Alaska beer prices could go up, trade association president worries about aluminum, steel tariff hike

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The president of Alaska’s trade association representing breweries, wineries, and distilleries said brewers statewide are worried about what a 25% tariff on all United States aluminum and steel imports, signed by President Donald Trump Monday, could mean for their industry who relies on aluminum to package their products.

“We’re all concerned that the cost of those cans is going to go up,” said Alaska Brewers Guild President Evan Wood, who is also the co-owner of Devil’s Club Brewing Company in Juneau, which brews on-site. “Subsequently, we’ll have to raise our prices and lose a bit of competitive edge on the shelves.”

Wood warned when aluminum gets more expensive, so will the cost of craft beer.

“As our costs increase, we’ll have no other option than to increase the prices that we charge for our goods,” Wood said. “We’re also going to be not as capable to carry those increased costs without increasing prices, as a lot of our national scale competitors would.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a Wednesday briefing, that the Trump administration believes the steel and aluminum tariffs will protect national security and uplift American workers.

“It’s the golden rule, which we all learned when we were growing up in school. Treat others the way you want to be treated,” she said. “Far too many nations around this world have been ripping off the United States of America for far too long.”

Economic experts are currently watching to see if the tariffs' financial impact is far-reaching, including potentially increasing the prices of cars and construction.

Alaska’s News Source has contacted the governor’s office for comment and has not heard back since publication.

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