Karlos Knott

karlos@bayoutechebrewing.com

Bayou Teche Brewing has partnered with Pints for Prostates on a special project.

Pints for Prostates is teaming up with 40 craft brewers across the United States on a program designed to start conversations about men’s health when guys get together to relax and enjoy a beer, which in Louisiana is pretty much every dang day.

Pints for Prostates' Crowns for a Cure is distributing more than 1.6 million bottle caps to craft brewers around the country to use on beer they package for distribution during September, which is National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. The caps feature the Pints for Prostates logo on the outside, with messages under the caps designed to encourage men to learn more about the importance of regular health screenings.

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“We are partnering with some great breweries to put a reminder in the hands of men to take charge of their health,” said Rick Lyke, a prostate cancer survivor who started Pints for Prostates in 2008 after successful treatment for the disease. “After a successful trial of the program in 2015, we know these bottle caps will start thousands of conversations and encourage guys to talk with their doctors about scheduling health screenings.”

Each brewery taking part in the program is receiving a shipment of Pints for Prostates crowns. The brewers from 26 states will use the caps in bottling runs and distribute the beer to retail accounts during September. This year there are two Louisiana breweries taking part — Abita Brewing and Bayou Teche Brewing. Regionally, Lazy Magnolia from Mississippi and Saint Arnolds from Texas are in, too.

“The craft beer community has been incredibly supportive of the Pints for Prostates mission and generously assisted us in getting our message to millions of men over the last eight years,” Lyke said. “If Pints for Prostates' Crowns for as Cure reaches just one guy who benefits from a prostate health screening, then the effort will be a huge success.”

Beer drinkers who spot Pints for Prostates crowns are encouraged to help spread the word by tagging photos on social media with #CrownsforaCure and @pints4prostates, along with the brewery name and location where the bottle caps were found.

Pints for Prostates reaches men through the universal language of beer to encourage them to take charge of their health. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men about the importance of regular men’s health screenings by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 233,000 new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed annually in the U.S. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@pints4prostates).

You should start spotting the special baby blue caps on bottles of Abita, Bayou Teche, Lazy Magnolia and Saint Arnold’s six packs soon. Make an appointment with your doctor, and bring him a gift: a six pack of one of these specially packaged beers, of course. Sure, it may be awkward talking about your prostate health and getting it checked out, but hey there’s a reward of a cold six pack in the fridge when you get home.