Brewer who sank 1,000 pints of beer suffers a major headache: Thieves steal booze that was ‘left to age’ inside a sunken ship on the seabed three miles off Argentina’s coast
- Three local breweries had stashed the limited-edition booze off Argentine coast
- It was attached to a former Soviet fishing vessel that had been scuttled in 2014
- But 131 gallons of the beer were found missing when divers went to recover it
Thieves have pulled off an underwater booze heist by stealing 1,000 pints of beer that were left to age in the wreckage of a sunken ship off the coast of Argentina.
Three local breweries had stashed the limited-edition beer in the remains of a scuttled fishing vessel three miles off the South American coast last November.
But 131 gallons of the beer were found missing last week when divers went to retrieve the barrels so that the brewers could bottle up the artisan beer.
Barrels of artisan beer were stashed underwater and attached to the remains of a sunken fishing vessel off the coast of Argentina – but have now gone missing
Divers found the metal casing empty when they went to retrieve the barrels so that the brewers could bottle them up and sell them
The stolen booze belonged to three local breweries – Heller, La Paloma and Baum – which had recruited divers to bury their beer late last year.
It was fastened to the wreckage of a Soviet-era fishing vessel, Kronomether, which found its way to Argentina after being abandoned following the end of the USSR.
After it was scuttled in 2014, it became a popular site among divers – and was chosen as a hiding place by the brewers as they sought to take up an artisan trend.
Eduardo Ricardo, one of the owners of Heller Brewery, had hit on the idea after hearing about similar projects elsewhere, although none were at this depth.
After being retrieved from the seabed, it was intended to be blended with another drink before being bottled up and sold.
Some of the money generated from beer sales was expected to raise money for the Lorenzo Scaglia Municipal Museum of Natural Sciences in Mar de Plata.
But divers were horrified to find empty metal casings and 131 missing gallons of beer when they went to recover the stashed goods.
The beer barrels were stored underwater last November after three breweries recruited divers to help them make an artisan drink
The barrels were hoisted into the sea last year and attached to a former Soviet fishing vessel which was scuttled in 2014 after finding its way to Argentina
A diver named Carlos Brelles, 52, who owns the Thalassa Diving School and participated in the initial dive in November, said he cried when he discovered what had happened.
‘I guess we are talking about two or three people that were behind this that travelled to a sunken ship and after diving 20 metres, stole the barrels,’ he said.
‘The dreams of brewing beer at the bottom of the ocean have gone. They didn’t only steal the barrels, they stole the hopes of businessmen and wage-earners who have not had a good year.
‘They stole the possibility to raise money that would have helped fund the Museum of Natural Sciences of Mar de Plata.’
The organisers said it took more than a year to get the permits, saying they were devastated at the loss of 2,000 bottles that would have gone on sale.
There have been no reports on any suspects.
The stolen booze belonged to three local breweries – Heller, La Paloma and Baum – which had recruited divers to bury their beer late last year
Divers were due to retrieve the booze last week but found 131 gallons missing, causing outrage among the divers and brewers