Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How did you find that there might be a problem with glass in bottles of Sam Adams?
A. Prior to every beer bottling run, we fill 100 unlabeled bottles with water. Water is more transparent than beer and makes it easier to spot potential issues inside the bottle. It was during this routine quality inspection at one of our breweries that we detected possible defects in a small percentage of bottles resulting in the random presence of bits of glass, most the size of grains of sand, but some small slivers as well. Based on this sample, we quickly began testing bottles of Samuel Adams at all of our breweries and identified that the problem appeared to be isolated to one specific glass plant of the five that supply us. At the same time, we presented these findings and samples to a panel of food safety, medical and packaging experts who advised us that while the possibility of injury to an individual consumer is very low, the risk is not zero.

Because quality and assuring the safety of our drinkers is paramount to us, with the support of our expert panel we have elected to be cautious and to voluntarily recall all bottled product from this one glass plant. Bottles made in other plants have not shown any defects. The affected bottles are easily identified by a raised letter and number visible on the bottom edge of the bottle. Potentially affected bottles are embossed at the base with the code “N35.”

Q. How do I know if I have a bottle of Samuel Adams that should be recalled?
A. There’s an easy to read series of markings embossed into the base on every bottle of Samuel Adams. This marking includes a letter followed by a number molded into the bottles that identifies the specific glass plant that produced that beer bottle. The bottles that we are recalling can easily be identified by the marking “N35” molded into the base of every possibly affected bottle.

Q. Can’t consumers just look at the dates on the bottle to determine whether their beer might have glass in it?
A. The freshness dating on our bottles is great when it comes to letting our drinkers know how fresh their beer is, but it doesn’t help in this situation. This issue is related to a defect associated with the bottle from one specific glass plant and is not in any way related to the quality of the beer. The product we are recalling can easily be identified by the easy to read coding that identifies the specific glass plant that produced the beer bottle. The bottles that we are recalling can easily be identified by the marking “N35” molded into the base of every possibly affected bottle.

Q. Why are you are not recalling all bottles of Sam Adams?
A. We have done exhaustive research and testing of our products, and we believe that the source of the problem is limited to one specific glass plant and those bottles have a discernable code on them. The bottles that we are recalling can easily be identified by the marking “N35” molded into the base of every possibly affected bottle.

Q. What are you going to do with the beer that’s being recalled?
A. We will reclaim and destroy all recalled product. We hope to be able to recycle the beer for ethanol production and deliver the crushed glass to recyclers. This is what we do with the beer we buy back from wholesalers and retailers when it’s past our freshness date.

Q. Is this problem confined to just the brewery you own in Cincinnati?
A. No, we are recalling all bottles made at the one glass plant. This glass is used at all of our brewing locations.

Q. What are the potential health risks?
A. We assembled a panel of food safety, medical and packaging experts including a medical doctor who have thoroughly evaluated the samples. They have reported that people who bite or swallow a fragment could possibly be injured. While possibility of injury to an individual consumer is very low, we do know that the risk is not zero, so we are recalling all products in bottles from this specific glass plant that we believe could possibly be affected.

Q. If I find bottles of beer with glass in it, what should I do?
A. First, it’s important to note that we believe that the number of bottles that actually contain glass is very small. We estimate that it’s significantly less than 1% of the bottles we are recalling. We did not want to wait to determine the exact rate to begin our recall. We are taking this measure to protect the safety of our drinkers.

The bottles that we are recalling can easily be identified by the marking “N35” molded into the base of every possibly affected bottle. We ask that consumers check all Samuel Adams bottles in their possession and not open or drink from bottles with the “N35” code. Consumers can claim a refund for bottles with the “N35” code through this website.

If you have already opened a bottle and believe that you have found glass inside, please call our toll-free hotline at 1-888-674-5159. The operator will collect additional information from you and someone from The Boston Beer Company will contact you directly. We ask that you please hold on to the bottle and the glass inclusions that you found. We’ll want to get these items back from you to help in our effort to prevent this situation from happening again.

Q. What if I have a question not answered on this Web Site?
A. Consumers with any questions regarding the recall that are not answered on this site should contact our toll-free consumer hotline at 1-888-674-5159.