Budweiser

Budweiser

Sir/Madame: Recently I opened a Budweiser can which had Naphtha Gas inside. Naphtha is a cousin to Gasoline. This happened Christmas Eve 2004. I have been waiting for the legal department of Budweiser to send me the analysis, but to date I have not received same. I believe enough time has passed, hence this letter. It is difficult to perhaps accept this kind of story based on the recent events at the Wendy’s location but in this case it is the truth and it did happen. Since Budweiser sells itself as the King of Beer with quality how could this happen? I hope you entertain running this story and determine the truth, Budweiser will not give me any answers. I have attached an outline of what happened. If you want to talk to me please call me at 770-736-2780 or cell 469-951-2446. Sincerely Mike Snellville, GA NOTES Wife and daughter go to Publix Super Store, 1905 Scenic Highway N., Snellville, Georgia 30078 at approx. 4.00 P.M. Christmas Eve (Dec.24/04) to buy groceries (including 2 six packs cans of Budweiser 16 oz beer).

Wife and daughter return home approx. 5:00 P.M. and I help put away groceries and place beer in garage fridge. One 6 pack of beer goes in fridge freezer.

Talk to wife and daughter.

Started fire earlier, checked the fire re-arranged logs for better burn.

Approx 15/20 minutes later went to freezer to get one beer. Took right hand beer from six packs in freezer and came into family room.

Opened beer and placed on coaster on side table. Immediately took drink, swallowed beer and placed can on table.

Within seconds I smelled something that had an odor like turpentine. It was in the air around me.

My wife was behind me at the time and I asked her to check for the odor also. She came around by me but said she could not smell anything at that time.

I went over to the fireplace to determine if the odor was coming from the fireplace because I had started the fire with a starter log. No odor.

I sat down and took another drink of beer and immediately my nose smelt the odor like turpentine. I did not swallow the beer but went directly to the sink and spit it out.

I asked my wife and daughter to come in the kitchen and smell the beer can. Both smelled the can and confirmed it was some kind of a solvent. My wife poured some into a class to smell it better and it had even more odor.

At this time my mouth and lips started to burn so my wife called emergency and they told me to come to the hospital and bring the beer.

My wife called the manager at Publix so he was notified and he later told us he removed the beer from the shelves.

I drove to the hospital and was followed by my daughter.

I was examined and was told by the attending doctor that he was going to call the Police.

Numerous people from emergency smelled the can – the attending male nurse, security guard etc.

The police arrived and took a report but said there was nothing they could do because there was no appearance of after-market tampering and told me to contact Publix and Budweiser.

I remained in emergency for about 5 hours and was discharged. I was asked to see a doctor for follow-up in a few days. They told me to be monitored for several hours.

The hospital report said digestion of nontoxic material – This simply means the amount I digested was not toxic – only one mouth full – It does not mean the content was not toxic because Naphtha is very toxic.

Several days later I had my personal doctor check me out during my annual physical.

Daughter takes contaminated beer and remaining 11 cans to Publix where she met Mr. Alan Kates Store Manager.

Kates smelled the open container and confirmed it had an odor of some kind of solvent. Kates opened several of the cans but none had the same odor. Daughter leaves all of the cans with Kates except the contaminated can.

Kates later told me that a Vice-President from Budweiser came to pick up the remaining cans on December 27/04.

December 27/04 at approx. 9:00 A.M. I called 1-800-Dial-Bud and reported the incident. I believe it was a customer relations line. I provided all of the information to the person.

December 27/04, 2.51 P.M. received call from Mr. Gerry Collin who told me he was with Budweiser in St. Louis and was calling because he was on call over the Christmas holidays. At no time did he volunteer he was a lawyer I had to ask him. He said he was not familiar with the facts and could I go over them for him.

After that he said he needed the can and a sample so their lab could conduct an analysis of the content.

Collin arranged to have a special box sent to me with direction of how to get the sample and how to pack it and where to send it.

Once the box came I followed the instruction and sent the sample.

I also kept a sample and it is presently in my garage fridge sealed in plastic bags and stretch and seal.

Collin called be about 10 days later (I was in Jacksonville working). He said he had received the analysis back and it was NAPHTHA. He immediately said, “We do not have any naphtha in our processes.” I then said,” Does that mean you do not have any NAPHTHA in the plant? He did not answer. He started asking question to me, basically indicating perhaps I inadvertently placed the fluid in the can. He did not come out and say it but he said things like, “perhaps there were some droplets on the lid and they fell into the can when it opened”. I said, “If you had smelled the can you would know from the concentration of the smell a few droplets could not smell like that.” The conversation continued and then I said I do not like the way this is going and I do not accept your position of that of Budweiser. I told him I did not put anything in the beer and asked him to send me a copy of the analysis, which he has, not to-date, and I told him someone would be in touch with him later.

At no time did Collin ask me how I was, or even if he and Budweiser could look after my medical bills etc.

Collin was acting like a lawyer protecting Budweiser.

My wife and I spoke long before I received his call and we decided that if Budweiser or any Budweiser representative even come close to thinking I contaminated the beer we would seek legal assistance.

Questions:

Comment On This

Yes my beer smells like paint thinner.

This can not be good. I have kept the bottle.

I have called the Budweiser hotline to no avail due to Christmas holidays. I am worried others ( drunk people ) may drink it without noticing.

Manuel Kasp

cupid_x AT live.ca

Comment On This

I have been a bud drinker for over 30 years. Today I found a piece of bottle glass in the bud lite bottle while I was drinking it. Does not look to be from the bottle it self. How did it get there? what can be done to make sure it never happens again?

Comment On This

Fly In 16oz Bud Batch #02JUL08 SB43 Im very disapointed that this has occured> I have the drunken petrifed fly in my safe in a test tube as well as the can it came from.I have been a life long product consumer of your products and am very dissapointed in this problem it hasent happend ever in my life until now.I have been purching your productd exclusive since Nov.1980. Never has this occured are you getting careless from the buyout or is this a regular thing that happens in the canning factory? Ireally hope you respond back because up till now anheiser bush products is all i purched! You can reach me at Terry_B_Brusier AT yahoo.com Cordurilly yours terry B.