Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Hop and Grain News

I don't know how closely some of you have been following the bad news with regards to hops and grain in the brewing industry but it isn't good. I recently talked with two of my grain suppliers this week and prices will go up nearly 50% for most of the grain I get starting Oct. 1st. That isn't good for the home brewer and definitely not good for the brewery. These price increases are a supply and demand issue with relation to ethanol, poor crops, poor weather and other factors and doesn't predict to be corrected until 2010 or so from what I have read and people I have spoke with.

These factors are also affecting the price of hops and the supply of hops and then I get an email with this terrible news, another fire!!

http://www.kndu.com/Global/story.asp?S=7115146

So be prepared to pay more for your beer not only to make it but to buy it. This could be ugly and I am not excited about it. What I imagine we will see a lot of is low gravity, session beers with low hopping and a larger contingent of wheat beers for awhile. I hope you are building up your cellars!!

1 comment:

Nimz said...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Man that sucks about the grain!

Hop fires 2 years in a row?? Come on.