Labatt says hackers are responsible for an offensive tweet sent out from its Alexander Keith’s Twitter account early Friday morning.

The tweet, which read “Sluts like Keith’s,” was quickly removed, but not before it caused a buzz online.

The tweet was deleted from the account around 8 a.m. and the company responded by tweeting an explanation shortly after 11 a.m.

“Our Twitter account was hacked yesterday. We hope it goes without saying that the comments made do not represent Alexander Keith's values,” tweeted the company.

Labatt says it has changed its social media passwords.

“It didn’t come from us and wouldn’t come from us. It goes against what we stand for as a company and as individuals,” says Labatt spokesman Wade Keller.

“Since then we’ve launched an investigation. Realistically, we may never know who did this or what their motive was.”

Dan Shaw, a marketing professor at Dalhousie University, says when dealing with a crisis, companies can reduce the negative impact to their reputation by acting quickly and by being authentic, honest and transparent.

“People expect to a certain extent, with customer relationships and a brand, to have bumps along the way, but as long as you handle those bumps well, people will stick with you,” says Shaw.

Labatt says it has taken steps to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future.