Your favorite craft beer could soon have a higher price tag. It’s part of the increased cost for aluminum from President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
“There is a certain consumer threshold with what people are willing to spend, price increases might not be an option,” said Brett Thomas, director of brewing operations for Sunriver Brewing Company. “Do we eat the price? Do we absorb the price? You know, or do we take a price increase? Not a lot of great options.”
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Breweries across Central Oregon are feeling the pinch.
“There’s not a lot of domestic sheet aluminum, typically it comes in from overseas,” he said. “A portion of that comes from Mexico, a portion of that comes from Canada. Definitely creates some stressors on our ability to package beer and cans.”
The Trump administration’s new 25% tariffs for all aluminum and steel imports — on top of the potential 25% across-the-board tariffs on Canada and Mexico that could come next month — are hitting some local producers hard. That includes Sunriver Brewing, which cans much of the beer it sells.
“There’s going to probably be some elasticity with price. You know, craft beer is tougher than ever to be profitable,” Thomas said. “If these tariffs do force our costs to go up, ultimately that will get passed along to the consumer. Really not what we desire, but ultimately, we have to worry about the health of our business.”
The sweeping cost increase comes as prices have never been higher and young people just aren’t drinking as much.
The industry is changing, but Sunriver Brewing says they and others will continue to adapt.
“We’re all in this together. It’s going to affect every brewery — big, small, medium. It’s unfortunate,” he said.
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