Trade War - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers. Fri, 04 Apr 2025 14:06:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://i0.wp.com/thebeerthrillers.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/cropped-The-Beer-Thrillers-December-2022-Logo.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Trade War - The Beer Thrillers https://thebeerthrillers.com 32 32 187558884 Trouble Brewing: How Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs Are Impacting Craft Beer https://thebeerthrillers.com/2025/04/02/trouble-brewing-how-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs-are-impacting-craft-beer/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=trouble-brewing-how-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs-are-impacting-craft-beer Wed, 02 Apr 2025 13:01:00 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=16199 Trouble Brewing: How Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs Are Impacting Craft Beer

The craft beer industry, long celebrated for its creativity and community-driven ethos, is facing a new challenge in 2025: President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs. These sweeping trade measures, including a universal 10% tariff on imports and targeted levies of up to 25% on steel, aluminum, and goods from Canada and Mexico, have sent shockwaves through the brewing world. For an industry already grappling with shifting consumer preferences and post-pandemic recovery, the tariffs could reshape the landscape of American craft beer. (See our previous article – Trump’s Tariffs, posted November 2024.)

Trump’s Tariffs and How They Might Impact Craft Brewing

The Tariffs Explained

President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs aim to protect domestic industries by imposing broad import taxes. However, their impact on craft brewing is particularly severe due to the industry’s reliance on imported materials:

  • Aluminum Cans: A 25% tariff on imported aluminum directly affects breweries that use cans for packaging. Nearly all cans used by U.S. brewers are sourced internationally, making this tariff a major cost driver

  • Steel Kegs: Most steel kegs used in American breweries are manufactured in Germany. The 25% tariff on finished steel products raises keg prices significantly

  • Key Ingredients: Canadian barley and malt—essential for many craft beer recipes—are now subject to tariffs. Similarly, fruits like raspberries sourced from Mexico face increased costs

These tariffs come at a time when imports of beer and brewing materials are substantial. In 2024 alone, beer imports to the U.S. totaled $7.5 billion, with Mexico accounting for $6.3 billion of that figure. The ripple effects of these measures are being felt across the supply chain.

Economic Impact on Craft Brewers

The financial strain imposed by these tariffs is already apparent:

  1. Rising Costs:

    • Breweries like Port City Brewing in Virginia report that their pilsner malt from Canada—essential to their recipes—is subject to a 25% tariff. Founder Bill Butcher estimates this could raise the price of a six-pack from $12.99 to $18.99

    • Monument City Brewing in Baltimore predicts similar price hikes for their beers due to increased costs for aluminum cans and imported barley

  • Profit Margins Under Pressure:

    • Small breweries often operate with tight margins, leaving little room to absorb cost increases. Decisions such as passing costs onto consumers or cutting profitability are becoming unavoidable

    • Some brewers are stockpiling cans or switching packaging methods (e.g., painted cans instead of shrink-wrapped sleeves) to mitigate immediate impacts

  • Export Challenges:

    • Canada, the largest foreign market for U.S. craft beer (accounting for 38% of exports), has retaliated with its own tariffs on American goods. Canadian consumers are boycotting U.S. beers, leading importers to cancel order.

    • An Instagram post by Pints and Panels about Tariffs and Alcohol (courtesy of Em Sauter, of Pints and Panels)

Pennsylvania’s Brewing Scene: A Case Study

Pennsylvania has one of the largest craft brewing industries in the U.S., with over 400 breweries contributing significantly to local economies and communities. The state’s brewers are uniquely vulnerable to these tariffs due to their reliance on imported materials.

  1. Material Costs:

    • Breweries in Pennsylvania often use imported aluminum cans and Canadian malt, both subject to tariffs. These cost increases could force smaller brewers to raise prices or reduce offerings.

  2. Competitive Pressure:

    • Larger breweries like Molson Coors, which source materials domestically, may weather the tariffs better than smaller operations reliant on international supply chain.  Pennsylvania’s independent brewers must innovate or risk losing market share.

