Oregon Brewery Recalls Mango Cheesecake Beer Over Potentially Explosive Cans

In the past few months, Oakshire Brewing has released a half-dozen different beers under its "Theme from the Bottom" line, including Double Berry Passion Swirl, Triple Berry Cinnamon Swirl, and Pog and Blueberry Coconut Dreamsicle. The Eugene, Oregon brewery recently made an announcement about its Theme From the Bottom: Mango Raspberry Cheesecake Smoothie Sour Ale, but instead of praising the mid-January debut, it's asking anyone who has the beer in their fridge to put on a face shield and a pair of safety gloves before carefully placing the cans in an outdoor dumpster.

According to a press release from Oakshire, it had seen signs of refermentation in some cans of the "Theme Mango Cheesecake" beer, which could cause the cans to bulge or to explode. Every customer who purchased the beer online or in-person at its taprooms between January 16 and January 18 have been alerted, and the company says that none of its other beers have been affected.

"If you have Theme Mango Cheesecake in your possession, please do not open it," the brewery warned. "Do not attempt to transport or ship it. Do not attempt to return it. And do not remove the cans from the plastic holders. Dispose of the product by following these steps: (i) Before disposing of any cans of Theme Mango Cheesecake, please put on protective gloves and a face shield (or goggles and a mask); (ii) Place all remaining Theme Mango Cheesecake cans in a closed box and place immediately in a secured garbage container or dumpster outside."

Oakshire also said that there's no risk to anyone who bought and already consumed their Theme Mango Cheesecake beer; any risk involves unopened cans of the beer.

Re-fermentation is rare, but it isn't unheard of, especially when it comes to fruit-heavy beers. Some brewers have put warning labels on their cans, or have made announcements on social media, to remind customers that super-fruity beers must be kept in the fridge at all times to prevent re-fermentation. (Basically, the yeast in beer gets more active in warmer temperatures and, under the right conditions, it can start to consume the fruit sugar it's sharing an aluminum or glass package with. That process releases carbon dioxide, which can build up inside the can or bottle until it eventually bursts open.)

"Please note that this beer contains significantly more fruit than we've ever put into a beer before," Magnify Brewing wrote in a Facebook post about its Trade Proof Fruited Gose. "Unlike our fruited beers in the past, we added the fruit just prior to canning so this beer contains fermentable sugars. This allows us to get the most character out of the fruit, but requires responsibility once these cans get in your hands! It is imperative that these cans remain cold at all times!"

In 2015, Angry Orchard announced a voluntary recall on two batches of its bottled cider, after it realized that re-fermentation was causing some bottles to break right after they were opened.

Again, re-fermentation is rare, but beer drinkers who like a fruity ale should know that it's a possibility—and maybe consider drink those cans sooner than later.