The beverage industry has been affected by the aluminium can shortage brought on by supply chain issues. Local breweries have been straining to fill the gap since the outbreak. The S27 Ales craft brewery in San Jose claimed that securing aluminium cans are becoming difficult for them.

"Cans have been the biggest problem for us," said Lucas Szymanowski, co-founder of S27 Ales.

Due to the ongoing can shortage, some local craft breweries are adjusting their business practices accordingly. Aluminium cans scarcity is affecting breweries throughout the country, due to pandemic-related industrial slowdowns and increasing demand straining the aluminium supply chain.

"The demand for cans, I think, skyrocketed to a point where it outstripped the supply. When it comes to aluminum cans, everybody expects to get paid right up front. When we order aluminum cans, that's $5,000, $7,000, $10,000 that has to be spent because the cans are available in that moment. Any time cans are available, we're putting out huge amounts of money to have those cans in the building waiting," added Szymanowski.

According to Szymanowski, before the scarcity, the staff at S27 Ales was able to order can pellets whenever they needed them, often just a few days beforehand. But now, they need to wait for notifications from their suppliers for the availability and also pay extra for each pallet. Craft brewers in San Jose are close-knit, and they have cooperated to overcome the difficulties caused by the can scarcity.

"In the community it became very common for everybody to message everybody else 'hey, I have a need, I need a half pallet, one pallet of cans. Do you have an incoming? Can I borrow those? So, it is close-knit. People do share resources and ingredients as necessary,” explained Szymanowski.