  • Community Impact:

    • With higher beer prices looming, consumers may opt for cheaper alternatives like hard seltzers or cocktails—a trend already encroaching on craft beer sales. This could hurt local breweries that rely heavily on loyal customer bases.

Broader Industry Challenges

The Liberation Day tariffs exacerbate existing issues within the craft beer sector:

  • Changing Consumer Preferences: Millennials and Gen Z are drinking less beer overall, favoring hard seltzers and ready-to-drink cocktails instead

  • Post-Pandemic Recovery: Many brewpubs are still struggling to rebound from COVID-19 closures and reduced foot traffic

  • Market Saturation: The number of breweries in the U.S. has grown rapidly over the past decade, leading to fierce competition for shelf space and consumer attention

A fun meme about Trump’s Liberation Day Tariffs and IPAs

What Lies Ahead?

Craft brewers are exploring strategies to adapt:

  • Localization: Emphasizing local ingredients and branding could help breweries differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

  • Innovation: Experimenting with new packaging methods or alternative ingredients may mitigate some tariff-related costs.

  • Advocacy: Industry groups like the Brewers Association are lobbying for clarity on tariff rules and potential exemptions for critical brewing materials

For Pennsylvania’s brewers—and craft beer makers nationwide—the coming months will be pivotal in determining whether they can weather this storm or whether these tariffs will fundamentally alter the industry.

Conclusion

Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs have introduced unprecedented challenges for America’s craft beer industry, threatening its affordability and accessibility while squeezing small businesses already operating on razor-thin margins. As brewers grapple with rising costs and shifting consumer dynamics, their resilience will be tested like never before.

For beer lovers across the country—and especially in Pennsylvania—the question remains: How much are we willing to pay for our favorite pint?

There is definitely a lot more to all of this, and it will be unfolding. The Brewer’s Association covered much of this here: Trump Administration Slapping 25% Tariffs on Canned Beer Imports and Empty Can Imports from Across the Globe.

From Perplexity

The “Liberation Day” tariffs announced by President Trump, which include a universal 10% tariff on all imports and additional targeted tariffs on specific goods and countries, are expected to have significant implications for the U.S. craft brewing industry, particularly in states like Pennsylvania.

Impact on Craft Brewing Industry

  • Increased Material Costs:

    • The tariffs include a 25% levy on imported steel and aluminum, which are critical for the production of cans and kegs used by breweries. Many craft brewers rely on aluminum cans and steel kegs imported from countries like Germany, meaning these tariffs will raise production costs significantly

    • Breweries that source ingredients such as barley, malt, or fruits from countries subject to reciprocal tariffs (e.g., Mexico) will face higher expenses, further straining their budgets

  • Market Challenges:

    • With rising costs, some breweries may reduce their product offerings or shift packaging strategies, such as moving away from aluminum cans altogether. This could limit consumer choices and hurt smaller breweries that lack the resources to adapt quickly

    • Export markets for U.S. beer may also shrink due to retaliatory tariffs from other nations, particularly Canada, which is a major importer of American craft beer. Losing access to this market could be devastating for breweries in Pennsylvania that rely on exports

  • Consumer Sentiment:

    • Economic uncertainty stemming from these tariffs may lead to reduced consumer spending on discretionary items like craft beer. This is especially concerning as the industry is already facing challenges from shifting consumer preferences toward hard seltzers and cocktails.

Final Thoughts

The brewing industry is already in trouble, I don’t want to say ‘dire straits’, but it is getting there. Breweries are closing somewhat regularly (some recent examples: Butler Brew Works, IMBib, Bucket Brigade, Gateway, and Little Mutants). The ever growing costs of doing business, let alone a business with so many different and varying costs – such as restaurant costs, brewing costs, distribution costs, etc, etc, etc. The brewing business is also heavily regulated in all aspects, which also have costs. All of these are major factors. Add this to a declining market, and as we’ve been saying “the bubble has definitely burst” on the craft brewing industry. This almost feels like a death knell to many. And I think is why we saw an increase of closures in the past months, in anticipation of it all. With the next generation of drinkers not completely on board with the craft beer industry, the older and tiring out generation settling for hop water, non alcoholics, and other form of alcohols, the industry is certainly shrinking.

One hopes this won’t be a final nail, the coffin being closed. But unfortunately we can’t do anything but ride it out, and find out, and see what time shows us.

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of April 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

]]>
16199
It’s Time to Say Something About Canada’s Reaction to Trump’s Tariff (Opinion Piece by Lew Bryson) https://thebeerthrillers.com/2025/03/08/its-time-to-say-something-about-canadas-reaction-to-trumps-tariff-opinion-piece-by-lew-bryson/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=its-time-to-say-something-about-canadas-reaction-to-trumps-tariff-opinion-piece-by-lew-bryson Sat, 08 Mar 2025 20:30:39 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=16096 It’s Time to Say Something About Canada’s Reaction to Trump’s Tariff

Lew Bryson, a remarkable writer about beer, whiskey, and all things Central PA recently posted this on his personal Facebook account, and said he didn’t have an outlet for posting it. So I immediately offered to host it here.

For those who don’t know Lew, check to the end of the piece to see my quick biography of Lew, and including links to his podcast as well as our podcast we did with Lew. But quickly, I will say this – Lew is a remarkable person, a fantastic writer, historian, and has an excellent sense of character, intelligence, and understanding. Empathetic and understanding, he understands people, all people, and even more importantly for this opinion piece – he knows what he’s talking about. This is an incredible piece, and I full heartedly agree with it (thus why I immediately jumped at the idea of hosting it here on the site).

Canadian Liquor Store Shelves (photo courtesy of Google, and selected by Lew Bryson)

 

