Trump’s tariffs could increase the price of Ohio craft beer
Ohio craft brewers are worried how new tariffs on aluminum, steel and malted barley could raise the price of a pint of beer or a six-pack.
President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on aluminum and steel imported into the United States, and a 25% tariff on Canadian barley — three things that are vital to the craft beer industry. A tariff is a tax on imported goods.
“The tariffs in general have been chaotic and disruptive to our supply chain,” said Collin Castore, co-founder of Seventh Son Brewery in Columbus. “It’s just … kind of pointless.”
Seventh Son produces 5,000 barrels of beer annually — 3,500 is roughly its wholesale volume and about 70% of that is packaged in aluminum cans, he said. The brewery uses roughly 750,000 cans per year.
“Breweries are facing potential tariffs on malted barley, aluminum cans, stainless steel equipment, and energy, all required in the manufacturing of beer,” according to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. “The increased prices that importers charge to their business customers to offset tariffs are likely to cause consumer price inflation in the best case scenario and closure of small businesses in the worst.”
The U.S. relies on Canadian imports for barley, aluminum, and steel — the three key resources in brewing beer. Barley is the base grain for beer, aluminum is used for packaging beer in cans, and stainless steel is used to brew beer.
“There simply is not enough domestic cultivation of barley or production of primary aluminum to sustain the industries that rely on these products without imports from Canada and elsewhere,” according to the brewers association.
Seventh Son bought four months worth of aluminum cans earlier this year, which has helped it keep prices the same, Castore said.
“We take raising prices very seriously,” he said. “And it’s also not really a switch that you can toggle on and off terribly easily. … It’s not quite as easy as somebody just signing a blanket tariff order.”
Just like in any other industry, some people are going to buy less craft beer if prices go up, Castore said.
“If this kind of chaotic environment continues, general consumer sentiment and spending at some point is going to take a hit, and that affects taprooms and six-pack purchases and everything in between,” he said.
During Trump’s first term in office in 2018, he slapped a 25% tariff on steel and a 10% tariff on aluminum imports.
State of craft breweries
For the first time since 2005, the number of craft breweries decreased nationwide in 2024, according to the Brewers Association. There were 9,612 operating U.S. craft breweries in 2024. During that same year, 434 breweries opened while 501 closed.
Craft brewers produced 23.1 million barrels of beer in 2024, a 4% decrease from 2023.
There were only about 70 breweries in Ohio when Seventh Son opened in 2013 and today there are more than 440, according to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. Forty-six breweries opened in Ohio last year and 53 breweries are in planning.
Ohio craft breweries’ economic impact was $1.27 billion in 2022 and more than 12,000 people were employed by Ohio craft breweries that year.