Feature: U.S. craft brewers' trouble fermenting as month-long gov't shutdown drags on

Source: Xinhua| 2019-01-23 14:07:59|Editor: Yamei
Video PlayerClose

U.S.-WASHINGTON-GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN-BREWING INDUSTRY-INFLUENCE

Justin Cox, owner of a craft brewing business, is interviewed in Ivy City in northeastern Washington D.C., the United States, Jan. 17, 2019. Located in the community of Ivy City in northeastern Washington D.C., Justin Cox's 12-feet-tall (around 3.66 meters tall) brewery has 14 production tanks, with a strong hop aroma filling the air. His craft brewing business has been running smoothly for over five years until just recently. Without approved labels from the federal government, kegs of apricot-flavored India Pale Ale (IPA) have piled up in his warehouse, unable to be shipped out of the capital for sales. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

by Xinhua Writers Xiong Maoling, Sun Ding, Gao Pan

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Located in the community of Ivy City in northeastern Washington D.C., Justin Cox's 12-feet-tall (around 3.66 meters tall) brewery has 14 production tanks, with a strong hop aroma filling the air.

His craft brewing business has been running smoothly for over five years until just recently. Without approved labels from the federal government, kegs of apricot-flavored India Pale Ale (IPA) have piled up in his warehouse, unable to be shipped out of the capital for sales.

"The clock is ticking on this beer now ... With the very extreme version of that being, it goes down the drain," Cox, founder and CEO of Atlas Brew Works, told Xinhua.

The newly brewed seasonable beer, scheduled to be released on Feb. 1, still awaits a keg label approval by the U.S. Treasury Department's Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which has halted most of its operations as a result of the already month-long government shutdown.

"Every day the shutdown continues, the losses multiply," Cox said.

The IPA, called "The Precious One," has a relatively high hop content and is "very perishable," he said. The fermentation of the beer was done about a week ago, and it will lose its flavor in 120 days.

"We did not expect the shutdown to go on this long ... and so we weren't really expecting it to filter down all the way to a local craft brewery," Cox said.

Federal law allows the brewery to distribute kegs in the Washington D.C. area without the label approval, but not over state lines. That means Cox couldn't sell his new beer to Virginia, Maryland and Tennessee, the three major markets outside the capital, without approved can labels.

Cox expects a long waiting time for label approval even when the government reopens. "Once they open back up, the TTB will be sitting on probably very large backlog of applications," Cox said.

"So it still could continue to have effects on our business and the rest of the craft brewing industry for months to come," he said.

Craft brewing is considered a booming industry in the United States with more than 7,000 breweries operating across the nation in 2018, a 20 percent spike over 2017, according to data from the U.S. Brewers Association. The industry contributes over 70 billion U.S. dollars to the U.S. economy annually and supports 500,000 jobs.

Cox, a homebrewer-turned entrepreneur, said the industry boom came as people are increasingly drawn to fresh, local and flavorful beer. "When we first started in 2013, I think we sold about 1200 barrels of beer, and in 2018, we finished about 4,500 barrels."

The burgeoning growth, however, is overshadowed by the shutdown. Along with disrupted approval for labels or permits, breweries are likely unable to proceed with their loan applications from a bank or credit union without necessary information from the federal government, and will not have access to federally assisted loans due to the closure of the Small Business Administration, the Brewers Association has warned.

In a letter sent to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin last week, Colorado's Democratic senator Michael Bennet said the shutdown has been "especially difficult" for his state, which boasts nearly 400 breweries.

"The uncertainty of a government shutdown is affecting these business owners' ability to invest, hire, grow and hit revenue targets," Bennet wrote, adding that the impacts spread to farmers and beyond.

For Cox's brewery, the shutdown is not only delaying the launch of new products, but also dragging down the sales of existing products. "So everyone is not spending as much money on leisure activities like craft beer," Cox said, noting that a lot of his customers are federal employees who have missed their paycheck after the shutdown.

"So our sales in the taproom were down; our sales out in the general market are down as well," he said, adding that the lengthy government shutdown is very "frustrating."

"We are caught in the middle of this shutdown along with a whole lot of other people," he said. "We would just like to sell our beer, get back to work, pay our employees and provide for our families."

Cox, once a federal employee himself, has joined a crowdfunding campaign called "Pay it Furloughed," which allows anyone to donate a beer online for an impacted federal worker. In the first four days of the program, his brewery has given out about 145 free beers.

As of Tuesday midnight, the "Pay it Furloughed" website showed that more than 3,800 beers have been donated, over 1,600 of which have been "enjoyed."

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, has affected a quarter of the federal government, forcing about 420,000 "essential" employees to work without pay, and 380,000 others to take unpaid leave.

Since the partial closure on Dec. 22, the White House and Democratic congressional leaders have held several rounds of negotiations over border security and wall funding, the sticking point in the shutdown, but appeared to get no closer to solving the budget impasse.

"We hope the shutdown would have ended yesterday if possible," Cox said.

(Xinhua reporters Jin Yuelei and Liu Jie in Washington also contributed to the report.)

