Metro brewery says it has already paid up to $60,000 because of tariffs

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — Companies around the state are worried about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs will impact them, including local breweries.

The workers at Pontoon Brewing in Sandy Springs told Channel 2’s Michael Doudna they have already had to pay tens of thousands of dollars in tariffs because although the beer here is made on-site, the ingredients and the cans rely on the global network of trade.

“The local aspect of being part of the community is essential to our business,” said Sean O’Keefe, majority owner of Pontoon Brewing.

Despite the beer being locally made, it is globally sourced. So, when tariffs hit, they hit hard.

“We’ve paid over $50,000-$60,000 in physical tariffs,” O’Keefe said.

He said that after the tariff announcement, suppliers let them know prices would increase.

That meant spending more on hops from Germany and malt from Canada, and then there are the cans.

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“These are almost exclusively made outside of the United States,” O’Keefe said.

It seems small, but cans are one of the most significant expenses for Pontoon Brewing. It’s foundational to their ability to distribute their product,

They paid thousands for a special canning machine, and changing what they ship in is not a realistic alternative.

“I would have to buy new equipment to do that. And the crazy thing is the equipment I would buy that from is over in China,” O’Keeffe said.

O’Keeffe said businesses like his are stuck being an American business, making American-made products but paying the price for tariffs.

“At the end of the day, it’s at the cost of the consumer. Whether it’s an increase in price on their end or it’s a limitation on what they can enjoy,” O’Keeffe said.

Pontoon Brewing said their other major concern is that uncertainty in the markets leads to uncertainty in the consumer pocketbooks, which could make it harder to buy a more luxury product, and at the same time, they may be forced to increase prices.