Lagunitas Brewing faces class action over claims of forever chemicals in beer

Plaintiff Nathaniel Talbot says testing shows Lagunitas beer contains levels of PFAS that are harmful to human health.SAN FRANCISCO (CN) — A San Francisco man filed a class action against Lagunitas Brewing Company over claims its beers contain levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known as PFAS, that are harmful to human health.Named plaintiff Nathaniel Talbot claims Lagunitas Brewing was or should have been aware of the levels of PFAS in its beer, and failed to warn customers of such levels.“At all relevant times and continuing to the present, defendant brewed, packaged, marketed, and sold the beer, in a uniform way that fails to disclose the fact that it contains levels of PFAS that the EPA has found pose health risks, which only defendant could and did know," Talbot says in his complaint, filed Monday in the Northern District of California.Described as “forever chemicals” because they don’t degrade naturally in the environment, PFAS — used in everything from firefighting foam to household items — have been linked to various health problems, including liver and immune-system damage and some cancers.Talbot says he became concerned about the PFAS levels in Lagunitas beer following the release of an April 2025 study conducted by independent researchers looking into the association between PFAS in tap water and beer.The study tested 23 beers brewed for 17 different PFAS from across the country, Talbot says. The study did not disclose which beers had been sampled, but “beer 4” in the category of “brewed in regions with PFAS in municipal drinking water” was identified as from Sonoma County, California, where Talbot says Lagunitas is the largest brewery and the only one that distributes its beer nationally and internationally.Independent testing arranged by Talbot on four samples of Lagunitas beer from around the country found the beverages contained nearly seven times the EPA’s enforceable limit for perfluorooctanoic acid and about four times the EPA’s current enforceable limit for perfluorononanoic acid.“Plaintiff’s testing was likely not the first finding that Lagunitas contained levels of PFAS that the EPA has found to pose a risk to human health, and accordingly the company was or should have been aware of the presence of PFAS in its beer,” Talbot said.Talbot says he purchased and consumed Lagunitas beer regularly and claims he would not have bought the beer if he knew of the beverage’s health risks. However, he claims he would purchase Lagunitas again if the brewer could ensure its beer is free from PFAS.“Plaintiff, a lifelong resident of Northern California, has an affection and fondness for Lagunitas beer as an iconic regional brand associated with positive local memories. He continues to desire to purchase it from defendant if he can rely on that beer to be free from PFAS, which are known to pose risks to human health,” he said.Talbot brings claims of breach of the implied warranty and unfair competition, along with violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and state unfair competition law.A representative for Lagunitas did not immediately respond to a request for comment.In a statement to Courthouse News, Carl L. Stine of Wolf Popper, representing Talbot, said it “appears that Lagunitas knowingly sells beer that contains levels of PFAS that the EPA has found to pose health risks.”“We believe Lagunitas should immediately fix this problem and pay damages to its customers, who unwittingly bought this flawed product,” he said.Lagunitas Brewing Company was founded in 1993 in Lagunitas, California. It moved to nearby Petaluma two years later, where the company still operates and brews all its beer. The Dutch-based Heineken Company purchased a 50% stake in Lagunitas in 2015, opening the door to sell Lagunitas beer internationally. Heineken bought the remaining half of Lagunitas in 2017.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads