Beer has methanol? Understand risks of contamination in beverages

Methanol can enter alcohol in different ways. Sometimes it is deliberate and illegal added during or after manufacturing, as a way to cheaper or increase the alcohol content of a drink. In this case, methanol is placed directly on the bottle or drink.

Traditional manufacturing methods can also generate the substance. It all depends on the microbes and types of plant materials used in the fermentation process. However, this is the least likely alternative. “In factories, a small amount of methanol can form. But it is usually removed. There is a control,” says Tavares.

Expert explains that in the case of beers, the amount of methanol generated is very small, precisely because it is a drink of less alcohol content. But care must be taken with handcrafted productions, in the case of wines and beers, and clandestine distilleries – where control is not guaranteed.

What care to take

There is no reliable homemade tests to do before consumption. It is only discovered that methanol was present by symptoms and after clinical examinations.

Therefore, avoid consumption of drinks of doubtful origin. Bars owners should refuse beverages without label. It is important to distrust out of the standard products, said Gabriel Pinheiro, director of Abraselsp (Brazilian Association of Bars and Restaurants of São Paulo), in an interview with Facto News News.