The government shutdown is creating problems nationwide - some big, some small, but after a little while, it starts to have an effect on more and more people. One unlikely place that's starting to feel the shutdown: craft breweries.

Here's what's happening: The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is a government agency that's responsible for approving new beer and wine labels for sale across state lines. And now that the government shut down, that means the ATTTB shut down along with it.

So breweries that were awaiting approval have to wait until they open up again before they'll receive it, and nobody can submit anything to the office either.

So beers that already exist are fine, but breweries developing new stuff will have to hold off for the time being. The Brewers Association even notes to expect a delay when the office does finally reopen, as they'll be dealing with a backlog of requests.

The government has been shut down since December 22nd, and the president seems to say it could go on for "months or even years." This a good example of a small thing that we take for granted that's being completely upended by the shutdown - and it's likely that, as more time passes, we'll hear more stories like this from other industries, too.

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