The Disastrous Beer Recall That Resulted In 20 Fatalities

Even some of the strangest recalls in U.S. history may not compare to the incident with Dow beer in the 1960s. William Dow founded the brewery in 1861 in Montreal, and, for a time, it sold the best-selling beer in Quebec. This fame didn't last forever, though, as consumers were frightened away from the drink after at least 20 Dow drinkers died. The deaths didn't all occur at once but over a short window of time in the mid-1960s in Quebec City. Those who died were all heavy drinkers of around a dozen Dow Ales a day, or 8 quarts.

The deaths came as a result of high levels of cobalt sulfate being added to the beer. Consuming too much of this inorganic compound can disrupt a person's citric acid cycle and aerobic cellular respiration. Those who died after consuming the beer suffered from cardiomyopathy, a heart disease that makes it more challenging for the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body. The Dow Ale was thought to have contained high amounts of cobalt sulfate, and that, combined with the alarming quantity of beer the victims drank, could have led to their deaths. While cobalt sulfate isn't one of the most common reasons foods are recalled, it's an additive that can be dangerous when not added in appropriate amounts. Many brands do their best to come back after a disastrous recall, such as the one in Quebec City, but Dow struggled to achieve its prior popularity.

Adding cobalt sulfate to beer isn't unheard of and is often done to stabilize the foam. However, Dow Breweries added higher amounts to combat problems with the foam when poured into unclean drinking glasses. After the deaths occurred, Dow Breweries tried to rectify the situation by dumping the remaining contaminated ale. This plan didn't work out in the company's favor when, instead of seeing this as a grand gesture of starting anew, consumers held steadfast in their new distaste for the brand. Even with the inventory dumping and the fact that the cobalt sulfate deaths were only around the Quebec City brewery region — not in the vicinity of the Montreal facility — the public was understandably wary of the beer.

Rather than eventually making a comeback, Dow's popularity continued to plummet, and it became a cheap beer that consumers only chose when they wanted to save a buck. After years of being a top-selling brand and a few decades of being everyone's last choice, Dow Breweries' fate was sealed as an old-school beer we don't see people drink anymore when the company stopped all production in 1992.