Tsingtao Brewery has commenced a formal inquiry following the emergence of a video showing a worker urinating into a tank at a brewery warehouse.

The video, first posted on October 19 on Weibo, has since circulated widely, drumming up tens of millions of views on the Chinese social network.

The viral video shows a uniformed man standing inside a container of malt and seemingly urinating over its contents.

Tsintago, China’s second-largest beer producer, announced on October 20th that it had engaged law enforcement agencies and that an investigation was actively underway.

“Our company attaches high importance to the relevant video that emerged from Tsingtao Brewery Number 3 on Oct 19,” a spokesperson for the brewery shared in a statement.

“We reported the incident to the police at the earliest opportunity, and public security organs are involved in the investigation.”

“At present, the batch of malt in question has been completely sealed. The company continues to strengthen its management procedures and ensure product quality.”

Tsintago, the sixth largest beer producer in the world in 2022 according to Baath Haas, is facing backlash both domestically and internationally.

Chinese netizens on Weibo debated the incident and whether it was staged or created with AI, with one poster humorously suggesting that the brewery release “urine-flavoured beer”.

In South Korea, Tsingtao sales at one chain of convenience stores were down by 26.2% week-on-week and restaurant owners were asking the brewery for refunds according to a report in The Guardian.

Despite the spike of bad headlines and viral conversations, it remains to be seen how the incident will impact Tsingtao’s ambitious expansion plans and its long-term standing within both domestic and international markets.