On March 14th, 2025, we wait for the aluminum cans to fill with craft beer during production at Black Pest Brewery in Oceanside, California, USA.
Mike Blake | Reuters
The Trump administration will implement 25% tariffs on all imported canned beer and empty aluminum cans from Friday to Friday, according to a notice from the Commerce Department.
The expansion of US aluminum tariffs is just before President Donald Trump is expected to announce that he will clean imported vacuums at the Rose Garden event at 4pm.
Industry analysts expect the heaviest tariffs on canned beer imports Constellation Brand. Constellation imports all beers from Mexico, including Modelo and Covid. Beer accounted for 82% of the company’s revenue in the most recent quarter. Corona is best known for coming in glass bottles, but modelos (the bestselling beer in the US) are most commonly found in cans.
Constellation’s shares were less than 1% in trading Wednesday afternoon, but tariff concerns weighed the stock for months. The company’s stock has fallen 22% since Trump’s election in November.
The updated aluminum tariff notice published Wednesday does not mention the taxation of imported beer packaged in glass bottles. According to the Beer Institute, aluminum cans accounted for 64.1% of beer distribution in 2023, compared to a 26.9% share of glass bottles.
For years, canned beer has gained market share against its bottled counterparts. Brewers can produce and transport cans more easily than heavier glass bottles, and canned beer for consumers is cheaper.
The US imports most of the aluminum from Canada. Two other main targets of Trump’s trade rage, China and Mexico, are also major exporters of aluminum to the US