   1 2 3 4 5 Next  

KEY WORDS:
EXPLORE XINHUANET
010020070750000000000000011103261377680311
凤凰彩票 大发app 凤凰彩票app 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 大发彩票 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ii下载入口 乐发ll 乐发v平台 乐发v官网 乐发lll 乐发lv入口 乐发iv首页 乐发ll登录 乐发lv 乐发lll安装 乐发lv 乐发登录入口 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票登录 网信彩票 彩神 彩神彩票官方网站 彩神彩票官网首页 彩神官方app下载安卓版 凤凰彩票登录 彩神v3 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 快3官网 网信彩票 快3app 网信彩票平台 百姓彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3app下载 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票 每日彩票 快3app 百姓彩票平台 幸运5分彩快3 快3彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 大发10分PK10 快3下载 网信彩票平台 网信平台官网 快3彩票官网app 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 大发彩票app下载 百姓彩票网站网址 彩神购彩平台 每日彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 彩神彩票购彩平台 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票app下载 彩神官方app下载安卓版 网信快三 一分快3 快三彩票购彩平台 凤凰彩票官方 彩神彩票 大发10分PK10 彩神v3 凤凰彩票登录 乐发lv 乐发∨Il 百姓彩票网站网址 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发lll安装 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 一分快3 百姓彩票网站网址 凤凰彩票app下载 大发10分PK10 乐发2 乐发app 凤凰彩票 大发彩票app 乐发登录入口 乐发ll登录 乐发v官网 乐发官网 大发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票购彩平台 彩神彩票 官方正规快三彩票平台 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 乐发lll 乐发ii下载入口 乐发彩票官方网站 凤凰彩票官方网站 凤凰快3 彩神彩票官网首页 1分快三平台 百姓彩票平台 凤凰彩票登录 幸运5分彩快3 彩神 乐发彩票 乐发 大发彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发lv 凤凰彩票app 乐发app 网信彩票平台 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 凤凰彩票app 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 凤凰彩票app 网信彩票平台 乐发彩票app下载 乐发lv 乐发app 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票安卓下载 大发彩票 乐发彩票app下载 网信彩票平台 乐发iv游戏平台 彩神彩票 乐发彩票中心 极速快3彩票平台 人人快三凤凰 大发彩票app 大发彩票大全 乐发彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 乐发app 酷天堂彩票平台 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票大厅 凤凰彩票app 极速快3彩票平台 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 大发彩票app 网信彩票用户 百姓快三 百姓彩票平台 乐发lv 乐发彩票app下载 彩信平台 网信彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 乐发∨Il 人人快三凤凰 凤凰彩票 凤凰快3 乐发ll官网 乐发彩票中心 正规快三送彩金平台 凤凰彩票官方 乐发ll 乐发 网信彩票 彩神彩票 彩神彩票官方网站 人人快三凤凰 乐发彩票 彩神彩票 乐发iv游戏平台 乐发彩票 大发彩票中心 凤凰彩票登录 凤凰彩票app 彩神彩票 大发彩票 乐发ll 大发彩票app 凤凰快3 凤凰彩票 彩神彩票 乐发ll 凤凰彩票 乐发lll 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 彩神彩票 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 盈彩网投资平台 大发官网 一分时时彩 乐发lv 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发app 彩神iv 大发彩票app 大小单双平台 一分pk10 乐发lv 快盈彩票 乐发官网 快彩彩票 百姓彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 网信彩票 乐发彩票中心 网信快3 乐发 彩神xl 三分快3 大发彩票 大发官网 乐发lll 快3平台 凤凰快3 乐发ll 全民彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 百姓彩票 乐发彩票 乐发彩票官方网站 大发彩票 乐发 分分快3 彩神vl 55世纪 55世纪 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 乐发lv welcome凤凰彩票 乐发ll 1分快3 彩神 彩神ll 1分快3官网 1分快3的平台 welcome凤凰彩票 三分快3 彩神x 彩神vl 凤凰彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发官网 乐发ll 乐发lll 乐发lv 大发彩票app 大发彩票 乐发 乐发彩票 乐发彩票中心 凤凰快3 乐发彩票 彩神xl 腾讯快3 大发彩票 彩神xl 大发彩票 乐发彩票 大发彩票app 快3平台 乐发 1分快3 乐发彩票 彩神x 凤凰快3 彩神xl 彩吧助手 大发彩票app 快3平台 大发排列3 彩神iv 彩神vl 乐发IV 彩神x 一分pk10 大发排列3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 一分pk10 凤凰彩票 乐发Vll 大发官网 乐发ll 大发彩票 乐发1 凤凰快3 彩神vl 乐发lx 百姓彩票 乐发VI 彩神x 乐发IV 极速快3 乐发 凤凰快3 网信快3 乐发lv 快3彩票 乐发app下载 三分快3 快三平台助手 乐发彩票ll 彩神iv 乐发lll下载 盈彩网投资平台 乐发Ⅲ 凤凰彩票大厅 乐发lv 乐发lv 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 大发彩票 大发彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 乐发ll 凤凰彩票app下载 凤凰彩票 凤凰彩票 乐发lv 彩神x 乐发 乐发ll 极速快3 乐发lv 乐发彩票中心 快3彩票 凤凰彩票大厅 彩神x 凤凰彩票app 分分快3 网信彩票 网盟彩票 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票 乐发 快彩彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 乐发彩票 快3平台 百姓彩票 大小单双平台 凤凰快3 彩神xl 一分pk10 乐发lv 三分快3 大发彩票 极速快3 乐发ll 网信彩票 乐发lv 全民彩票 凤凰彩票app下载 快盈彩票 大发彩票app 大发官网 凤凰彩票 彩神iv 大发彩票 网信快3 凤凰彩票 百姓彩票