Beer Sample Mishap Blasts Unsuspecting Brewer Across Room in Viral Video

The Independent shared a video that has gone viral of an employee flying across the room after a beer valve explosion. (Photo: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

On Tuesday, The Independent shared a viral beer video, the outlet claims has amassed 1.8 million views, of a brewer getting hit by a gushing stream of beer after a beer tank valve exploded, according to the outlet. The incident took place at Back Channel Brewing Co. in Minnesota on Jan. 23.

The Drinks Business reported that Brendan Babcock was the unfortunate employee who flew across the room after the valve exploded, and Back Channel Brewing Co. confirmed that he was uninjured. The Minnesota brewery chose to name a limited batch called Blow Back in honor of the incident.

The video can be viewed below from The Independent:

“Seems likely that whoever CIP’ed the tank didn’t secure the clamps tightly enough,” one viewer commented on the video when it was shared by the New York Post on Wednesday. “Even so you should never get so close to these tanks they’re pressurized and incredibly dangerous around untrained individuals. A lot of breweries don’t usually hire the brightest bulbs, unfortunately.”

The Dangers of Beer Tanks and Kegs

Though this recent beer mishap was reported as an issue with a beer tank valve, actual tank and keg explosions can have serious repercussions.

Beverage Daily reported on a 2012 incident with an exploding keg that led to multiple injuries during a tour at Franconia Brewing Company. Two individuals ended up suing the brewery after being “struck by the tank and other debris from the explosion.”

In 2012, The Huffington Post reported that an exploding beer keg at Redhook Brewery killed an employee named Ben Harris.  The keg burst while Harris was cleaning it and debris from the explosion resulted in fatal chest and head injuries.

In November, the Daily Mail reported that two men were killed by an exploding beer keg in Brazil. Valdeir dos Santos Ferreira and Julio Cesar Vernacio were assembling the keg for Ferreira’s birthday. The supplier did not assemble it, and the keg exploded when both men were trying to do it themselves.

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