Backer brewery returns to contest after tragedy – 02/16/2023 – Full Glass

In March 2019, almost four years ago, Backer was crowned the best large brewery at the Brazilian Beer Contest, in Blumenau, considered the main festival of its kind in the country.

That year, the CBC separated the competitors into small (up to 10,000 liters per month), medium (between 10 and 100,000) and large (above 100,000), a category in which Backer, a giant among special breweries.

At the end of that year, diagnoses of diethylene glycol contamination began after consumption of labels produced by Backer, leading to the closure of the factory, in Belo Horizonte, between 2020 and 2022.

Back in operations, Backer returns to the Blumenau tender for the first time. Sought by the blog Copo Cheio, from Sheetthe brewery’s advisory did not comment on the participation, confirmed only by the organization of the event.

The styles with which the brand is competing were not informed. With judges from all over the world, the contest rewards the best beers of each style with gold, silver and bronze medals in a blind tasting. The brewery that accumulates the most gold medals is crowned as the best in the event, as in the Olympic Games.

On its profile on social networks, Backer discloses some re-releases that were successful before the tragic contamination that caused ten deaths and left dozens of people with sequelae. One of them is Pele Vermelha, an Indian pale ale with orange peels in the formula; another is Tommy Gunn, a double IPA with 8.4% alcohol. Belorizontina, the label that had most of the contaminated batches, is no longer part of the portfolio.

While trying to rebuild commercially, the brewery responds in court in a trial that runs in the 2nd Criminal Court of the Lafayette Forum, the first instance of Justice in Belo Horizonte.

So far, only the first phase of the trial has been completed, in May, the hearings of four victims and 23 witnesses for the prosecution. The victims await the second phase of the trial.

The Brazilian Beer Contest takes place between March 6th and 8th, in Blumenau, and the result will be announced at Parque Vila Germânica, stage of the biggest Oktoberfest in the country. This year, CBC broke the registration record, with 4,085 samples from 565 breweries in 25 different states. Find out more about the competition and the festival, which is open to the public, on the Brazilian Beer Week website.

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