Lakefront Brewery says it missed out on at least $400,000 in revenue due to Trump tariffs
By Emily Pofahl
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MILWAUKEE (WISN) — The Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision Friday that President Donald Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs without congressional approval, declaring most of the sweeping tariffs he enacted in 2025 illegal.
Trump’s administration had argued that the tariffs were imposed using emergency powers due to trade deficits with foreign countries. The president angrily spoke out against the ruling later Friday in a news conference.
“How ridiculous is that? I’m allowed to embargo them. I’m allowed to tell them you can’t do business in the United States anymore — we want you out of here. But if I want to charge them $10, I can’t do that,” Trump told reporters.
The ruling has created more uncertainty for some American businesses, including Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee.
Russ Klisch, president of Lakefront Brewery, said the tariffs enacted by Trump early last year led to Canada stopping its purchase of their beer.
“You’re talking a couple hundred thousand dollars — four, five hundred thousand that went to Canada that we don’t have any more sales,” Klisch said.
That loss accounts for about four percent of their revenue.
Klisch calls the Supreme Court’s ruling a positive for exporters, but he doesn’t expect Canada to resume buying their beer anytime soon. Rebuilding the relationship will take time.
“They’re still upset with us. It’ll take a while,” he said.
Also on Friday, Trump announced new tariffs through a different statute.
“Today, I will sign an order to impose a 10% global tariff under section 122 over and above our normal tariffs already being charged,” Trump said.
This presents another potential challenge for Lakefront Brewery, which imports aluminum and barley.
“If that’s increased in price, you wonder if that’s going to go up or not,” Klisch said.
Across the U.S., some large companies, like Costco, have filed lawsuits demanding refunds from the federal government. However, Klisch doubts he will receive any compensation for his lost revenue.
“I’m not expecting any refund,” he said.
In response to tariffs last year, Lakefront Brewery increased product sales in other areas in 2025 to avoid laying off employees. Despite the latest news, Klisch said he is not changing anything yet and will wait to see what happens.
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