Tapped out: shutdown slows down breweries

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB/NBC News) – The government shutdown has put breweries in a bind.

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is in charge of approving labels and license for any new beer, wine and spirits. The agency has been impacted by the shutdown, and some breweries are now waiting for their new products to be approved.

“The beers have been named, we have figured out what we’re serving, we have submitted those approvals, we’re waiting to get kicked back to us with that approval and that hasn’t quite happened yet with the shutdown,” says Andrew Zender, marketing manager at the KC Bier Company.

Zender said that approvals by the agency can take anywhere from seven to ten days to as long as 30 days, depending on the volume of labels.

“When there are 6,000 breweries in the U.S., they’re dealing with a lot of packaging, a lot of labels that they have to approve,” Zender notes.

Right now, those visiting the agency’s website will find a notice telling companies they can submit their application but that it won’t be reviewed until the shutdown is over.

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