The federal government shutdown is impacting the craft beer business as the industry is heavily regulated by the feds. President of the Louisiana Brewers Guild and Bayou Teche Brewing Karlos Knott said brewers are not able to get product labels approved during the shutdown, so some seasonal beers are on hold.
“They’re telling us when everything opens up again, everything will be delayed 45 days. So all the new beer, and the seasonals, are going to be pushed back a little bit,” said Knott.
Knott said some of the new breweries that were hoping to have opened in the time since the shutdown, but now they are at a standstill.
“These guys are paying the note on the building, on the equipment, and the salaries of the employees, but they can’t open. They are waiting and being told that once the shutdown is over, they’ll be 45 days delayed,” said Knott.
Knott said the time in which a brewery only needed to release a few beers each year is in the past, so the shutdown is making it impossible for brewers to cater to the demand of consumers.
“Consumers want now a new beet almost every month. Everybody’s favorite flavor is ‘new’ and so every month you’ve got to come out with a new beer, just for the market. But that is going to be slowed down until this shutdown is over,” said Knott.
