SEATTLE — Finding your favorite beer on tap may be difficult right now. According to many bar owners and managers, there's a Rainier shortage of draft beer only.
Inside the Waterwheel Lounge, a dive bar in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, Rainier beer is missing from the draft brew lineup.
"We are not able to have it on tap right now, which I feel is a little upsetting for our regulars," said Natalie Wentworth, the manager at Waterwheel.
About three weeks ago, Wentworth said they stopped receiving their Rainier on draft from their distributor, so they were able to give their customers a bit of a warning.
"We were told it's a production issue as far as being able to produce or brew the beer," Wentworth said.
There is an ongoing strike at Molson Coors in Texas. Workers are fighting for better pay and benefits.
Rainier, now owned by Pabst, uses big breweries like Molson Coors to produce beer for smaller breweries. All of this, coupled with supply chain issues, could be to blame for the shortage.
For the regulars who come to the Waterwheel, Rainier is their go-to.
"It's iconic. It tastes great. It feels old school. So for a place like this, it feels perfect," Wentworth said.
While they have no shortage of cans, they are eager to pour Rainier beer again soon.
"It's Rainier. It's going to come back. I'm not too scared," Wentworth said.
For a daily roundup of everything you need to know for across western Washington, sign up for our 5 Things to Know email newsletter.