Global Warming Threatens Beer Prices!

I was concerned about the polar bears’ habitat melting away. I was a little dismayed with the possibility of Manhattan flooding. But now, the potential affects of global warming are hitting a little closer to home- by inflating already skyrocketing beer prices.

The AP released a story a little while back about Global Warming’s affect on Beer Prices. The article states

The price of beer is likely to rise in coming decades because climate change will hamper the production of a key grain (malting barley) needed for the brew

Don’t get too scared, this report is just a prediction and is referring to regions of New Zealand and Australia.

Still, this is tough news. I’m already seeing the effect of trickle down economics in the local beer cooler. Especially since the price of hops has shot up in the past couple years. With Ethanol booming, many hop farmers are switching over to more lucrative crops like corn.  Your craft beer prices are going to be more affected by increased hop prices.  The larger mega breweries tend to have long-term contracts with hop farmers.  The smaller brewers don’t have the same purchasing power and are therefor more susceptible to price increases due to hop shortages.

It seems our overconsumption and hunger for energy is biting us in the ass.  So, if you want to keep beer prices down - ride a bike.