They denounce the theft of 600 liters of beer which was macerated at the bottom of the sea for a solidarity action

MAR DEL PLATA. They have no choice but to look askance and suspect a colleague as they are convinced that being submerged in the sea, at a depth of more than 20 meters, and also moving heavy loads, is only for experienced divers. . “It’s sad because he was someone ‘of the stick’, and ours is a small circle”, warns Carlos Brelles, who is in charge of Thallasa Diving, after checking the theft or – in the best case, and being very generous in the qualification – the vandalization of eight barrels containing more than 600 liters of beer which had been deposited at the bottom of the sea, inside a sunken ship, for this original maceration, as part of a solidarity campaign that would benefit the local museum of natural sciences.

Due to the conditions under which, since last November, barrels could be stored in the Russian fishing boat Kronomether, with the support of boats and essential equipment to move such loads, divers who have now noticed the missing part categorically rule out any other option than a criminal act with unprecedented characteristics, at least for this city.

The oak barrels, each containing about 80 liters of beer, were divided into two metal cages closed with screws and straps. When Thallasa divers descended this week to bring them back ashore, they found the doors open, a sign of deliberate human action. “Since they couldn’t cut the chains, they took out the nuts and released the barrels.”Brelles explained to THE NATION, after filing the complaint with the Argentine Naval Prefecture.

When the operation was carried out to submerge these drinks, which had a final process remaining for their marketing to the public, the support of tugs and the assistance of several divers who worked in a controlled task were required. The beer was kept in custody, secured to the deck superstructure of this ship which is in the area known as the La Restinga, several kilometers inland, at the height of the Punta Mogotes lighthouse.

The now frustrated “Kronomether” beer was born from a proposal from those at Thalassa Buceo, which won over the heads of the local brewery Baum and added the contribution of pairs, such as The Dove Yes Rather. In the last section, the tugs Mar del Plata, the Canal and Canal tactical diving school and the Argentine Naval Prefecture brought theirs.

“If the barrels weren’t taken and released just in the sea to do damage, at least they robbed us of the illusion of playing and learning from a unique beer experience, and also the desire to ‘helping a noble institution like the Museum of Natural Sciences,’ he said. THE NATION the director of the Baum production plant, Juan Pablo Vincent.

Brelles was one of those surprised when he returned to the Kronomether this week to save the barrels and found the two cages that held them empty and open. “You have to go there by boat, have experience, know a lot about the place … it’s not the job of the living, but of idiots”, said to THE NATION.

The case is being investigated by the federal justice, which will try to determine the responsibility for this crime, committed in the middle of the ocean and several meters deep, near this underwater recreational offer that this city has, a meeting and a learning point for professionals and apprentice divers.

“If the barrels were not taken and released only in the sea to do damage, at least they robbed us of the illusion of playing and learning from a unique experience of beer in the world, and also of desire. to help a noble institution like the Museum of Natural Sciences “

Juan Pablo Vincent – Baum Beer

The proceeds from the sale of these bottles, in limited stock and which were to be put on the market this year, would be entirely allocated to the “Lorenzo Scaglia” Museum of Natural Sciences, which depends on the municipality. The project disappeared with this evil. But he also asks for revenge.

“We are not going to be left without achieving what we have set for ourselves”, insisted Brelles, who hopes to repeat the experience with the certainty that the brewers of Mar del Plata will insist on seeing what flavor it strong dark beer, dark and strong, with a high alcohol content to support the maturation in barrels. “It went very well with the wood”, Vincent explains and regrets a drink that still lacked combination with another beer, filtering, carbonating and subsequent bottling for final consumption. Remember that there are cases of beer macerated in the sea, but on the quay, never so far from the shore as he had ventured on this occasion.

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