Here goes. It’s time to say something about Canada’s reaction to Trump’s tariff sabre-rattling. For those of you who have been in a cave — and I can’t 100% say that I blame you — part of Canada’s response, part of their retaliation, to the threat of tariffs imposed on Canadian goods coming into the US has been focused on the US booze industries: spirits, wine, beer, and, I suppose, cider.
Some provinces, like Ontario, that have government alcohol wholesale/retail monopolies of various breadths, have not only stopped buying American booze, but have taken what they have off the shelves in their provincial stores. The LCBO, Ontario’s monopoly system, is one of the five largest alcohol retailers in the world; they have, to the best of my knowledge, taken all American-made products off their shelves; boxed it up and put it in storage. (It’s not like the spirits and wine, the greatest part of this, are going to go stale, to be fair.)
I know a lot of people in the industry on BOTH sides of the border. They have had various reactions to this. Some Americans are outraged; some are confused (“They’ve already paid for those bottles! Why not sell them and then not buy more?!”); some are tentatively supportive; a few strongly support these moves. Almost all of them feel that this is personally unfair; they didn’t impose the tariffs, after all, and — honestly, it’s true — why is booze always the first American product to feel retaliation?
What’s worse, in my eyes, is that some Americans have the attitude of “so what, Canada, who cares? Their whisky sucks, and I don’t need them, and neither does American whiskey.” I’m embarrassed when I hear people who should know better say things like that. First, their whisky by God DOESN’T suck, but that’s not the point. The point is that NONE OF THIS HAD TO HAPPEN, and we don’t make it better by pretending it doesn’t matter. More on that below.
But if any of the Canadians I know — some of whom I count as friends of long standing — have a reaction other than blazing defiance, I haven’t heard from them yet. The most common reaction has been pure Canada: a non-smiling “Elbows up!”, echoing Mr. Hockey, Saskatchewan-born Gordie Howe, a player who took no shit off anyone. Anyone who tried to slash Howe was getting a fast elbow to the head. Canada’s ready for this, and they’re not kidding.
Any argument by American producers/suppliers/exporters must be seen in this light. I’ve seen people say that the Canadian response, taking everything off the shelves, leaving only blank space behind, is disproportionate, that it makes no sense, that it goes further than the American tariffs.
Well, they’re right. It IS disproportionate to the tariffs. This doesn’t just affect day-to-day, month-on-month sales. This kind of action also attacks something much more valuable: the brand. Raise the price while leaving the bottles on the shelf, and you paradoxically make people think about the brand more, maybe even realize how much they ARE willing to spend to get it.
But take the bottles away, the facing, replacing it with a “BUY CANADIAN INSTEAD” sign, and the product becomes invisible. You’re not thinking about the Jack, or the Mondavi, and what you’d pay for them. No, you’re automatically thinking “Welp, I guess I’ll get some Lot 40 or Gibson’s 12. I’ll get some Quail’s Gate for dinner, or how about that Italian red? I’ve got no beef with the Italians.” The American brands are no longer even a choice, and that does long-term damage to the brand. As Don Draper put it in his icily cutting response, “I don’t think about you at all.”
Now, multiply that times every American product that we send to Canada. Unless it’s absolutely something where buying Canadian isn’t an option, it’s gone, and the memory is fading, or worse, indelibly tinged with anger.
Why anger? Because of tariffs imposed by an ally, a country that has been an ally for so long, in so many things, that for them to turn on Canada isn’t just economics, it’s betrayal, a shocking discard of trust.
And as I said above, none of this had to happen. We have a trade treaty with Canada, we have over 200 years of trade with Canada with only the ‘small hiccup’ of the War of 1812 to interrupt it (kidding, not kidding, you kicked our asses and sent us home, but we’re cool). We have zero legitimate issues with Canadian trade, and the “look at the tariffs Canada puts on American products!!” misinformation you’ve seen lately are all part of that trade treaty. We have no real trade problems with Canada.
But it’s worse than that, much worse. Trump’s constant needling about the “51st state,” and “Governor” Trudeau, about border issues and annexing part or all of the country, whether or not it’s another of his insanely unfunny jokes, has Canadians concerned, and rightly so. They’re concerned about the intentions of a superpower that has set the tone of restraint in international politics for the past 50 years, but has suddenly begun openly talking about grabbing territory. Canada, Greenland, Panama, Cuba, Gaza; why would they not take Trump seriously?
So for the Canadians, this is not about economics, this is not about money. It is about national existence, and the response should not be expected to ‘make sense’ in economic terms. The Canadians did not choose this fight. It was shoved onto them by one man, President Donald Trump, elected by a plurality of American voters, who apparently support him. If they don’t take that seriously, they’re deluding themselves.
Bottom line, then. Canada has been needlessly forced to this point. They’ve been pushed into the corner, and like any good hockey player, they’ve got their elbows up, ready to push it off and deal it out, and we should not be surprised by that. This game is being played at levels above the liquor store, but it still plays out there, like wars, politicians, and soldiers.
Don’t be angry with your Canadian customer; don’t be angry with your American supplier. Neither of them is to blame. Blame the ones who made this happen.

Lew Bryson Biography

Lew Bryson is a renowned journalist and author specializing in beer and whiskey. He began his career in the beverage industry in the early 1990s, initially focusing on beer before expanding to whiskey in 1997. His writing has been featured in prominent publications such as The Daily Beast, All About Beer Magazine, Whiskey Wash, and Craft Spirits Magazine. Bryson’s passion for craft beer was ignited during a visit to a German beer bar in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where he discovered the unique flavors of Altenmünster pilsner.

 

Bryson has been a full-time drinks writer since 1995 and served as the managing editor at Whisky Advocate magazine from 1996 to 2015. He is known for his extensive knowledge and engaging writing style, which has made him a respected voice in the beer and whiskey communities. Bryson has authored several books, including state brewery guidebooks and “Tasting Whiskey,” and more recently, “Whiskey Master Class,” released in 2020.

 

Throughout his career, Bryson has been recognized for his contributions to the beverage industry. His work spans multiple platforms, including his blog “Seen Through a Glass,” where he shares insights and reviews on beer and whiskey. Bryson continues to be an influential figure, offering guidance and commentary on the evolving world of craft beverages.

