When Washington Goes Dark: What the 2025 Federal Shutdown Means for Pennsylvania Breweries - The Beer Thrillers

"For beer lovers, the notion of a federal government shutdown might seem distant-something about national parks, IRS forms, and Congress fighting over budgets. But for breweries-especially craft breweries with narrow margins, seasonal releases, and regulatory dependencies-a shutdown can become existential. In October 2025, as federal funding lapsed and agencies began furloughing non-essential staff, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) effectively ground to a halt in its regulatory functions."

"On October 1, 2025, the U.S. federal government entered a partial shutdown after Congress failed to pass appropriation bills or a continuing resolution. The lapse in funding forced many federal agencies to suspend non-essential operations. The TTB, a critical agency for breweries (and wineries, distilleries), publicly posted its shutdown plan: out of approximately 459 staffers, 398 would be furloughed, leaving only around 61 "excepted" employees to maintain legally required and essential operations."

"The TTB's "excepted" functions are narrowly defined. Among the tasks that will continue: Processing excise tax returns that include remittance (i.e. payments) Maintaining minimal computer / IT operations to avoid data loss or system collapse Protecting statute expirations, liens, seizures, federal property - i.e. safeguarding legal and financial infrastructures Criminal enforcement, to the extent required by statute, and operations that cannot legally pause"

On October 1, 2025, the U.S. federal government entered a partial shutdown after Congress failed to pass appropriation bills or a continuing resolution. The lapse in funding forced many federal agencies to suspend non-essential operations, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) furloughed roughly 398 of its 459 staff, leaving about 61 excepted employees. Excepted TTB functions include processing excise tax returns with remittance, minimal IT maintenance, protecting statutes and federal property, and limited criminal enforcement. Most licensing, label approvals, and other routine regulatory services paused, creating acute operational, inventory, and release-timing risks for craft breweries, particularly those in Pennsylvania with narrow margins and seasonal products.

Read at The Beer Thrillers - Central PA beer enthusiasts and beer bloggers. Homebrewers, brewery workers, and all around beer lovers.