"Environment" my butt - Ethanol causes a Beer Crisis!

[BroncoBuff]

Ethanol must be the Devil's own conspiracy ....

The Beer Crisis
The Economist print edition

Trouble brewing

JUST as the festive season gets going, drinkers in America are finding their favourite beer suddenly more expensive or even—horrors!—not available at all. Hit by price increases and shortages, many breweries, particularly the small “craft brewers” and the even smaller microbreweries, are being forced to raise prices, make do with modified recipes or shut off the spigots altogether.

The humble hop, the plant that gives beer its distinctive flavour, is the main problem. Many farmers in the Pacific northwest, where America's hop production is concentrated, have turned to more profitable lines—especially corn, which can be made into ethanol. The decrease in hop production, put at some 50% over the past decade, has sent prices through the roof. Brian Owens, the brewmaster of the O'Fallon Brewery near St Louis, Missouri, says that the variety he once bought for $3 a pound (0.45kg) now costs five times that. Many smaller breweries cannot find what they need at any price. Industry giants like Anheuser-Busch and Miller are better off, thanks to long-term contracts. But even Anheuser-Busch has been forced to raise prices for its six-packs.

Without their supply of hops, some smaller producers are going out of business, bringing to a halt the fastest-growing segment of the industry. Other craft brewers and brewpubs are experimenting with new recipes, hoping their customers will adapt.

The hops shortage is only part of the problem. Things are no better for barley, used to make the malt that yeast turns into alcohol. It too has been ploughed under in favour of corn. Crop failures in Australia and Europe, combined with the weak dollar, have made it harder to replace the shortage with imports. Other price increases, of fuel, glass and metal, add to the pressure.

http://www.economist.com/world/na/di...ry_id=10337782





. . . t h e . h o r r o r . . .

[yavoon]

the indignity of it all!

[Beantown Bronco]

Now that's what I call "an inconvenient truth"

[snowspot66]

It sucks. We can get the same stuff from industrial hemp, the plant grows faster, on land crops like corn cant even get a foothold in, and takes almost no irrigation or fertilization. There's no need to be using tons of corn for energy. There are alternative crops for it. It's just raising prices for everybody.

[PatsWin2002]

Originally Posted by snowspot66

It sucks. We can get the same stuff from industrial hemp, the plant grows faster, on land crops like corn cant even get a foothold in, and takes almost no irrigation or fertilization. There's no need to be using tons of corn for energy. There are alternative crops for it. It's just raising prices for everybody.

I watched a show recently on "switchgrass" that yield a lot more biomass per acre than corn. I had never heard of the stuff, but it was interesting.

http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/switgrs.html

[Doggcow]

Originally Posted by snowspot66

It sucks. We can get the same stuff from industrial hemp, the plant grows faster, on land crops like corn cant even get a foothold in, and takes almost no irrigation or fertilization. There's no need to be using tons of corn for energy. There are alternative crops for it. It's just raising prices for everybody.

Has anyone actually implemented this anywhere? If someone effectively implemented this (likely in another country) it might open peoples eyes.

[Rohirrim]

The entire ethanol program is a boondoggle that does the environment no good at all. It's driving red meat prices beyond the reach of many Americans. It's only benefit is that it pumps mega billions into the pockets of agribusiness CEOs who pay the politicians who keep it going. Ethanol is just one more Washington feedbag.

[RaiderH8r]

Originally Posted by Rohirrim

The entire ethanol program is a boondoggle that does the environment no good at all. It's driving red meat prices beyond the reach of many Americans. It's only benefit is that it pumps mega billions into the pockets of agribusiness CEOs who pay the politicians who keep it going. Ethanol is just one more Washington feedbag.

Agreed.

Bush talked about switchgrass back in 2004 (ish?) and was mocked. Switchgrass is a better candidate and university researchers have created an enzyme that converts it with a high degree of efficiency. Problem is all those farmers who have yanked crops in favor of corn so that's what is being pushed. And the stuff you said. Little makes me laugh more than a farmer b****ing about welfare.

I'm pushing for mining the moon for Helium-3. Why not? Physicists have known for 40 plus years that H3 can be used in a fusion reaction with no emissions to create energy. The problem has been that H3 is scarce on earth. The sun emits massive amounts of H3 that is pushed around the earth by magnetism and ozone, the moon has no such problem. Moon rocks brought back from Apollo missions have yielded high relative amounts of H3. Also the US owns the moon, we got there first, it's ours. We'll be the Saudi Arabia of H3 and rule the emissions free world. Muaaahaaahaa haaaa!

[BroncoBuff]

H3! H3! H3!

[Los Broncos]

I don't drink beer in the off season.