 

Seen Through a Glass Podcast

To be able to listen, watch, and download Lew’s Seen Through a Glass Podcast, you can use one of these services:

Our Articles With Lew Bryson

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of January 2025.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

]]>
16096
Tariffs and Taps: How Trump’s Trade Policies Would Impact Craft Breweries https://thebeerthrillers.com/2024/11/02/tariffs-and-taps-how-trumps-trade-policies-would-impact-craft-breweries/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=tariffs-and-taps-how-trumps-trade-policies-would-impact-craft-breweries Sat, 02 Nov 2024 05:32:18 +0000 https://thebeerthrillers.com/?p=15776 Tariffs and Taps: How Trump’s Trade Policies Would Impact Craft Breweries

As craft beer enthusiasts, we often focus on the latest hop varieties or innovative brewing techniques. However, there’s a less palatable topic brewing in the background that’s affecting our favorite local breweries: tariffs. Let’s dive into how Donald Trump’s trade policies have been shaking up the craft beer world.

Trump’s Tariffs and How They Might Impact Craft Brewing

Aluminum Woes: More Than Just a Can of Trouble

Remember when cans were the hot new thing in craft beer? Well, they still are, but they’re causing headaches for brewers. Trump’s 10% tariff on aluminum has hit the industry hard. It’s not just a drop in the bucket – the Beer Institute estimated a whopping $347 million tax increase on the beer industry due to these tariffs. Take Oskar Blues, for example. This Colorado-based craft brewery pioneer estimated the tariff would cost them an extra $400,000 per year. That’s a lot of potential new brews or taproom upgrades going down the drain!

Squeezing Profits Like a Dry-Hopped IPA

Craft breweries operate on tight margins as it is. With these added costs, they’re feeling the squeeze:

  • Many breweries are struggling to pass on these costs to beer lovers (that’s us!).
  • Some are having to rethink their growth plans or even consider job cuts.
  • Competing with big beer is becoming even tougher, as the giants can more easily absorb these costs.

What’s on Tap for the Future?

As we look ahead, the future for craft breweries under these policies remains uncertain:

  • If Trump were to be re-elected, we might see these tariffs stick around or even increase.
  • Breweries might have to get creative with cost-cutting, potentially affecting the quality or variety of our favorite brews.
  • The industry’s impressive job creation streak could slow down.

Bottom Line: It’s Not All Foam and Games

While we love to focus on the fun side of craft beer, it’s crucial to understand the challenges our local brewers face. These tariffs have effectively canceled out some of the tax benefits craft breweries were enjoying, creating a bitter economic brew. So, the next time you’re sipping on your favorite local IPA or stout, remember the complex world behind that delicious beverage. And maybe, just maybe, consider supporting your local craft breweries a little extra – they might need it more than ever. Cheers to hoping for clearer skies (and cheaper cans) for our craft beer community!

How Trump’s Trade Policies Are Impacting Craft Breweries

(Information, extrapolated using economists, analysts, and Donald Trump’s first term. All information is sourced and cited at the end of the article.)

Donald Trump’s tariffs have had significant implications for craft breweries in the United States:

Impact on Costs

The 10% tariff on aluminum imposed by the Trump administration has directly affected craft breweries’ production costs.

This is particularly impactful because:

  • Many craft breweries have increasingly turned to aluminum cans for packaging their beer
  • Aluminum is a major input cost for brewers, with cans accounting for a significant portion of packaging

The Beer Institute estimated that the aluminum tariffs resulted in a $347 million tax increase on the beer industry.

Effects on Business Operations

The tariffs have put strain on craft breweries in several ways:

  • Reduced profit margins, as breweries often struggle to pass on increased costs to consumers
  • Potential job losses across the beer industry
  • Limitations on growth and investment in local communities

For example, Oskar Blues brewery estimated the tariff would cost their business an additional $400,000 per year.

