Beer Prices Rising Amid Crop Shortage

[Mugu]

By Heather Sullivan, wspa.com (South Carolina)

The expression "champagne taste on a beer budget" is losing its meaning. The price of beer is shooting up, thanks to the rising price of gas and a worldwide shortage of the crops used to make beer. So what does that mean for your night out, or your afternoon at a ballgame?

At the Blue Ridge Brewing Company in Greenville, what Brewmaster Jay Simpson is pouring out of bags are becoming rare commodities.

Said Simpson, "The hops prices are going up. It's very hard to find hops. There's one type of hop I can't even get. It's Cascade hops."

Hops and malt barley, the ingredients to make beer. Worldwide, crops are in short supply thanks to bad weather and the demand for corn to make ethanol fuel. Add to that the rising price of gas, and the cost to make and distribute beer is overflowing.

Complete article at:
http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/news.apx.-content-articles-SPA-2008-04-07-0023.html

[whistle]

1. This just may be the hair that breaks the camel's balls

...impeach Bush, Cheney and all of congress :wtf:

[NJSecularist]

8. ....

:spray: :spray: :spray:

[hlthe2b]

2. Can't even drown our sorrows.... damn...

[Turbineguy]

3. Famous last words:

"Hold my champagne and watch this!"

[The Traveler]

4. Dammit. Now this has definitely gone too far

Something MUST BE DONE to protect the world beer supply. :evilgrin:

[wuushew]

5. Good thing there is no vodka shortage

n/t

[pansypoo53219]

6. Sprecker(sp)

from milw won't have to. kept the same hops dealer, so set.

ugh, and i hate beer. heard on local public radio.

[Initech]

7. Yet another business struggling because of the ridiculous gas prices.

I'm all for a torches-and-pitchforks style revolution at this point.

[whistle]

9. Oh, torches-and-pitchforks eh? Blackwater would love that so then they

...would have reason to kill Americans with high tech weaponry without any risk that the mobs could fight back!