The Biggest Beer Recalls In Anheuser-Busch History

With its decidedly humble beginnings as a small Missouri-based brewery in the mid 1800s, Anheuser-Busch has since grown to become an iconic name in beer all over the world. Beers that fall under the Anheuser-Busch banner include Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, and numerous others. In keeping with ever-evolving drinking trends, the brand has also branched out into hard seltzer and canned cocktails. While Anheuser-Busch's output is undeniably impressive, things haven't always been rosy for the beer maker. In fact, the company has been embroiled in quite a few recalls. 

We're covering some of the beer company's most extensive recalls in the U.S. and elsewhere. These incidents have involved faulty Stella Artois bottles, an accidental poisoning, and a bottle defect that affected 12 European countries. Anheuser-Busch's recalls highlight the challenges of manufacturing products on a large scale — especially for a business that boasted an annual revenue of $59.76 Billion in 2024. Errors are bound to happen when producing that volume of beer, even at companies that have been involved in brewing for more than a century. 

Highlighted by Mashed as one of the best beers you should be drinking (along with selections from Founders and New Belgium), Stella Artois is renowned for its smooth drinkability and palatable bitterness. In 2008, InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch, which resulted in Stella Artois being added to its roster of beers. One might think that a pairing of brewing titans would safeguard products from manufacturing issues, but an issue with Stella Artois bottles illustrates mistakes are sometimes inevitable. 

The recall affected Stella Artois bottles sold in the U.S. and Canada in 2018. According to the complaints received, five customers experienced issues with particles of glass in their beer, which prompted Anheuser-Busch to enact the recall. It's not clear how the problem happened, but fortunately, no injuries were reported. At the time of the recall, the number of affected bottles was estimated to be less than 1% of what the beer company sold in North American on a yearly basis. 

No one expects a fun night out to lead to accidental ingestion of cleaning solution, but that's precisely what happened to a man in Glendale, California, in 1995. Ronaldo Dela Cruz Ciriaco experienced significant discomfort and even vomited blood after a few sips of Bud Light. Ciriaco had consumed two other bottles of Bud Light without incident, but the third suspicious bottle was said to contain a whitish substance that in no way resembled beer. Ciriaco's poisoning resulted in a recall of all Bud Light long-neck 12-ounce bottles linked to a local brewing plant. Consequently, thousands of bottles were pulled from local bars. 

After an investigation, Anheuser-Busch determined that it was to blame for Ciriaco's unfortunate experience. According to the beer company, a piece of paper wedged inside the bottle caused an issue during the cleaning process. This resulted in cleaning fluid getting stuck inside the bottle, and a lapse in a subsequent inspection process allowed the bottle to pass through quality control undetected. While Ciriaco was not seriously hurt, he did require treatment at a hospital and considered legal action against the brewer (although it's not clear whether he followed through). 

Maintaining tradition is important to the Anheuser-Busch brand, particularly when it comes to Budweiser, one of its most popular beers. For instance, the brewer ensures a uniform flavor by using the same yeast that was originally used in the beer way back in the 1800s. A focus on tradition is vital when it comes to meeting customer expectations, but even seasoned breweries like Anheuser-Busch can run into issues from time to time. A 1999 recall affecting bottles of Budweiser sold throughout Europe wasn't enacted due to concerns about the quality of the beer but instead resulted from a bottle flaw with the potential to endanger consumers. 

Some beer drinkers found that the bottles' overly long necks would break off during opening. As a result, 5.8 million bottles of Budweiser were recalled throughout 12 countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Sweden, Malta, Portugal, Latvia, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Cyprus, France, and Spain, where the defective Budweiser bottles were manufactured. There were no reports of injuries, but Anheuser-Busch received approximately ten reports of glass fragments in Budweiser because of the defect.