Breweries React to Trump Tariffs Impact on Aluminum Prices

Craft beer on grocery store shelves. Photo taken Feb. 13, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.

Brewery owners have been bracing for impact since the Trump administration announced in February that it would impose a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum.

That tax went into effect March 12. Now, price hikes have arrived.

At the end of March, Illinois-based digital printing service Hart Print and Craft Beverage Warehouse (CBW) announced slight increases in can pricing—about $0.005 per printed can, according to emails acquired by Urban Milwaukee. Other companies, such as Canada-based ALNA Packaging, say they will continue to monitor the evolving situation.

The markup is lower than anticipated for Ron Hockersmith, owner of Amorphic Beer in Riverwest, though he said the figures provide valuable knowledge about the state of the packaging industry.

“This actually gives me some insight into how much value is added to the product after it crosses the border, or how much markup our suppliers might have, or how this is all around uncertainty right now, and how that’s impacting the global market,” Hockersmith said in an email.

He added that the price increase will be felt differently across breweries, depending on their size and distribution methods.

“It might be possible for smaller breweries who put the majority of their beer in kegs to absorb this initial increase, but for a larger craft brewery that orders millions of cans at a time, this could become significant fast.”

Even so, smaller breweries are more likely to feel the pinch, said Ryan Bandy, chief business officer at Indeed Brewing Company.

“Anytime there’s a disruption to the commodity market like this, it’s bound to have ripple effects across the industry,” he said in a statement. “For smaller industries like craft beer, that exact impact remains uncertain, but with our tight margins we’re going to feel it more.”

In discussing the changes, some companies referenced tariffs directly. Others pointed to multiple factors driving up prices.

“Tariffs are back in the news, or maybe they’re delayed again,” ALNA wrote in an online newsletter, also noting that, while Canadian pricing isn’t directly affected, aluminum prices are reacting anyway. “Whether tariffs stick around or not, the uncertainty itself can create pressure on aluminum prices, supply timelines, and your next batch of cans might cost more or take longer.”

In a newsletter, CBW said its prices are a reflection of “the broader market uncertainty and fluctuations” caused by various economic factors, including tariffs.

Kyle Stephens, CBW’s co-founder and president, told Urban Milwaukee that most customers had anticipated steeper costs. “Our price increase is much less than folks had assumed based on the current media coverage of aluminum tariffs,” he said in an email.

Third Space Brewing Company, a midsize operation, expects to see price increases in the coming weeks. Brewmaster Kevin Wright said he’s unsure of the amount or impact. “We haven’t seen any price increases on our cans yet,” he said in a statement, noting that pricing is updated quarterly.

Wright echoed CBW’s assessment that pricing is influenced by global market prices, in which tariffs can play a role. “We are anticipating an increase in costs but we don’t know exactly what the numbers are yet or what the impact will be.”

Bandy said he expects prices to increase next month, and again in the summer.

“While it’s too early to tell how that is going to translate to consumers, we believe beer should remain an affordable luxury, and our goal is to keep it that way for as long as possible by doing everything we can to absorb costs before passing them along.”