Hops shortage is man made

Watch the video below and I will tell ya the real story.



This video says the shortage is caused by poor weather but the hop plant is a very hearty plant. Realistically we would have to practically be in another ice age for hop production to fall due to weather. I should know I grew hops in Alaska and I was shocked at how great they grew in such a short growing season. Now realize hops does take a few years to get a large yield of flowers from a new plant but the vines grow like weeds. If you were to videotape a plant for 24 hours you can literally see it grow about 3 inches (peak season). The brewing industry is facing mounting costs on nearly every front. Fuel, aluminum and glass prices have been going up quickly over a period of several years. Barley and wheat prices have skyrocketed as more farmers plant corn to meet increasing demand for ethanol, while others plant feed crops to replace acres lost to corn. The fact of the matter is hop farmers can make more money growing corn for ethanol. So that being said the shortage is man made. Think about this the next time you try to relax with a cold one.