Melbourne’s Bad Shepherd Brewing Co. has recalled its Peanut Butter and Jam Barrel-Aged Porter.

The limited release beer, batch number 421 with a best before of 23/07/22, has been available for sale online, at the brewery store in Victoria, independent retailers, liquor stores and licensed premises in NSW, ACT, Victoria and Western Australia.

As is stipulated in the IBA’s Recall Guidelines Bad Shepherd has alerted the public via its social media channels and posted a notice on its website to alert consumers and retailers, and is moving swiftly to ensure all recall protocols are completed.

Cans that are stored in ambient temperatures may experience secondary fermentation, which may also be leading to an increase in abv above the stated 7%, it was explained.

Diti Hales, general manager at Bad Shepherd, said that due to strict sanitation protocols for their tanks and the pasteurisation of fruit additions to the beer, the team believed that the issue lay with the barrels.

Learning from its experience, Bad Shepherd is disposing of the barrels and is amending its processes by quarantining barrel aged beers for a minimum of 14 days before use, doing complete external sterility lab testing of barrel-aged products and swab testing barrels before and after each use.

“As a business and a team we’re always focussed on both quality and safety and we’re always reviewing our processes in this regard. But just when you think you’ve got all your safety and quality bases covered, an issue like this can pop up as a reminder there’s always room for continuous improvement,” Hales explained.

“While is it’s unfortunate this issue has occurred on this occasion, it’s only helped us further identify ways in which we can make our quality and safety processes more robust, which is a positive.”

Hales confirmed there was a recall plan in place and encouraged other brewers who might face the same challenges to be vigilant and stay on top of their recall processes.

“That helped immensely in ensuring we were able to act quickly and appropriately. What helped even more was the passion and focus of our cross functional team to action the recall smoothly and swiftly.

“The process ran very smoothly as our team was ready to go. I strongly advise other breweries to ensure their recall plan is up to date and they have clear and thorough data logging to facilitate diagnosis of where the problem occurred. Our depth of data and attention to detail was key in managing the recall effectively.”

A recall can be an expensive and difficult process for any brewer, as Tallboy & Moose also found out last week. Bigger players are also not immune, with Coca Cola Amatil and Endeavour Group-owned Pinnacle Drinks forced to recall multiple products this month.

The Food Standards Australia New Zealand notice recommends that consumers who have the product should contact their place of purchase for reimbursement and safely dispose of the cans.

“Any can that shows any sign of bloating or bulging should be treated with care. If a four-pack carrier is still on the cans or they are in a cardboard carton, do not remove them,” it said.

“Wrap all cans carefully in a bag, then place in an outside bin. Cans that have been stored at ambient temperature are more susceptible to rupturing than cans stored cold.

For further information, on the product recall or reimbursement, consumers should visit www.badshepherd.com.au or email info@badshepherd.com.au or call 0423 953 909.