebook post with this information here. 

Richard, Geoff and the team at Beer Cartel