Long-term Concerns

Craft brewers face ongoing challenges due to the tariffs:

  • Difficulty competing with larger beer brands that can more easily absorb cost increases
  • Potential need to cut costs in other areas, such as labor or ingredients
  • Concerns about the industry’s ability to continue growing and creating jobs

Future Outlook

If Trump were to be re-elected, craft breweries could expect:

  • Continuation or potential increase of existing tariffs on aluminum and steel
  • Possible new tariffs that could further impact production costs

The tariffs have effectively negated some of the benefits craft breweries received from tax relief measures, creating a challenging economic environment for the industry.

Sources

See Also

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

Thanks again for reading everyone. Take some time to check out the site, we greatly appreciate it. We have affiliates and sponsors with Pretzels.com and Beer Drop.com, which can save you money on their products if you are interested. Check out our articles on them. Make sure to check out our beer reviews, brewery reviews, Amy’s weekly column, book reviews, hike reviews, and so much more.

As always, thank you everyone for reading! Leave your likes, comments, suggestions, questions, etc, in the comments section. Or use the Feedback – Contact Us – page, and we’ll get right back to you! You can also reach out to us at our direct e-mail address: thebeerthrillers@gmail.com

Thank you for visiting our blog. Please make sure to follow, bookmark, subscribe, and make sure to comment and leave feedback and like the blog posts you read. It will help us to better tailor the blog to you, the readers, likes and make this a better blog for everyone.

We are working on a massive project here at The Beer Thrillers. We are creating a map of all of the breweries across the United States. State by state we are adding maps of all of the different states with every brewery in each state. (We will eventually get to the US Territories, as well as the Canadian Provinces, and possibly more countries; as well as doing some fun maps like a map of all the breweries we’ve been to, and other fun maps.) You can find the brewery maps here:

We are also working on a project of creating printable and downloadable PDFs and resources to be able to check and keep track of all of the breweries you’ve been to. So stay tuned for that project once we are finished with the Brewery Maps of the US States.

You can check out our different directories here: Beer ReviewsHike ReviewsBook ReviewsBrewery News, Brewery OpeningsBrewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – FacebookFacebook GroupTwitterInstagramYouTube, and Influence. As well as our brand new Tumblr page. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We are also now on BlueSky as well, so make sure to check us out there also. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

You can now find us on our Discord Server here: The Beer Thrillers (Discord Server). We’ve also joined LinkTree to keep track of all of our social media pages, as well as hot new articles we’ve written.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

We have partnered with an affiliateship with Beer Drop.com. You can check out that partnership and receive great discounts, coupons, and more here: Beer Drop. Going here and logging in and ordering will help you receive your discounts and coupons as well as help support our page. Thank you for helping to support The Beer Thrillers and to help us maintain the site and blog and to keep it running.

The Beer Thrillers are a blog that prides itself on writing beer reviews, brewery reviews, travelogues, news (especially local to the Central PA brewery scene), as well as covering other topics of our interests – such as hiking, literature and books, board games, and video games which we sometimes stream with our friends over at Knights of Nostalgia. We are currently listed as #5 on FeedSpot’s “Top 100 Beer Blogs” and #9 on FeedSpot’s “Top 40 Pennsylvania Blogs”. (As of August 2024.) Thank you for reading our site today, please subscribe, follow, and bookmark. Please reach out to us if you are interested in working together. If you would like to donate to the blog you can here: Donate to The Beer Thrillers. Thank you!

You can also check out our partnership and affiliation with Pretzels.com, where ordering pretzels and using our affiliate code – AFFILIATE CODE IS THEBEERTHRILLERS20 – will help you get wonderful pretzels and help us maintain and keep this blog running. Thank you!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

(Thank you for reading. The opinions, thoughts, and expressions of each article posted on The Beer Thrillers represents the author of the content and only themselves. It does not express the opinions, beliefs, or ideas held by The Beer Thrillers or any company in which the author themselves work for. Each piece of written content is written by the creator(s) listed in the authorial section on each article unless otherwise noted. Their opinions, comments, and words on screen do not represent any company in which they work for and / or are affiliated with or any non – profits that they contribute to. Thank you.)

 

 

]]>
15776