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by RaiderH8r

Agreed.

Bush talked about switchgrass back in 2004 (ish?) and was mocked. Switchgrass is a better candidate and university researchers have created an enzyme that converts it with a high degree of efficiency. Problem is all those farmers who have yanked crops in favor of corn so that's what is being pushed. And the stuff you said. Little makes me laugh more than a farmer b****ing about welfare.

I'm pushing for mining the moon for Helium-3. Why not? Physicists have known for 40 plus years that H3 can be used in a fusion reaction with no emissions to create energy. The problem has been that H3 is scarce on earth. The sun emits massive amounts of H3 that is pushed around the earth by magnetism and ozone, the moon has no such problem. Moon rocks brought back from Apollo missions have yielded high relative amounts of H3. Also the US owns the moon, we got there first, it's ours. We'll be the Saudi Arabia of H3 and rule the emissions free world. Muaaahaaahaa haaaa!

Plus, with the water crisis building in the West, we just flat don't have the water to irrigate all that corn. There's nothing stupider than the **** that comes out of Washington.

[Arkie]

A lot of farmers switched from cotton to corn, so expect your underwear and socks to go up.

[Los Broncos]

Originally Posted by Arkie

A lot of farmers switched from cotton to corn, so expect your underwear and socks to go up.

Dam, i wear the comfort waisteline band.

[elsid13]

Were the **** is Congress when you actual need those SOBs. This is freaking un ****ing believable.

****, **** **** **** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BroncoBuff]

Bought and paid for, sid.

[elsid13]

Screw the enviroment. I cutting down ****ing trees until they release my beer!

[Borks147]

Originally Posted by Doggcow

Has anyone actually implemented this anywhere? If someone effectively implemented this (likely in another country) it might open peoples eyes.

my family used to be big time industrial hemp growers back in the day. as soon as nylon hit the market, the uses for hemp dwindled to insignificance. but it truly is a wonder-plant

[Paladin]

Let's turn hemp into a biofuel. (not kidding here.) The major knock on Ethanol is that it consumes more energy to produce than it actually produces. So, until Fuel cells actually get engineered right ( and I read where a group in Australia developed a hydrogen fuel "pump" that would fit in a small corner of the garage), hemp could make a comeback.

Also, I read where some folks actually turned garbage into fuel, and the cost of the fuel at the "pump" would be about a $1 a gal leaving sufficient reserves in the pockets for the requisite beer. I think GMC was pushing the industry at the Auto show in Detroit. There are some alternatives out there, but the oil and gas & fossil fuel people just don't want to give up yet. I think the family farmers are not a problem, The Corporate Farms are another story. Most of the farming acreage in the US is now owned by corporate interests. There are "farmers" in Manhattan collecting farm subsidy check......

[theAPAOps5]

Whats funny is with the sudden boom of Ethanol all sorts of plants opened up to convert corn to fuel. Now that the media glare has dimmed the plants are starting to struggle. Once the Feds money stops you are going to see a lot of people lose their shirt.

Eventually things will even out and there is going to be a huge surplus in corn. But by then a steak will be as valuable as gold.

[CBF1]

Looks like CBF1 will have to drink more scotch and Tequlia

[theAPAOps5]

Originally Posted by CBF1

Looks like CBF1 will have to drink more scotch and Tequlia

Vodka, potatoes have yet to be shown any use except for sopping up butter, gravy, and making a clear liquid that takes all your troubles away for a few hours.

[DHallblows]

Originally Posted by ApaOps5

Vodka, potatoes have yet to be shown any use except for sopping up butter, gravy, and making a clear liquid that takes all your troubles away for a few hours.

Play your cards right, and you can change "hours" to "days"...

[TallyBronco]

Another side-effect: ethanol is driving inflation up in the food sector. This is what happens when you let the morons on Capitol Hill tinker with the economy.

Ethanol is a heavily subsidized by the federal government. Cheaper ethanol is available from countries like Brazil, but the federal government levies a huge import tax on those supplies.

American farmers should be embarrassed. Their special interest groups continue to put themselves above the health of the country as a whole. And YOUR congressman soaks it up.

[~Crash~]

Originally Posted by elsid13

Were the **** is Congress when you actual need those SOBs. This is freaking un ****ing believable.

****, **** **** **** !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

all running for president

[~Crash~]

Methane is the only cheap fuel that is the most abundant energy on earth and would be very easy to work in our systems already up and running . The ocean floor is full of methane and is what most think caused the last ice age when the methane exploded causing poison gas and causing huge tsunami there was a lot more in this but here is the deal we are building up on methane and we are about to pop that champaign cork again because the earth is heating . Well I guess we need to go to methane to save the earths suplys of beer !