(Tucson, AZ) – Nimbus Beer posted a company statement on the question of glass bottle vs. aluminum can last week on its Facebook page. The company has chosen to continue with glass instead of adopting the industry-wide trend of cans for reasons spelled out below.

Much has been written about the debate over the years and even in 2014, there still may not be a right answer. At one point, Lagunitas Brewing owner, Tony Magee, even said that the company would be the last U.S. brewery to use aluminum cans.

Breweries like MillerCoors, A-B InBev and New Belgium release periodic sustainability reports that outline both the environmental cost of packaging and beer production. More are joining them.

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Nimbus Post:

People are always asking me… “When are you going to put your beer in cans?”

In an attempt to minimize the number of times that I have to answer this question and so anyone that follows the Nimbus Brewery webpage will have no need to email me or personally ask me this question, the answer I most often cite is: most canned foods and drink cause me concern because of what the can is lined with. The fact is, the lining of almost all canned foods and drinks are made with a chemical called bisphenol-A, or BPA.

I have long held the position to keep Nimbus Beer in bottles and not to follow the recent trend of some craft breweries. Those that have made the switch to cans or have always marketed their beer in cans act as if they are on the cutting edge of “something big” simply by their putting the fine products they produce into cans and then selling their product to the public without doing the research as to why selling their beer in cans is not such a great idea.

My negative feelings toward this trend have always left me wondering … why! More recently my feelings on the subject were solidified due to a recent study I ran across and published in the May 2013 edition of the published proceedings of the National Academy of Siences. In that article it documented the conclusion of a long term study of bisphenol-A or BPAs, just how seriously dangerous the chemical, bisphenol-A, or BPA actually is.

The extent of what I had long suspected due to reading several previous (and well hidden, likely even intentionally suppressed from the public’s awareness) publications about this chemical more commonly known as BPA, that when ingested by anyone that chooses to eat or drink foods and beverages from canned containers is basically playing Russian roulette with their health. This study documented the extent to which the hazards of ingesting BPAs pose as they actually affect the way genes work all the way down to the DNA level of the genes inside the brain of rats.

Even the FDA agrees that there is a problem with BPA as it is supporting efforts to either replace or, at the very least, to minimize the amounts of this chemical found in most all canned foods and beverages. And, you know it must be bad when even the very lax FDA is concerned!

The west coast styles of beer (such as we produce) typically being more aggressively “hopped” as is with the IPAs being produced throughout the craft beer industry being all the rage, the more bitter the beer, the higher the risk are to these exceptionally dangerous chemicals. The fact is, all of the ingredients in beer, (yeast, hops and malt) as well as soft drinks are very acidic. Have you ever thought, “this is a fantastic beer but every time I drink it I get acid reflux so bad I can’t sleep or I end up losing my lunch or dinner?”

It is these very acids that cause BPAs to leech from the lining of the can that are sold to an unsuspecting public believing that drinking beer from a can is safe; but, these same BPAs are going right into your body via the beer you drink from a can! The actual level of BPAs in these types of beers have the potential to be so high that, in fact, you should seriously consider not ever consuming any canned beer (or canned foods for that matter) at any time in your home or when you are out and about due to the risk of ingesting BPAs.

Current FDA laws, combined with terrific lobbying in Washington D.C. by the chemical companies that make BPAs and the manufacturer’s of the cans themselves, is the reason that there are no standards for labeling of BPAs in canned products. Always remember, “simply because a can does not say it has or does not have BPAs does not mean that the can does not contain BPAs.”

Be safe, be wise and at all times, AVOID CANS! Buy your beer in brown glass bottles and when you do, be safe knowing this fact as you are primarily buying Nimbus branded beers!

Remember: When you see the monkey on the label, you’ll know, It’s a “Natural Selection”!!!