What do you all think will happen to the fledgling brew industry if minimum wage goes to $15/hr? I'd be very concerned that small breweries would suffer greatly based on the wages I see here.
If wages go up then beer prices will also go up. Of all the things that could screw this up, I'd be least concerned about an increase in the minimum wage.
In the case of brewing, I think lower wages are mostly due to the fact that so many people want to do it (too much supply). Case in point -- I met a pro brewer making really good beer who was an auto mechanic 2 years ago. The demand for auto mechanics isn't going down, but he took a pay cut to become a brewer because he likes the work and felt like it was a better opportunity.
I think wages will be rectified in the next big correction, but supply has to outpace demand first. Sure, the pressure from a higher minimum wage will hurt profitability for some breweries. However, it could also weed out some breweries that are making mediocre beer and getting away with it in this hot market. A little "drag" could actually prevent a high growth market from turning into an unsustainable bubble.