Stillmank Brewing Co.'s canned "Wisco Disco" beer inside its brewery in Green Bay. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — The prominence of breweries in Wisconsin is widely known nationwide.
For many breweries, canning their beer has become the popular way to package for distribution.
“We believe it’s the best packaging available for our beer to get to consumers fresh,” said Brad Stillmank, president of Stillmank Brewing Co. in Green Bay.
Data from the Beer Institute shows in 2023, 64% of beer in the U.S. was packaged in aluminum cans. But last month, 25% tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum went into effect. The White House says President Donald Trump took action to end unfair trade practices.
It’s something Stillmank Brewing is monitoring. They’re already seeing a shift in prices on other items coming from overseas.
“Things you maybe may not normally think of. Tap handles and other things that are designed in the U.S. but made overseas now are coming in and we’re going to have to pay tariff charges on that stuff directly,” said Stillmank.
On Wednesday, Trump paused reciprocal tariffs on most nations, except China — but the White House says the tariffs on steel and aluminum remain unchanged.
The Brewers Association estimates 10% of U.S. cans are made from Canadian aluminum.
“We buy from companies in the Chicago area for our aluminum for the most part, that’s the body of the can,” said Stillmank. “Where they’re bringing the aluminum in from, it could certainly be coming from across border. That will eventually impact us and give us some issues.”
Local breweries say they have plenty of cans in-house for now, but it’s a wait-and-see mentality for the months ahead. They hope it doesn’t mean raising their prices.
“We’ve just got to be cautious with that. We’ve got inventory in, I think for the summer,” said Stillmank.
“That timeline could be 6-9 months from now,” said Jay Supple Jr. with Fox River Brewing Co. in Oshkosh. “It is what it is, and we just have to structure our business plans differently if something does come into effect with the tariffs on aluminum.”
Molson Coors, which owns all Miller brewing products, says it has shifted production in recent years to get most of its aluminum from U.S. sources.
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