Beer theft in Atlanta: Sweetwater loses 3,300 cases in stolen trailers

Further proof that Burt Reynolds movies are less charming than you remember: Two SweetWater Brewing Co. trailers were reportedly hijacked by a bunch of bungholes trying and failing to act like real criminals. Stealing from an independent craft brewery? Not cool. The result is 3,300 cases of beer going missing.

The trailers were eventually discovered — empty, of course. Authorities later recovered one-fourth of the supply, but even if those cases were in seemingly mint condition, it doesn’t matter.

From the NBC affiliate in Atlanta:

Though some of the beer was found, “we can no longer trust that that beer would be up to the quality standards that we as a brewery maintain, so unfortunately we have to destroy it all,” [said Steve Farace, who handles marketing for SweetWater.]

The cases in particular were the Summer Variety Pack and included the in demand (and delicious) Goin’ Coastal pineapple IPA. It is unlikely the Atlanta area will receive an additional shipment of these beers.

This maybe serves as a reminder for all craft breweries out there to make sure you have the right insurance coverages for your needs (No. 6 in the Top 10 legal mistakes made by craft breweries).