A Nova Scotia brewing company says it’s nice to see local products filling the shelves at the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission (NSLC), but a lot of uncertainty still looms with the threat of tariffs.

President of Garrison Brewing, Brian Titus tells our newsroom, they haven’t seen an uptick in sales just yet as the province urges residents to buy local goods, but a bit of a hike still may happen.

“I’ve seen some interesting scenes in the NSLC stores. You walk in and you will see the United States section of beer and it’s been cleared of product and it’s all Nova Scotian. That’s kind of cool. I could live with that for a little while.”

As part of the provincial response to 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian imports into the U.S., NSLC stores have had to clear their shelves of American alcohol.

According to a spokesperson from the NSLC, they are currently storing the American liquor which amounts to about 400 individual articles.

Titus says it’s not just craft breweries like Garrison who will benefit, but this is a great opportunity to explore local alternatives, especially in the beer world.

“Most of us are producing a super drinkable, crushable lager or pale ale. There’s a ton of local light beers. We’re not just in single cans. We’re in six packs, twelves packs, there’s even starting to be some 2×4’s locally from small producers.”

Still, he says, we will have to see what the long-term effect of this is.

“You know, on the daily things are changing and it just goes to show that there’s not really a plan to any of this. So, how can we plan if the guy who’s pulling the strings doesn’t have a plan.”

But they could take a hit

Garrison has been a local staple for nearly 30 years.

The company hasn’t been directly hit by tariffs just yet, but with the threat of the tax on aluminum and steel, it will affect the manufacturing of their cans.

Titus says the reason for that is not so cut and dry, but it is a huge concern.

“The aluminum comes from Canada. It ships to the U.S….they form it into cans. It gets printed in the U.S. and makes its way back to Canada as a finished product. Nobody quite knows if it’s going to be hit as a finished product coming back.”

However, he says, packing is a large piece of the puzzle.

“[It] is worth more than the liquid inside. It’s already been marked up by everybody who’s touched it and now it potentially could be marked up an additional 25 per cent. And maybe once more crossing the border.”

Titus adds, it could result in a 5 to 10 per cent price increase but won’t double in cost.

He says it’s a crazy time to try to run a business and grow an industry.

“Hold fast, enjoy the ride, you’re not going to run out of beer. Let’s get through this.”