Who knew that the craft beer industry has constant ongoing regulation from the federal government? Every brewer who sells beer across state lines knows and right now the Trump government shutdown is making a mess for the craft beer industry in ways that could cost the industry millions of dollars.
Any brewery that cans or bottles beer and sells it outside of the state where the beer is brewed has to send their recipe and a draft of their label or can design every time they come up with a new brew to the Federal Trade and Tax Bureau. When the federal government is functioning, this is no problem and the federal Trade and Tax Bureau quickly sends the approval or disapproval to the brewery so they can get the new beer on the market when they planned.
Right now the Federal Trade and Tax Bureau is shut down so no approvals for new beers can’t happen. Likewise micro distilleries are unable to introduce new spirits for the same reason. And people wanting to open new brewpubs has to be approved by the Trade and Tax Bureau. Anyone who has a brewpub waiting for approval during the Trump shutdown is paying all their expenses with no income.
For example, the Ska Brewing Company in Durango has a contract to produce a beer for a “well known band” (that they can’t disclose yet) that will be touring next summer and selling the special Ska beer on their tour. But Ska can’t get the label or the recipe approved and they fear that there will be such a big backlog of brewers needing approval when the shutdown ends that it could take months to get their tour beer approved. They may miss the opportunity to work with the band according to the Durango Herald.
According to US Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, 11,000 applications for recipe and label approvals have piles up since the shutdown began a month ago. The craft brewing industry provides $76 billion per year in economic activity and around 50,000 jobs according to Senator Bennet.
Colorado has 300 brewers, a fraction of which sell their beer out of state. New Mexico has fewer brewers but some like Santa Fe Brewing Company and La Cumbre sell into Colorado and other neighboring states. Like all other retailers, brewers like to put new products out to keep people interested. (Remember when Sierra Nevada only sold their Pale Ale for years and years? Now they have a constant parade of new brews, all of which are really good.)
So whenever The Donald is done insisting on billions of dollars for his fantasy border wall, we can let the brewers and the park rangers and the food inspectors and the airline inspectors and the school lunch funders and all the other essential functions of our government get back to work. And since Donald’s 2000 mile long wall would likely cost American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars, his current insistence for $5 billion is just the first down payment.
Donald’s wall is a simplistic, childish solution to a complex problem. But Donald isn’t interested in learning or being curious or listening to experts. He wants a wall like the ones he has around his cheesy golf resorts. It will be so wonderful when this sorry excuse for a president is gone. We’ll be dancing in the streets.
Meanwhile drink plenty of beer from the local craft breweries to help them through this tough spot with the Trump shutdown. And practice your dancing because he will be gone…eventually.
