They’ve also recently installed canning machines, the result of which are just starting to hit retailers’ shelves. It’s an interesting juxtaposition that Oskar Blues, the brewery that pioneered craft cans back in 2002, is located just a mile away from Left Hand, a brewery that’s taken 15 years to get down with aluminum. But in 2017, canning is more than just a packaging method—it’s an identity.

“I think cans are a must for breweries making standard-issue Ales and Lagers,” says Matt Thrall, Left Hand’s Director of Brewing. “I can see where those breweries specializing in sours and/or barrel-aged beers would stay in bottle format only, but it's a missed opportunity for the rest.”

The move to cans is an interesting one for a brewery that once ran a “Glass Is Life” campaign championing bottled beer. But the times, they are a-changin’. “After a trip to see some friends at their brewery in Ireland, it was brought to my attention that there were BPA-free cans available in Europe,” Lennert says. “That led to us doing some hardcore research, including talking with an expert that has spent her entire career in assessing human health risks from chemicals in consumer products, such as BPA liners in cans. Based on her research and her ability to satisfy our numerous questions, then it was a decision based on where we were going to put a canning line and how we were going to pay for it. We’re still advocates for glass, and believe that there are times and places for both.”